Players involved: Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova
- Martina Navratilova. The greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who ever lived
Martina Navratilova, born in Czechoslovakia in 1956, was, according to Billie Jean King, “the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who ever lived.” Since the start of his career, he has already won an incredible 138 titles. Navratilova had won 17 Grand Slam titles, eight in singles Wimbledon crowns (six of them in a row between 1982 and 1987), four US Open: titles (1983, 1984, 1986, 1987), three Australian Open (1981, 1983, 1985) and two French Open Championship (1982, 1984). By 1988, he had already collected 28 titles in “Grand Slam” doubles, and five in mixed doubles.
She also held the record for six consecutive Grand Slam titles between the 1983 and 1984 US Opens at Wimbledon (the Australian Open was then held in December), and held the world No. 1 ranking for a then-record 332 weeks. The left-handed Navratilova played a service volley unlike any woman before her. According to Evert, she took fitness to a new level in women’s tennis by introducing the idea of cross-training while playing other sports, such as basketball, to improve her physical condition. On August 17, 1987, Navratilova lost the world No. 1 ranking to German Steffi Graf, who was 10 years her junior.
- Chris Evert. An 18-time Grand Slam champion who played with remarkable consistency
Chris Evert was born in 1954 in Florida. Coached by his father, he developed a game based on consistency, keeping his opponent away from the net with his deep shots and punishing them with big passes if they got too close to the net. He made his first major breakthrough at age 16, reaching the semifinals of the US Open (losing to world No. 1 Billie Jean King 6–3, 6–2). Over the next 19 years, his list of accomplishments was nothing short of astounding. Throughout his career, Evert has reached at least the semifinals in 52 of the 56 Grand Slam tournaments he has played. She played 34 major finals, winning 18 Grand Slam titles. Roland-Garros (1974, 1975, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1986), Wimbledon (1974, 1976, 1981), the US Open (1975-1978, 1980, 1982), and the Australian Open (1982, 1984).
He played only six times in Melbourne and missed the French Open three times (1976-1978) when he was unbeatable on clay; 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1981), and from 1972 until the end of his career, he never finished outside the top four. But in November 1988, she had not claimed a major title for more than two years and was now world No. 3, behind Steffi Graf and her long-time rival Martina Navratilova.
Venue: UIC Pavilion, Chicago
The Chicago Virginia Slims Open was established in 1971. In 1988, it was held on an indoor mat at the UIC Pavilion, a multi-purpose arena that opened in 1982. Martina Navratilova has already lifted the trophy seven times.
Fact:
The 1988 Chicago final against Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert was the 80th installment of their rivalry and, if the players didn’t know it at the time, it was their last.
Navratilova led 42-37 at the time, but Evert, two years older and already on top of the tennis world when the Czech southpaw arrived on tour, had beaten her in 21 of their first 25 meetings. It took Navratilova 12 consecutive victories over her opponent in 1982 and 1983 to tie the score.
Navratilova has won 10 of the 14 Grand Slam finals where the two legends have met, and three of Evert’s four finals have come at the French Open (1975, 1985, 1986), reflecting Evert’s dominance on clay (11-3 for Chrissy, her favorite surface). In Chicago, the two rivals were set to play their 60th final on the tour, with Martina leading 35-24.
They have held the No. 1 ranking for a combined 592 weeks, Navratilova for 332 weeks and Evert for 260 weeks.
Between the 1981 Australian Open and 1985 Wimbledon, they won an incredible 15 consecutive Grand Slam singles titles. From the 1982 Australian Open to the 1987 US Open, they won 21 of those 24 Grand Slam singles titles. Their tour had waned since 1987 when Hana Mandlikova won the Australian Open and Steffi Graf at Roland Garros. In 1988, the young German even won an incredible calendar Grand Slam, a feat Navratilova was two games away from in 1984.
I have to play everything perfectly on this fast court to beat him. This is his strength and he just beat me.
Matches between the two legends became even more dramatic due to their contrasting styles; Martina constantly attacked the net while Chris was known for his more defensive game.
However, there was very little drama in this final match between the best players of the last 15 years. On a fast surface that suited her game, Navratilova cruised to an easy 6-2, 6-2 victory over an opponent who was far from her best.
According to The: Chicago TribuneNavratilova was so surprised by Evert’s poor play that she asked her immediately after the match if she was okay.
“I only lost two break points the whole match and I never lost serve. Very rare to do that against Chris. It was hard to celebrate today. I enjoy winning, but I knew Chris wasn’t playing very well. It wasn’t a really exciting meeting and I didn’t feel as happy as I would have if I went.
Meanwhile, Evert explained that it seemed almost impossible for him to beat Martina so quickly on the surface. “His serve is a real weapon,” Evert said, “and I don’t have a weapon on this court.” It’s the fastest on the tour. I have to play everything perfectly on this court to beat him. That’s his strength and he just beat me.”
What next? Navratilova continues to win Grand Slams weeks before her 50th birthday
This “not really exciting match” will go down as the last meeting between the two legends of our sport.
Despite their fierce rivalry, Evert and Navratilova would remain close friends years after their retirements. “Martina is definitely one of my closest friends now. We have no competition. There is no tension in our relationship. It’s a liberating feeling,” Evert told apnews.com.
“It wouldn’t be the same without you,” Navratilova told her friend in an Instagram chat in 2020. “We were able to reach out to each other and be there together. It probably strengthened our friendship when you look back.”
Evert would retire from professional tennis 12 months later at the end of 1989, ending her career with a 6-3, 6-2 win over young Conchita Martinez in the Fed Cup final.
Navratilova won her 18th and final Grand Slam title at Wimbledon in 1990, defeating Zeena Garrison (6-4, 6-1) in the final. She would retire in 1994, but in 2000, Navratilova returned to the tour, playing mostly doubles.
Partnering with Leander Paes to win mixed doubles at the 2003 Australian Open, he would complete the Boxed Grand Slam (winning both singles and doubles in all four Grand Slams) and become the oldest Grand Slam champion of all time at the age of 46. In 2004, she would receive a controversial Wimbledon singles draw. Now 47, incredibly, she would go on to win her first round match 6-0, 6-2 against world No. 102 Catalina Castano before losing to 59th-ranked Gisela Dulco 3-6, 6-3, 6-3. In 2006, a few weeks before his 50th birthday, he claimed the US Open mixed doubles title with partner Bob Bryan, also ending his career with a victory.