No other singles rivalry in women’s tennis had as many matches as Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova taking on each other. The two legends played a whopping 80 matches, which is also more than any Open Era men’s rivalry. Navratilova leads the overall Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova head-to-head, 43–37 and 36–24 in finals.
The two greats dominated the 1970s and the early 1980s and still lead the charts for most WTA titles. Evert, who is two years senior and went pro in 1972, is second with 157 trophies. Navratilova, meanwhile, is at the top after winning a jaw-dropping 167 titles after going pro in 1974. Here is a timeline of the immense rivalry between the two era-defining icons.
1973 and 1974: Evert off with a headstart in the initial years
The duo first met in 1973, in the round of 16 of the now-defunct Akron Tennis Open. 19-year-old Chris Evert beat the then 17-year-old Martina Navratilova, who was still an amateur then. The result repeated in their second match that year as well.
1974 was no different as Evert won both their clashes to race ahead 4-0. This also included the Italian Open final, the first summit clash in this duel.
1975-1977: Evert gains massive lead as Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova rivalry dominates WTA with 20 matches in 3 years
1975 saw Evert and Navratilova face off a whopping 11 times. Navratilova got her first win of this rivalry in the second match of the year in the quarter-finals of the Virginia Slims of Washington. The biggest match of this competition that year was the final of the 1975 French Open, also their first-ever Grand Slam tie. Evert won this and also bagged the semi-final of the US Open. She ended the year with a lopsided 13-2 lead.
The duo played thrice in 1976 with Navratilova winning one of those matches, and six times in 1977, out of which Evert won five. Evert finished this phase with an astounding 20-4 lead over her Czech-American rival.
1978-1981: Rivalry continues to reign supreme with 18 finals in four years
Another dominant spell for the Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova rivalry saw them cross paths 21 times in those four years, and 18 of these were finals. The 1978 Wimbledon final was the second Grand Slam summit clash between the two. Navratilova beat her senior counterpart to bag her first Majors title. She defended her title in 1979, again defeating Evert.
After 13 consecutive finals on the trot, the 1980 Wimbledon semi-final was the first match between the pair since 1978 to not be a championship clash. Evert got her revenge for her two consecutive runner-up finishes. 1981 saw them clash in the US Open semi-finals and the Australian Open final and Navratilova won both those matches. Despite bagging the major wins, Navratilova lagged behind 16-29 in the head-to-head.
1982-1984: Navratilova flips the script
Martina Navratilova won her third Wimbledon final against Chris Evert in 1982. The latter got her revenge by beating her younger rival in the final of the Australian Open. However, that would be the last win for Evert until 1985.
Navratilova embarked on a 13-match winning streak in the Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova rivalry. After Evert’s aforementioned 1982 Australian Open win, she leads the head-to-head 30-18. However, with her last win of this streak, Navratilova edged ahead 31-30 when the 1984 season ended. Her run included wins over Evert in the final of the 1983 US Open and the 1984 French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open.
It should be noted that every match of this duel in this phase was a final. In fact, every clash after the 1981 US Open semi-final had been a championship match.
1985-1987: Navratilova extends lead even as the rivalry loses grip on the tour
Chris Evert snapped Martina Navratilova’s winning streak by winning their first tie of 1985. She also defeated her opponent in the French Open final that year. However, Navratilova won the other four fixtures that year, including the Wimbledon and the Australian Open to grow her lead.
1986 saw only three Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova matches, the former winning the French Open final while the latter winning the other two. Evert’s triumph proved to be the last Grand Slam final between these legendary icons. The emergence of a certain Steffi Graf meant Evert and Navratilova were no longer unchallenged.
They crossed paths in the 1987 French Open semi-finals, their first non-final match since 1981, a run of 28 consecutive summit clashes in the rivalry. Navratilova won this en route to finishing the 1987 season with a 40-35 lead.
1988: The last year of the Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova rivalry
The duo clashed five times in 1988, with Evert winning the first two times. She beat Navratilova in the semi-finals of the Australian Open before winning the final of the Virginia Slims of Houston. This was her last win in this rivalry, a total of 37.
Navratilova won their next three fixtures in 1988, including the Wimbledon semi-finals, their last Grand Slam tie. Fittingly, their 80th and final match was also a final. Navratilova beat Evert to lift the Virginia Slims of Chicago title and end with a head-to-head lead of 43-37.
