‘It’s a miracle that we were able to stay friends’

Despite their gladiator-like rivalry Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova were close friends off the court. James Kaplan met the tennis legends to discuss the state of the game then and now.

WITHIN the bounds of a singles tennis court, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova knew each other very well.

Between 1973 and 1988, the two 18-time Grand Slam champs faced each other 80 times, with Navratilova holding a slight advantage, 43-37. Yet remarkably, despite their monumental rivalry, they were close friends off the court.