Half a century ago, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova defined an era of tennis with their fierce rivalry. Today, in their seventies, they share a close friendship. Ahead of the premiere of their new Netflix documentary, “Chris and Martina: The Final Set,” all eyes were on the duo as they reunited in New York City on June 10. Sitting down for a playful “rapid-fire” Q&A with Reuters, their bantering dynamic was as sharp as ever, and it caught the attention of another tennis great, Monica Seles.
Monica Seles Backs Martina Navratilova’s Take on Chris Evert in Rapid Fire Ahead of Netflix Documentary Premiere
At the premiere, the two sat down for a rapid-fire segment with Reuters. When the interviewer asked who was truly more competitive during their playing days, Evert, 71, answered, “Oh, I don’t know. Well, I have no idea.” Navratilova, who turns 70 later this year, was quick to settle the score. “I think Chris is more competitive,” Navratilova replied with a smile, “but she probably thinks I’m more competitive.”
Nine-time Grand Slam champion Seles reacted to the clip on Instagram. “I CANT wait to watch it!!!!” Seles wrote, reposting the video, before playfully adding, “I agree with you, Martina, that Chris is more competitive 😎 Love you both ❤️❤️.”
Seles entered the tour as a teenage prodigy in the late 1980s just as the historic Evert-Navratilova rivalry was drawing to a close. Seles has a 9-7 career edge over Navratilova and a 1-1 record against Evert, having faced her during the American’s final 1989 season.
Navratilova and Evert have arguably the most dominant rivalry in sports history. Over a grueling 15-year stretch, they faced off an astonishing 80 times, including 60 finals. While they ended their careers in a symmetrical tie with exactly 18 Grand Slam singles titles each, it is Navratilova who holds their head-to-head record, 43-37 (including a 36-24 advantage in tournament finals).
SEE ALSO: Did Wimbledon Prematurely Drop Serena Williams Hint? All About the Unexpected Move
On one of the remaining questions, Evert claimed the title of most superstitious, as she recalled wearing the same “lucky” pink or yellow dress for every final. And when asked to describe each other in one word, the Czech-American warmly called her longtime friend “surprising,” while Evert joked, “fickle,” before landing on “compassionate.” The duo also agreed that the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry would be the next best after theirs.
Their documentary will be available to stream on June 26, after its recent premiere. Directed by two-time Emmy winner Rebecca Gitlitz, it delves deep into the legends’ rivalry and 50 years of off-court friendship, with a special focus on their recent parallel health battles in the early 2020s, as Evert had ovarian cancer and Navratilova had breast and throat cancer, where they served as each other’s support system. It also has them reviewing their legendary 1970s and 1980s matchups and exclusive commentary from peers and journalists, including John McEnroe and Pam Shriver.
