Former WTA No.1 Chris Evert drew comparisons between Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz’s rivalry to the one she shared with Martina Navratilova. The most recent example of Sinner and Alcaraz’s rivalry was seen at the 2025 French Open finals, where the Spaniard emerged victorious.
Even though both Sinner and Alcaraz are in their early 20s, they have dominated men’s tennis over the last couple of years. Their dominance is most exemplary at the Grand Slams, where the last six men’s singles titles have been shared between them.
These two young talents received huge praise from a WTA legend in Evert, who compared their rivalry to one of the most iconic rivalries in the late 20th century between her and Navratilova. In a recent conversation, Evert compared herself to Sinner based on consistency and Navratilova’s style to Alcaraz based on the array of shots on the court.
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She further expressed her interest in the brewing rivalry between the two young players and said (via Tennis365.com):
"This rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner reminds me of what Martina and I shared in our day. There are some similarities in the way we played. I was the steady consistent one and Martina was the one who had all the shots in the book."
"You look at Alcaraz and Sinner now and Carlos is the one with all the options and Sinner is the steady one. It’s going to be an interesting rivalry and I can’t see anyone coming into it to challenge those two" she added.
In their rivalry, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova faced each other 80 times. Navratilova led the battle with 43 wins to her name while Evert won 37 matches. On the other hand, Sinner and Alcaraz have battled it out 12 times against each other in their careers, with the Spaniard leading 8-4.
Chris Evert names defeating Martina Navratilova at the 1985 French Open finals as one of her most special wins
Chris Evert made her feelings known on her win over Martina Navratilova during the 1985 French Open final. Evert won this match in three sets and sealed her sixth Roland Garros title.
In an interview, Evert termed this victory as one of the most special moments of her career, as she had lost hope of winning another Grand Slam. She said in February 2025 (via We Are Tennis):
"I think the '85 French, beating Martina. Yeah, I think, gosh, I think because I could feel emotions. I allowed myself to feel emotions after the match, I think because everybody had counted me out and thought I'd never win another major."
During the conversation, Chris Evert also mentioned that she allowed herself to feel the enjoyment after winning the final, unlike previous tournaments, where she moved on quickly after her triumph.
