Chris Evert offered an insight into the power she once held in women’s tennis alongside her top rival, Martina Navratilova. Evert admitted to being a significant voice when decisions were discussed, which are now made by the sport’s governing bodies, and also highlighted how tennis has become a big business.
Chris Evert, inarguably one of the most iconic tennis players of her time, amassed 157 singles titles, including seven at the French Open and a record six at the US Open. She was No. 1 ranked for 260 weeks and capped five seasons as the top-ranked player. The 70-year-old won at least one major for 13 consecutive years, the only player, male or female, to achieve such a feat.
Her toe-to-toe rival Martina Navratilova, whom she faced 80 times in her career, was also known for her dominance on the court and beyond. In a recent conversation, Evert revealed how she and the Czech-American player were part of huge decisions and wielded an influence over the direction of sport, unlike how it is now.
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Discussing their times when they had the power to discontinue something undesirable to them, and the times now when everything is business. (Tennis 365)
"We had a lot more influence back then than players do now. We were a much smaller group of people and if Martina or I said we didn’t want something to happen, it didn’t happen. Now, the sport is such a big business and we are talking about billions of dollars involved in tennis all over the globe with endorsements, sponsorships and TV."
In Evert and Navratilova's rivalry, the latter led the head-to-head with 43 wins while the former had 37.
Chris Evert talked about the opposing WTA Finals' shifting to the Arab alongside Martina Navratilova
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, two of the most influential women's tennis players, stood against the WTA Finals decision to take the Saudi offer and move it to Riyadh. They joined forces to highlight the country's human rights and women's rights records and even pleaded with the WTA to reconsider.
When the WTA signed a multi-year deal, nonetheless, Navratilova called out the broadcast of the 2024 WTA Finals for not showing the crowd enough. Recently, speaking on the same topic to Tennis 365, Chris Evert said:
"Martina and I disagreed with that decision on Saudi Arabia, and we spoke out about it. Now the decision has been made, that’s it. We won’t keep coming back saying we don’t agree with it. That’s not my role anymore. I am not as involved in tennis as I once was. If there is a big issue I am well informed on and feel strongly enough about, then I will speak up. As for the rule changes in tennis and the politics around the sport, I don’t want to get involved in that."
Evert was the President of the WTA for eleven years and was even inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
