Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova had an epic rivalry in women’s tennis, with many considering it the best not only in tennis but in all sports.
For reference, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal recently played their 60th top-level match, but Evert and Navratilova met in 60 finals – no mistake – during their careers.
However, while the two have played the most matches in the Open Era, there have been several other outstanding rivalries in women’s tennis since the sport became professional in 1968.
The majority of the popular rivalries stretch back to the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. Serena and Venus Williams have played 31 matches in their most recent rivalry, with Serena leading the head-to-head 19-12. Serena and Maria Sharapova competed in 22 matches, but the American emerged victorious 20 times.
The nine most prominent women’s head-to-head rivalries in the Open Era:
9. Martina Navratilova and Wendy Turnbull (34 matches)
Wendy Turnbull peaked at number five in the rankings, but she performed at an era dominated by Navratilova and Evert.
She won only five of her 34 matches versus Navratilova, while her head-to-head record against Evert was 21-1. The American also finished second in three Grand Slam finals, including two against Evert.
7. Steffi Graf and Aranxta Sanchez Vicario (36 matches)
Steffi Graf and Aranxta Sanchez Vicario competed in seven Grand Slam finals, with the German winning five of them, including four in a row as Graf won back-to-back French Open and Wimbledon titles in 1995 and 1996, while the Spaniard finished second on all four occasions.
Graf won the first four matches and finished 28-8 in the head-to-head. Graf won 19 out of the 25 finals they played.
7. Hana Mandlikova and Martina Navratilova (36 matches)
Navratilova was in charge of another rivalry, this time against Hana Mandlikova, where she finished 7-29.
Mandlikova, who was born in Czechoslovakia, won four Grand Slam titles, including two finals versus Navratilova. They played 12 finals, with the American winning nine of them, however Mandlikova won two major titles – the 1985 US Open and the 1987 Australian Open – while Navratilova won Wimbledon in 1986.
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6. Chris Evert vs. Evonne Goolagong – 39 matches
Chris Evert and Evonne Goolagong faced off in five Grand Slam finals, with the American winning 3-2 and her head-to-head match 26-13. However, Goolagong won both the season-ending finals in 1974 and 1976.
Their first meeting was in Indianapolis in 1972, with Evert winning two sets, and she went on to win the next four, including their final match at the 1983 French Open.
4. Steffi Graf and Gabriela Sabatini have 40 matches.
One of the highlights of the Steffi Graf-Gabriela Sabatini rivalry is that they also won the 1988 Wimbledon women’s doubles title together.
They competed in singles from 1985 to 1995, with Graf winning 29-11. Sabatini was 11-1 at Grand Slams, with one setback coming in a major final, when she defeated the German in the 1990 US Open final to win her only Slam.
The German won the first 11 matches, but Sabatini had her finest run in 1991-92, winning five in a row, but Graf finished with eight consecutive victories.
4. Evonne Goolagong against Virginia Wade – 40 matches.
All-time great Goolagong held the upper hand in the head-to-head against Virginia Wade, winning 30 of 40 matches.
Interestingly, they only faced in one Grand Slam final, which Wade won after defeating her great adversary in the 1972 Australian Open final.
3. Martina Navratilova vs Pam Shriver, 43 matches
Their rivalry began in 1978, and their final meeting was in San Antonio in 1992. Navratilova won a staggering 40 (3%) of their matches, including eight finals.
Shriver’s only three victories came at the 1982 US Open, in Sydney in 1982, and at the 1978 US Open.
But Shriver had a lot of doubles success with Navratilova, as they created a fearsome duo that won an amazing 20 Grand Slam titles.
2. Chris Evert against Virginia Wade (46 matches)
Another rivarly dominated by Chris Evert, who won 40-6. Evert competed in 34 Grand Slam finals, but none of them were against Wade, who made three major finals.
They met in 13 finals in total, with Evert winning eleven of them.
1. Chris Evert vs Martina Navratilova – 80
One of the genuinely great sporting rivalries, they met an amazing 80 times, 60 of which were in finals.
The head-to-head was very even, with Navratilova winning 43-37, and she also won 10 of their 14 Grand Slam finals, seven of which were at Wimbledon, however Evert won two championships at SW19 against her great adversary.
Navratilova dominated on hard court, winning 10-5, and was also 10-5 on grass, while Evert went 11-3 on clay.
