"If Chris Evert & Martina Navratilova were two guys, we’d still be hearing about it": When Billie Jean King shared her opinion on duo's iconic rivalry

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova reigned supreme on the women's tennis tour for nearly two decades, captivating fans with their thrilling rivalry in the 1970s and the 1980s. However, Billie Jean King believed that the duo didn't receive the recognition they deserved for their rivalry.

Evert and Navratilova faced each other a record 80 times on tour, with the Czech American holding a narrow 43-37 lead in their head-to-head record. The pair also squared off in 14 Grand Slam finals, 10 of which went Navratilova's way. King shared her opinion on the duo's legendary rivalry in a 2024 interview with the WTA.

Billie Jean King expressed her belief that Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova had the "best ever" rivalry in sports history, let alone just tennis. She also suggested that had Evert and Navratilova been men, they would've commanded far more recognition in the modern era.

"I think their rivalry is the best ever in the history of sports, not just tennis. If they were two guys, we’d still be hearing about it all the time," King said.

Meanwhile, Navratilova opened up about how Evert was a trailblazer for the sport because she proved that it was possible to be an athlete and still remain "girly," which brought a lot of new fans to the sport.

"Women in America were not supposed to do sports back then. Like, 'You’re a girl, so you shouldn’t be doing that. You should just be a cheerleader.’ We did not have that in Europe at all. Chris broke on the scene in 1971 at the US Open. She was very girly, girl. She wasn’t trying to be more girly, that’s just who she was. And so, it’s OK to be an athlete and be great -- and still be girly. She definitely brought new fans and young athletes to the sport," she said.

Martina Navratilova has also spoken about Chris Evert's kindness after their battle in the 1978 Wimbledon Championships final. Despite being on the losing side, the American was so gracious to her rival that it made Navratilova realize that she would "rather lose to Evert than anybody else."

"We were always very empathetic to each other" - Martina Navratilova on her rivalry and relationship with Chris Evert

Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert - Source: Getty

Despite their fierce rivalry on tour, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova have maintained a close bond of friendship since ending their careers. While speaking to Andy Roddick on his 'Served' podcast in 2025, Navratilova opened up about her equation with Evert and revealed that their rivalry and relationship would be depicted in an upcoming documentary.

"We call here and there, and we text. Usually, we're sending each other tips on what shows to watch on Netflix. We connect, and we're doing a documentary, actually, that'll be out hopefully early next year. It's on our relationship and our rivalry," Navratilova said.

Although the former World No. 1 said that the documentary would chronicle "the hate" they experienced for one another, she made it clear that the defining characteristic of their rivalry was the mutual respect and empathy they shared.

"It had all of those aspects of it: the respect, the like, the hate, the rivalry, but most of all, the respect that never went away. And empathy, I think we were always very empathetic to each other. So many times when you see our handshake, you don't know who won the match because we're both smiling," she added.

This empathy was on display when Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova became each other's support systems while dealing with their respective cancer diagnoses. Evert has disclosed how important it was to have Navratilova to lean on during her battle with the disease, stating that they could openly talk about the "mental and emotional aspects of having cancer."

Edited by Urvi Mehra