Chris Evert sends touching message to Martina Navratilova and wife Julia Lemigova on their 10th wedding anniversary
Chris Evert sent a heartwarming message to Martina Navratilova and her wife Julia Lemigova on their wedding anniversary. The couple celebrated their 10th wedding anniversary on Valentine's Day (February 14).
Lemigova shared an adorable post on Instagram with pictures of themselves and their dog Loulou and friend Sami Gayle, who accompanied them for their anniversary lunch.
Evert, who's a very close friend of Navratilova and her wife, made a sweet comment on the couple's post and shared her love for them.
"still crazy about each other! ❤️ So happy for you!" - she wrote.
Navratilova and Everts have shared a remarkable rivalry on the court, but their off-court camaraderie has been even more enduring. Everts was the maid of honor when the couple tied the knot in 2014.
The two tennis greats were together amidst adversities in their lives when they faced cancer during 2021-23. Everts was diagnosed with Ovarian cancer in 2021 and went through a hysterectomy after which she was announced as cancer-free in May 2022.
Following that, Navratilova, too, was diagnosed with throat and breast cancer during the same time in 2022. She had previously beaten breast cancer in 2010 as well.
After a series of radiation and chemotherapy treatments, she announced that she had overcome cancer as well, in 2023. They played pivotal roles for each other in their professional as well as personal lives.
Martina Navratilova and Chris Everts' friendship throughout the years
Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert have shared one of the most iconic rivalries in tennis history. They faced each other 80 times, with Navratilova leading their head-to-head 43–37.
In a candid chat with the Washington Post in 2023, they talked about their friendship with host Sally Jenkins. The pair who battled one another in 14 Grand Slam finals, met as teenagers and have a relationship of more than 50 years, shared their ups and downs.
"I saw her at her highest and her at her lowest. And I think because we saw each other that way, the vulnerable part, I think that was, like, you know, that's another level of friendship," said Evert during the interview (1:13 onwards)
The duo surprisingly won 18 Grand Slam singles titles each.