SPORTSDISTINCTION  10.26

Chris Evert & Martina Navratilova

A Champions’ Bond Like No Other

The Netflix documentary about tennis icons Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova is titled Chris & Martina: The Final Set. Directed by two-time Emmy Award winner Rebecca Gitlitz, the 96-minute film is about two of the greatest champions in history, and two of the most notable trailblazers in women’s sports.

They were contrasting figures — the All-American Evert, from Florida, and Navratilova, who defected from communist Czechoslovakia.

Initially, it was Evert who had the upper hand in the rivalry, winning nine of their first 10 matches and getting all the fame and acclaim.

“In the beginning, it was fine for me to be friends with her, because I was better than her,” Evert says in the film.

But that would change.

“Every time I practice, I’ll be practicing shots that I’ll hopefully use against her,” a young Evert says in a decades-old interview from her playing days.

Navratilova became fanatical about her fitness level and training and eventually caught up to Evert, and they would compete fiercely in the ensuing decades, taking women’s tennis to new heights.

“Chris was the enemy, and she’s the one I had to beat to get to No. 1,” Navratilova says.

Their relationship would change throughout the years, from friendly — they won the French Open doubles title together in 1975, before Evert disbanded their team — to icy to cordial.

But later in life, when they were both diagnosed with cancer and became more introspective, they developed a deep emotional bond over their treatments, their struggles, their sacrifices and their shared place in history.

“Sometimes it takes terrible things to happen for you to realize how you really feel about things,” Evert says.

Navratilova describes how their relationship evolved: “There’s no competition of whose cancer was worse. We’re in the same boat.”

As dark as those moments are, it’s equally uplifting and heartwarming to see them embrace, support each other and share positive news about their progress.

Acknowledgements: WTATennis.com