Tennis Hits the Books
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova is the greatest tennis rivalry ever. In the post Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal era (or perhaps the waning moments), placing Evert vs Navratilova on top of the list is a semi-hot take. Anyone who wants challenge my assertion that Evert vs Navratilova is the greatest rivalry of all time must first read The Rivals: Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova Their Epic Duels and Extraordinary Friendship. (Sponsored Link) It is required reading to meaningfully engage in that debate.
When Evert and Navratilova’s rivalry was playing out on the tennis court, the women’s professional tour was still very much coming of age. They were the youngsters who were responsible for accepting the torch from Billie Jean King and the other established stars of the tour. They proved that women’s professional tennis wasn’t a moment but rather a movement. The extraordinary tennis that they threw down was instrumental in transitioning tennis into the best professional sports opportunity for female athletes.
At the same time, both players were redefining what a female professional athlete “looked like” in their own way. Chris Evert with her “girl next door” good looks and charm showed the world that athletic women could still be regarded as feminine. She was a true crossover into pop culture, carrying the sport to a much broader audience. It is no coincidence that in the United States the “tennis boom” of the 1970’s corresponds precisely to the time when Evert’s stardom emerged.
Navratilova brought sheer athleticism to the sport. She demonstrated that women could play the game with both power and flair. Navratilova brought an “in your face” aggressiveness to women’s tennis that was in stark contrast to Evert’s more quiet style of play. Evert would slay her opponent’s with a thousand cuts with consistency from her own baseline. Navratilova charged the net and crammed the ball down her opponent’s throats.
On the political front, Navratilova is the personification of the American Dream. It is impossible to understand this rivalry without the backdrop of her defection from behind the Iron Curtain of Czechoslovakia. In fact, the details author Johnette Howard provides about the circumstances and events of Navratilova’s defection is on par with the stuff in great suspense novels. Even knowing how that part of the story turned out, I felt a palpable concern for her safety and well-being reading through that account.
The rivalry between Evert and Navratilova was played out in streaks. Evert’s steady play, flawless mechanics, and cool calculation on the court propelled her to dominate the game early on. The evolution of Navratilova’s game came as she learned better tactics and on court emotional control. It took some time to master. Once she did, Navratilova entered a long period of sheer domination that no one… not even Evert could effectively challenge. Navratilova was destroying everybody.
It would have been easy and expected for Evert to simply retire when Navratilova surpassed her to top the women’s rankings. However, Evert brought a high degree of perseverance to the rivalry. Rather than fading off into the sunset, she doubled down on her training to elevate her fitness. Even more impressive, she evolved the tactics of the game which was required to be more competitive with Navratilova. Many doubted that it was possible to evolve in that way so late into her playing career.
Just as the tactical evolution of women’s tennis played out in broad arcs across the rivalry of Evert and Navratilova, the training evolution of both players creates a similarly compelling narrative. Early on in Navratilova’s career, her affinity for fast food and lack of training discipline prevented her from obtaining her full potential. Once she figured out what was needed, Navratilova was one of the first players to bring fitness training into the forefront for women’s tennis. Her obvious physical dominance resulted in some bizarre press conferences questions asking her if was “fair” to be stronger and in better shape than the other players.
For her part, Evert never lifted weights until making her late push to challenge Navratilova’s imposing presence. Coming to the realization that more work in the gym is needed is one thing. Doing it is next level, and Evert did it. Between the two of them, they showed their contemporaries, as well as generations of players to come, how to effectively train for women’s tennis. They established the foundation for what is now considered to be a standard aspect of competition.
There are a lot of commonalities when comparing the rivalries of Evert vs Navratilova and Federer vs Nadal. Both contain a duo of players who were dominating their sport. In fact, that domination is required in order to have the number of head-to-head tournament matches to establish it as a rivalry in the first place. Additionally, both have an element of enduring friendship at the core of the relationship.
The primary difference is that Federer-Nadal was played out on a professional stage that was was already well established when they both started playing the game. When Evert and Navratilova burst onto the scene, women’s professional tennis was still being built. The didn’t just create a rivalry, they were also growing women’s professional tennis at the same time. Additionally, the women’s movement and the fall of the Iron Curtain were an indelible part of the backdrop of their story. Both Evert and Navratilova were notable figures in those narratives.
It should not be overlooked that Navratilova and Evert revolutionized the tactics and training that are now a de facto part of women’s professional tennis. Those tactics evolved in the crucible of their rivalry. Without the other, neither would have been compelled to evolve their game the way they did. Together they lifted a sport onto their shoulders and showed the world how tennis could be played the highest echelons. They did so while also elevating the peak.
Evert and Navratilova is the greatest rivalry that tennis has ever seen. Period. I would be happy to engage in debate with anyone who thinks that Federer and Nadal is somehow better. However, reading The Rivals: Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova Their Epic Duels and Extraordinary Friendship is first required.
Fiend At Court participates in the amazon associates program and receives a paid commission on any purchases made via the links in this article. Additional details on the disposition of proceeds from this source are available in the “About Fiend at Court” page.
