Eighty matches, sixteen years, two players who made each other better. The greatest rivalry in women’s tennis, and the rackets behind it.
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova played each other 80 times between 1973 and 1988. They also won 18 Grand Slam singles titles each. And between them, their rackets cover the years when tennis moved from wood to graphite.
The Frames
Wilson Pro Staff / Chris Evert (Evert) — the racket Evert used to win the 1982 US Open, beating Hana Mandlíková 6–3, 6–1, is held by the International Tennis Hall of Fame. It is a laminated wood frame with natural gut strings and a strip of lead tape on the top of the head. You can read more about her signature rackets in our Wilson Chris Evert guide.
Yonex R-7 and R-22 (Navratilova) — Yonex signed her in 1980. She won the 1982 French Open with the newly released R-7, and in 1983 she won the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open with the R-22. Both are isometric, squarer-headed frames, part of the Yonex isometric series.
The Ball
Their Wimbledon finals of 1979 and 1982 were played with a white ball. The ITF approved yellow in 1972, but Wimbledon held out until 1986. That was the look of the game.
Five Matches
1979 Wimbledon final: Navratilova won 6–4, 6–4.
1982 Wimbledon final: Navratilova won 6–1, 3–6, 6–2.
1982 Australian Open final: Evert won 6–3, 2–6, 6–3.
1983 US Open final: Navratilova won 6–1, 6–3, completing her career Grand Slam.
1986 French Open final: Evert won 2–6, 6–3, 6–3, the last Grand Slam final they played against each other.
The Shape of the Rivalry
Evert led the head-to-head in each of the first six years of the rivalry, from 1973 to 1978. Navratilova led it in every year from 1981 to 1988.
The Verdict
Navratilova leads the overall record 43–37, and 36–24 in finals. In Grand Slam finals she won 10 of their 14 meetings. But Evert took the last one, at Roland Garros in 1986, and finished with as many Grand Slam singles titles as her rival.
On the record: Navratilova, 43–37.
On Grand Slam finals: Navratilova, 10–4.
On the frames: wood and natural gut for Evert in 1982, graphite for Navratilova.
Want to play the game the way they saw it? Join the waiting list for The White Ball, or get the free collector’s guide to start your own racket collection.
— The Editor, Court Privée
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