Lob and Smash
Fansided

The three best rivalries in tennis history: Which one comes out on top?

By Brandon Daniels

John McEnroe of the United States reaches over the net to shake hands with Bjorn Borg after defeating him during the Men's Singles Final match at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship on 4 July 1981 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon in London, England. (Photo by Tony Duffy/Allsport/Getty Images)
John McEnroe of the United States reaches over the net to shake hands with Bjorn Borg after defeating him during the Men's Singles Final match at the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship on 4 July 1981 at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon in London, England. (Photo by Tony Duffy/Allsport/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 3
Next
7th July 1978: Martina Navratilova gets a hug from Chris Evert (Chris Lloyd), after beating her in the final of the ladies’ singles at the Wimbledon tennis championships, London, England. (Photo by Rob Taggart/Central Press/Getty Images)
7th July 1978: Martina Navratilova gets a hug from Chris Evert (Chris Lloyd), after beating her in the final of the ladies’ singles at the Wimbledon tennis championships, London, England. (Photo by Rob Taggart/Central Press/Getty Images) /

1. Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova (1973-1988)

Head-to-head: 43-37 (Navratilova)

Grand Slam head-to-head: 14-8, 10-4 in finals (Navratilova)

Grand Slam Titles: Evert – 18, Navratilova – 18

No tennis rivalry tops this one. As one of the longest-tenured matchups on this list (16 years), the two met a whopping 80 times, with 60 of those matches coming in finals. The rivalry lives not only as one of the best in tennis but also as the most important. It provided one of the sport’s greatest matchups at just the right time, as the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) was founded by Billie Jean King in 1978. It gave the new Tour a surefire way of attracting more players and fans, which it did.

"King said the Evert-Navratilova rivalry:“It’s not only one of the most important rivalries in tennis, it is one of the most important rivalries in all of sports. The two of them took the baton from our generation and moved the sport forward. And they did not disappoint us. They took tennis — not just women’s tennis — to a new level.”"

In a bout so closely matched, it’d make sense that it was that way the entire duration of their rivalry, right? Interestingly enough, Evert vs Navratilova can be split in half, with one player dominating their respective half over the other. The first seven years (1973-79) were dominated by Evert. She held the total wins advantage over Navratilova 25-8 and a 3-1 Grand Slam match advantage. Navratilova exploded into the head-to-head lead and finished with a 35-12 record from 1979-1988, including a 13-5 Grand Slam record.

The two played in some incredible matches against each other throughout their careers. Leading the way is the epic 1981 Australian Open. The 6-7, 6-4,7-5 Navratilova victory was the tipping point to the dominance that would take over the rivalry for the remainder of it. The two tennis legends’ rivalry is tough to top, if possible at all. The historic importance and countless tight matches led the way to the modern tennis rivalry. The development of the WTA and modern tennis all stems from these two and their many long-lasting battles.

What other rivalries did we miss? Let us know on Twitter @lobandsmashfs !

Home/All-Time Lists