"Good times with good friends" - Tracy Austin catches up with Chris Evert & Martina Navratilova at International Tennis Hall of Fame induction weekend
Tracy Austin got together with yesteryear rivals and present-day friends Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. The trio went to the prestigious institution to take part in the induction weekend proceedings, which saw Leander Paes, Vijay Amritraj, and Richard Evans becoming the latest inductees.
Austin, Evert and Navratilova were also joined by icons Andre Agassi, Stan Smith, and Kim Clijsters. The entire group joined Paes, Amritraj and Evans to pose for photos on stage.
Later on, Tracy Austin took to Instagram to share a photo of herself all smiles with Evert and Navratilova on either side of her. The former World No. 1's post also featured the caption:
"Good times with good friends in Newport, Rhode Island! What a weekend!"
Evert later reshared the photo as an Instagram Story.
Austin's breakthrough came in the 1970s, a period that saw colleagues Evert and Navratilova establish themselves as the dominant forces in women's tennis. Even though the California native could never hit the heights that Evert and Navratilova did, she achieved some remarkable feats during her career.
For starters, Austin won the 1979 US Open women's singles title when she was only 16 years old, becoming the youngest player to win the prestigious hardcourt Major; a record that is yet to be equaled or surpassed. The title triumph was a result of Austin beating four-time defending champion Evert in the final.
She went on to win another US Open title in 1981. This time, she got the better of Navratilova in the final. Austin also won the 1980 Wimbledon Championships mixed doubles title alongside brother John.
Additionally, Austin's 1992 induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame made her the youngest player to be given the prestigious honor, and that too when she was only 29.
Tracy Austin talked about Martina Navratilova's superiority compared to herself and Chris Evert last year
2023 marked the 50th anniversary of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA). To honor it, Tennis Channel produced and released a series of videos, one of which was an interview featuring Austin, Evert and Navratilova. During the interview, Austin opined that Navratilova was much stronger than the rest of the playing field in women's tennis during the Czech-American's prime.
"The physicality of playing Martina was the biggest challenge because at the time she was so much stronger than the rest of us and she could smother you with her serve and volley technique," Tracy Austin said.
Austin also suggested that it was Navratilova's physical superiority that compelled Evert to spend more time on her own fitness.
"Chrissy (Evert) knew that Martina by upping the ante and getting so strong and so lean and fit that she needed to spend more time in the gym, that she needed to get stronger," Tracy Austin added.
While Evert retired as one of the most successful women's tennis players with 18 singles and three women's doubles titles at Majors, Navratilova's achievements were even more staggering. The Czech-American won 18 singles, 31 women's doubles and 10 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles.