On the 50th anniversary of Chris Evert’s maiden Wimbledon win, she returns to the Grand Slam in the middle of a new documentary being produced about her and fellow rival Martina Navratilova.
Evert, who won three out of her 18 major titles at the All England Club, remembers her 1974 triumph as if it was yesterday. Speaking to the media on Sunday afternoon, she detailed her roller-coaster journey to the title and the obstacles she faced. How she managed to beat Lesley Hunt in her opening match with the help of some advice from her former partner, Jimmy Connors, who told her to go to the net. Although she believes her maiden triumph was one she was lucky to win.
“I remember that year I should never have won Wimbledon because I was in the same tournament as Billie Jean King, who I hadn’t beaten on grass yet, and Evonne Goolagong, who had my number on grass,” Evert said during a special Wimbledon press conference.
“Martina and I often talk about the Wimbledons you should have won. That was one that I had no right winning.”
The American’s career was shaped by her incredible rivalry with nine-time Wimbledon champion Navratilova, who she lost to in five finals. They locked horns 80 times in the sport, with 60 of those meetings being in tournament finals. Over the year’s a strong bold formed between the two, who at one stage were also a formidable doubles pairing.
“We really got close emotionally. Then Martina started beating me. I felt like, Okay, she’s getting too close, she knows my emotions, she knows my game too well.” She said.
“I had to tell her, I can’t play doubles with you because I feel like it’s affecting my singles.
“I always found it hard to play a match against somebody that I cared about, especially like my sister Jeanne. I had to play against her three times, and it was awful.”
The two tennis greats continue to be there for each other until this day, even when tragedy occurs. At the same time, both women were diagnosed with cancer but have since beaten the disease. Evert has had ovarian cancer, whilst Navratilova also had the disease in her breasts and throat.
“This cancer brought us much closer together, which is kind of ironic that something like that would be kind of a blessing in a way, in many ways, and one of those ways that it brought us closer together,” Evert commented.
Even now the duo remain highly influential in the world of tennis with each of them turning to broadcasting. Unlike others in the sport, they don’t shy away from speaking out about social issues such as the upcoming US elections or Navratilova’s view on transgender athletes. Earlier this year they co-wrote an article opposing the stage of the WTA Finals in Saudi Arabia due to its human rights record.
As for their legacy in the sport, like on the court Navratilova believes there is always room for improvement in women’s tennis.
“It’s thrilling to see the attention and the money that everybody is making now. It could be better. At least we have equal prize money at all the majors.” She said.
“I think the women’s tennis was kind of at the forefront of women realizing they can ask for more and feel that they’re worth it.”
It is yet to be confirmed when the upcoming documentary about Evert and Navratilova will be released. It is being produced by EverWonder Studio and Meadowlark Media with their focus being on a series of topics. One of which is to encourage more people to undergo medical checks following their experiences.
“That’s part of the documentary. To help people take care of themselves and to motivate people to maybe do a little bit more with themselves.” Navratilova concludes.
