More than three decades after her last Grand Slam title, tennis legend Chris Evert still vividly recalled the moment she defied the odds at the 1986 French Open.
At 31 years old, Evert stunned her longtime rival Martina Navratilova in the final at Roland-Garros, capturing her 18th Grand Slam singles title.
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova Faced Off 80 Times in an Iconic WTA Rivalry
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Evert and Navratilova redefined women’s tennis with a rivalry that became the cornerstone of the sport’s popularity. Meeting an astonishing 80 times, 60 of those in tournament finals, their battles often dictated the narrative of the women’s game.
And by the mid-1980s, Navratilova had the upper hand, dominating the tour and casting doubt on whether Evert could still contend for major titles. That all changed in Paris in 1986.
In a 2021 interview with rolandgarros.com, Evert recalled how few people believed she could topple the in-form Navratilova in the final. The American veteran dropped the first set 2-6 before mounting a gritty comeback to win the next two sets 6-3, 6-3, clinching her seventh title at the clay-court Major.
“I think the beauty of it was that it was an upset, I’d beaten Martina,” Evert said. “Everybody had counted me out, I think, as far as winning another Grand Slam, that was the consensus. Martina was pretty dominant around those years. So the nice thing was just kind of surprising myself that I could still win a Grand Slam at that late age.”
Evert, who was once untouchable on clay with a 125-match win streak on the surface between 1973 and 1979, had been slipping behind Navratilova in the mid-1980s. However, a key turning point came in 1985, when she finally ended a 13-match losing streak to her rival. That year, Evert beat Navratilova twice, including once at Roland-Garros.
“That ’85 win sort of opened up the door,” she told rolandgarros.com in a 2021 interview. “I regained my confidence… then the next year I beat her at the French and I just felt like I could beat her. The confidence was there.”
Chris Evert Reveals How Her Win Over Martina Navratilova in Paris Extended Her Career
The unexpected outcome of Chris Evert’s 1986 Roland Garros final against Martina Navratilova breathed new life into her career, allowing her to play on for another three seasons.
“That was also the year I think Steffi (Graf) was really starting to come up. People definitely were (saying)… Martina was dominant and the newcomers are coming up and Chrissie had had her heyday.”
“I think that win, winning a Grand Slam, propelled me to play three more years, I played three more years. I wanted to milk it as long as I could.”
