"Bet my house the men's No. 100 could beat Martina Navratilova, 95% of women can't play": When Vitas Gerulaitis opposed equal prize money amid US Open
Vitas Gerulaitis once held up Martina Navratilova as an example to express his firm opposition to women receiving equal prize money as men. During the 1984 US Open, Gerulaitis controversially claimed that Navratilova couldn't even compete with the World No. 100 male player.
In 1973, followed by the efforts of Billie Jean King, the US Open became the first sporting event in history to offer equal prize money to male and female players. However, the groundbreaking decision wasn't welcomed by everyone.
During the 1984 edition of the New York Major, Vitas Gerulaitis shared his opposition to the women receiving equal prize money, arguing that the level of women's tennis was far inferior to that of men's.
Gerulaitis went so far as to claim he would wager his house that the then-World No. 1 Martina Navratilova would lose to the 100th-ranked male player, citing the perceived lack of competitiveness in the women's game.
Gerulaitis opined that only 5 percent of women's matches were truly competitive, insisting that something "disastrous" had to happen for Navratilova to be defeated. In contrast, he contended that the top men's players like John McEnroe were more vulnerable to upsets because of the intense competition in men's tennis.
"I bet my house that the men's No. 100 could beat Martina. Ninety-five of the women really can't play. Only 5 percent can. Seventy-five percent of the men can play. McEnroe can be beaten if he has a bad day. Look at what happened last week," he said (via The New York Times).
"Amritraj isn't even in his class and he beats John because he played a great match. Something disastrous has to happen to Martina in the morning for her to lose," he added.
"He could be sorry ... I think I'd have a shot" - Martina Navratilova refuted Vitas Gerulaitis' claim
Martina Navratilova, however, pushed back against Vitas Gerulaitis' claim, suggesting that he might regret his words. Speaking to the press after her second-round win at the 1984 US Open, the top seed expressed confidence in her ability to triumph over the men's World No. 100 if she got to choose the surface.
''Well, I'll tell you what. He could be sorry about that one. If I got to pick the surface and the number one hundred guy, I think I'd have a shot at it," Martina Navratilova said.
Meanwhile, Chris Evert sided with Gerulaitis, emphasizing her belief that neither Navratilova nor any other female player could compete with the men.
"I agree with Vitas. I think she'd lose to the top hundred men. You can't compare Martina or any of the women to the men. I play my brother. He beats me, and he's not even ranked. There are so many top college players out there that you don't even consider," Evert said.
Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert locked horns in the final of the 1984 US Open, with Navratilova claiming a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory to clinch her second title at the New York Major. Vitas Gerulaitis, meanwhile, suffered a fourth-round exit at his home Slam, losing to fifth seed Andres Gomez in straight sets.