Chris Evert's 5 biggest rivals: From Martina Navratilova to Steffi Graf
Chris Evert is regarded as one of the most influential players in tennis history. The American left a legacy that transcended the sport, especially women's tennis. She dominated the sport throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Evert's accolades speak for herself, having won 18 Grand Slam titles, including a record seven French Open titles. The American was the World No. 1 for 260 weeks and finished year-end No. 1 on seven occasions. She was unanimously inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1995.
During her 18-year-long professional career, Evert faced fierce rivalries on the court. Here's a look at the most significant of them all.
#5. Chris Evert vs Billie Jean King
Chris Evert squared off against Billie Jean King on 26 occasions. The head-to-head record is in favor of Evert, 19-7. She was unbeaten in her last 11 encounters, only losing two sets during this run.
The American duo first met in St. Petersburg in 1971. The semifinal face-off saw the spoils being shared after the first two sets. Ahead of the decider, King was forced to retire which saw Evert reach the final. The same year, they clashed at the US Open, where eventual champion King responded with a win in the semifinals.
Evert and King met nine times across major tournaments, with the former winning six of them. The duo's final meeting came in the VS Championships semifinal, where Evert beat King in straight sets.
#4. Chris Evert vs Tracy Austin
Tracy Austin and Chris Evert went neck-to-neck whenever they squared off on the tour. Evert, however, holds a slight edge over her American counterpart in the head-to-head. She defeated Austin in 9 of the 17 meetings.
Evert first faced Austin in the Wimbledon third round, where she secured a comfortable straight-sets win. Austin's first victory against Evert only came in their sixth encounter.
Across Grand Slams, Evert leads Austin 3-1. The ultimate meeting between the two saw Evert claim a double bagel in the 1982 Toyota Championships semifinal.
#3. Chris Evert vs Steffi Graf
Steffi Graf is one of the few players to have a positive head-to-head record against Evert on the tour. The 22-time Grand Slam champion leads Evert 7-6. In their 13 meetings, they had only taken the match to a decider on one occasion.
Evert first met Graf in the 1985 Lipton International Players Championships semifinals, where she beat the German in straight sets. She remained unbeaten in their first six encounters, while Graf won the next seven.
Graf also has the lead across Grand Slams, 3-1. Evert's only win came in the 1985 French Open fourth round.
#2. Chris Evert vs Evonne Goolagong Cawley
Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Chris Evert met on the tour 38 times. Although Evert holds a healthy lead in the head-to-head with 26 wins, their encounters were often tight affairs.
The first meeting saw Evert defeat Cawley to win the 1972 Indianapolis title. Cawley leveled the scores at Wimbledon the same year. In their semifinal face-off at the grass-court major, Cawley fought from a set down to beat the American.
The duo met on 10 occasions across Grand Slam tournaments, with Evert winning six of them. Their final meeting on the tour was at the 1983 French Open, where Evert beat Cawley to reach the fourth round.
#1. Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova
The Chris Evert-Martina Navratilova rivalry is one of the biggest the sport has ever witnessed. The two legends of American tennis competed against each other a remarkable 80 times over two decades, with 60 of them being finals.
Navratilova leads Evert 43-37 in the overall head-to-head and 36-24 in the finals. Across Grand Slams, Navratilova leads Evert 14-8 overall and 10-4 in finals. Their iconic rivalry kicked off at the 1973 Akron Tennis Open, where Evert defeated the lefty in straight sets.
Evert went on to win the next four meetings, eventually losing to Navratilova in Washington DC in 1975. Their final meeting came at the 1988 Virginia Slims of Chicago, where Navratilova defeated her arch-rival in straight sets to win the title.