“Very sweet!” – Chris Evert acknowledges Martina Navratilova’s unfulfilled retirement dream similar to Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal at Laver Cup
Chris Evert acknowledged Martina Navratilova’s revelation of a dream retirement similar to what Roger Federer had alongside his long-time friend and rival Rafael Nadal.
Sporting legend Navratilova was a commentator on the Tennis Channel for Federer and Nadal's doubles encounter at the Laver Cup. The pair, who represented Team Europe, faced off against Team World’s Jack Sock and Frances Tiafoe. Although the two legends lost the encounter by close margins, the 18-time Grand Slam champion was fascinated by the match and the occasion, disclosing that she would have loved to have had such a fairy-tale ending to her career alongside her arch-rival Evert.
When a fan on social media brought this to Evert's attention, she appreciated Navratilova’s wish and resonated with the sentiment.
“Loved that from Martina Navratilova on TC, saying she would have loved to have gone out like this playing doubles with Chris Evert,” the fan tweeted.
“Right? Very sweet!” Evert replied.
twitter.com/fortydeucetwit…
Right? Very sweet! ❤️ twitter.com/fortydeucetwit…
Evert and Navratilova dominated women’s tennis in the 1970s and 1980s. They amassed 18 Majors each in women’s singles. The duo faced off against each other a staggering 80 times in their careers. Notably, they contested 60 finals as rivals. Despite all their on-court battles, they have generally shared a loving bond off the court and have remained great friends.
They have also teamed up in doubles events throughout their careers. It is worth noting that they won the 1975 French Open doubles and the 1976 Wimbledon doubles paired alongside each other.
When did Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova retire?
Chris Evert retired at the age of 34 after the 1989 US Open. Throughout her career, she bagged 157 singles titles, including 18 Grand Slam titles. She also won 32 doubles titles.
The 67-year-old recently revisited her retirement and admitted that it was a lackluster affair.
"I retired at the U.S. Open. It was so different in that day. I mean, it’s like I just waved and walked off the court and that was it. And there’s no fanfare or anything. No parties. Nothing. So, I thought it was pretty low-key," she said.
"I wish maybe that I could have savored the moment a little bit more and really looked at the fans and maybe been a little more emotional about it and felt a little bit more. I guess I wish I would have been a little more in the moment and a little more engaged in the moment when I retired and walked off center court," she added.
Martina Navratilova, meanwhile, retired in 2006, aged 49. She said her final goodbye by winning the mixed doubles title at the 2006 US Open with partner Bob Bryan. However, the 65-year-old played her final women’s singles match in 1994 at the age of 37. She was defeated by Gabriela Sabatini at the WTA Tour Championships at Madison Square Garden.
The Czech-American legend collected 167 singles titles in her career, including 18 Grand Slam titles and 177 doubles titles.
Chris Evert touched upon her friend’s retirement from singles and recalled that it was an extravagant farewell. She even confessed to getting jealous of her rival for being gifted a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with her name painted on the gas tank.
“Martina got a motorcycle, I think a Harley-Davidson at Madison Square Garden. I was a little jealous of that, not that I wanted a motorcycle but I would have settled," she said.
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