FULL #1 VERSION Navratilova vs Evert 1984 US Open

Two warriors of the women's game collided in the 1984 US Open final.
Despite having played each other an incredible 80 times over the course of their careers, this clash is still regarded as one of the finest ever.
Six-time champion Evert was out to prove a point, but the younger Navratilova, who was in the midst of a 74-match winning streak and had already captured the French Open and Wimbledon titles, only knew how to win and despite losing the opening set she went on to secure her second straight singles title at Flushing Meadows with a 4-6 6-4 6-4 win.

[@Mike75065]

Martin Navratilova was one of my favorite players ever!!

[@petergasper4214]

My hope is that these two amazing athletes are remembered for not just their incredible skills and talents as two of the greatest players in the history of tennis, but for the respect they showed each other as rivals. Legendary

[@92edro]

all these out of pocket comments...this is world class tennis. then, now and forever. two incredible ladies with incredible games playing our beloved game. shut up and enjoy! you just might learn something. thanks for the upload

[@rosar6294]

fantastic ladies! Great athleticism and technique, pure dedication to the sport, these 2 absolute champions define tennis, love old school tennis!

[@whaleeds]

I can't imagine what martina had to go through. Playing against Chris and the crowd. Bt she was determined and she persevered. Now that's a legend 👏👏👏👏

[@oiooi6460]

Ah yes the musclebound Martina era. However did she enhance her performance so radically and suddenly.

[@jas22]

@@oiooi6460 not being lazy? an incredible amount of drive to put time into the gym? crazy concept for people today who have things so, so easy, by comparison.

[@jas22]

when she won the second set, there was clearly a "BOOOO" from many in the crowd. really, people? it must have been her personality - and you can see it in these classic matchups from the 80s and 90s, that Martina was her own worst enemy even before the opponent had all the momentum. too hard on herself for a missed shot, too vocal with the crowd, taking personally their clear bias to her opponents (Chrissy, later on Steffi....) the poor woman - i believe she wanted to be, well, loved, cheered for by the crowd. maybe in later years as her dominance waned, that did happen, i dont know. what a great athlete, though. i loved martina, but always felt uneasy w/ her play, for some reason. give it to Chris, though - so many accurate, hard shots where they needed to be, right past martina's reach. and by the way, how hot is Chris here? shes just beautiful. haha

[@oiooi6460]

@@jas22 Ha how naive

[@cush6827]

Well, US-Americans are still homophobic. It is a shithole country, you know.

[@Mike75065]

This is one of greatest tennis I ever seen! It was great!!

[@paules3437]

The tennis world, and in fact ALL women's sports in my opinion, owe a great debt to Navratilova and her team for redefining what women's tennis could be based on fitness, power, etc. She courageously defied critics and lived her life and trained on her terms, not the world's. When you read about her upbringing in Communist Czechoslovakia you see how brave she was. Plus, she had a net game. For the next decades it was all baseline. Z-z-z-z..

[@snifferdogxsnifferdogx5977]

Agreed.

[@ec5582]

Um...what? It started with Billie Jean King, then Evert...culminating with Serena but the game has been transformed in a series of players and if anything Evert skipped more AO and if she played them she probably would have had at least 3 more Grand Slams as would Martina so to say Navratilova changed the game is not the full story

[@paules3437]

@@ec5582 Well, it's never a FULL story to say that any one person changed EVERYTHING. I think, tho, there's no denying that Nav's commitment to physical strength put her at the top and then the other female players started cross training as well. Before Nav, there was quite a bit of "push and giggle."

[@pablofrank2466]

Well said. When Martina teamed up with Nancy Lieberman in 1981, she set the bar for current and future female players. She started hitting the gym, lifting weights and focusing on diet and nutrition. The Grand Slam title was Martina's 6th in a row - the last three in 1983 (back then the Australian Open was held in December) and the first three in 1984).

[@beauryandrew]

Martina has to regard this as one of her best competitive accomplishments. She was off her game and playing in front of a hostile crowd, but she found a way to win it in the third set against an opponent who had started to believe again. Definitely a moment that helped define her as a great champion.

[@aagold76]

I've never heard so much hate from an audience to a player than they showed Martina here- worse than any Davis Cup matches. They cheered her faults, her balls that went out or into the net, they booed when she won some points, even on match point. Martina hit some spectacular shots and only grudgingly got some polite applause....It's OK, great to love and root for Chris- she's a great player- but why does Martina get this much hate...yes, she had been dominating at the point for the past 3 seasons, but Chris had 6 Opens already to Martina's one at the start of this match! The main reason- Martina was/is a lesbian and in 1984, that was all many people needed. When Martina cried at the end- it wasn't tears of joy- she was devastated by the crowd and had said so in interviews- she felt like she was playing Chris and 15,000 people- fans were yelling, 'Come on Chris- we want a real woman to win!'....She played Chris earlier in the year at Amelia Island and the headline was 'Good vs. Evil' all because she's a lesbian. Can you imagine a headline like that today? Well, maybe post Trump, but from late 90s on- the guy would have been fired. Nobody is saying 'You must love her' but she deserves respect- and if you can't do that after everything she has done- you are a worthless piece of shit! Bigots replying will be reported and blocked.

[@Mike75065]

I agree with with your post!

[@sargeminus1727]

Martina is a gigantic bitch and one of the most arrogant champions ever. Combine that with being the overwhemling favorite at this point, and she is easy to root against. Some who rooted against her might have been homophobic, but I can ensure you there are many who would have rooted against her regardless.

[@carlochapelle9331]

Sarge Minus Wow! Name calling? How do you know she’s a gigantic bitch? Chris would not be best friends with her if that’s the case. You are a sad, angry person for spewing hatred towards a person that you hardly ever know personally. Even the press then was mean to Martina because being an out gay athlete was just scoffed at then. But Martina was true to herself. You are quick to label her a gigantic bitch without any proof because you are hiding behind your keyboard. I dare you to tell her that in person. Anyway, I flagged your comment. You have no empathy at all. Hopefully you don’t experience the prejudices and bigotry that Martina or any other gay person.

[@ninjaboy68]

I also agree - but have you ever been to the French? My God. It's almost like rigging a match the way the crowd hiss, boo and bork an opponent of their favourite during any shot. I'll never forget sitting in the stands when a fading Leconte beat an inform Stich in '92 because the crowd did everything they could to put him off. It was the closest thing to outright cheating I have ever seen. Mind you, similar tactics from the crowd failed as I sat watching the women's final with 10-8 in the third, with a lot of the crowd wanting Steffi to win again....

[@willnill7946]

Martina got the hate from those she gave it to. She did not want to play the game, tennis had an image it wanted to sell and she only wanted to deconstruct that. Evert understood it and sold tickets.

[@petertruong1302]

The best duo matches ever ..I can't enjoy tennis any more after both retired..not the same any more. Missed both players so much!

[@jas22]

boy i can listen to Virginia Wade read the credits from a bad movie, and it would be music to my ears. What a vision she was (and still is, in her 70s!) and what a beautiful voice with that cool english accent. i mean...yowza!

[@joeyconvery2055]

Yes, Virginia was great at commentating these close matches.

[@HunterBidenCocaineBag]

This is always tough to watch. Chris still didn't believe she could beat Martina. 1984 French Open was the turning point for Chris. Yes, the 1983 US Open proved to Chris that she needed to upgrade to a graphite racket, but the 1984 French Open was the match that proved to Chris that SHE would have to take chances and be more aggressive. It took about 9 months to turn that mental Titanic around for Chris, but she did it. (Of course she did. She's a warrior!)

[@BTURNER1961]

1984 is arguably evert's most consistent year on the tour. She reached the final of all but one tournament she entered including all 4 majors. Her only failure to reach the final came at Eastbourne where she lost her semifinal to Kathy Jordan. Matter of fact the only other person she lost to, the entire year other than Martina (6 times) was in the final of the Italian to Maleeva.

[@jmnny85]

This is the match that made me a tennis fan specifically and mostly women's tennis👍👏

[@jgamez5023]

Martina and McEnroe are the two most talented tennis players I have ever seen. I still can't believe they never teamed up to play mixed doubles....they would've reigned for years. I miss serve and volley tennis like crazy.

[@nuwandalton]

Martina and Mandlikova. Mac, Stich and Federer

[@JSmith-zr2ve]

Such a heartbreaker for Chris. After that first set, I thought she had it. I can’t even watch this one.

[@cherylmoatz4739]

I miss the old school commentators that covered the tennis game in the 80's, 90's. So professional and polished unlike the chatterboxes today.

[@smitchix1]

This was fun to watch. Everyone in the stadium and commentating booth was rooting for Chrissie...except for Virgina Wade. She did a good job with the color and giving Martina her due.

[@theconfidant3656]

Martina said yeah want Chrissy I’m going to give you Chrissy holding the runner up plate!🤣

[@shihlin1]

Chris admitted afterwards she choked the match. This final was known as "the One That Got Away". Five days after this match, Chris beat Martina in straights at an exhibition in California. But give credit to Martina. Even while not playing her best, she played well enough during the big points. Chris was always known as the cool one who raised her game during the important points. But the inability to beat Martina in almost two years took its toll in the second and third sets as doubts crept into her game. Truly a heartbreaker for Evert, but she learned from this match when they met at the French Open final the following summer.

[@tennislife5090]

The names of my childhood. But when I compare the tennis players of the 80s with the current tennis players, I see that tennis is very professional. Since the 2000s, the competition has escalated and the faster, more attacking, more professional young players have been brought into the world of tennis.

[@stevena.2306]

Chris fought until the end. Martina's serve pulled her out of it. Great match for both. Point at 1:25:09 was the best.

[@snifferdogx]

Martina at her peak. She was a dogged competitor and just didn't give up. Whilst Chrissie was steelier, Martina was all fire. But one thing that really stands out is how utterly hostile the crowd was to Martina. It's sickening.

[@jl3322]

We hated Martina and still do. Trump in 2024

[@camille0761]

Chris' look was never more beautiful than here.

[@ricardovargas7432]

Evert was kind of hot

[@larryyonce]

Thank you so much for the upload! Great rivalry...love the contrasting styles of play. 👍

[@spartansrace4293]

My favourite match between these two. The crowd was so pro CEL . MN may had 5 ppl in the crowd, while that crowd Thundered on every CEL point. Plus CEL looked outstanding . Loved her MTV look

[@johniii8147]

Although Chris lost it was another turning point in their rivalry they were pretty evenly matched in record After this match

[@lenwelch2195]

@John David and out of those 12 wins for Martina 8 were three sets. So chriS won a little better than one win to two losses.

[@ernestojr.acosta972]

I remember watching this match live in 1984. After the firsr set, I said to myself, Chris is gonna get her this time. Martina was just too headstrong during her heyday. She just refused to lose or was it she did'nt know how to lose? Respect to both ladies.

[@aagold76]

She only lost 2 matches that year- won 74 straight between those- the 2 who beat her- Mandlikova and Sukova- both attacked her- that was the only way Chris could beat her then- she did in the first set, but couldn't keep it up/got tight after that....with her game, she had to be perfect and have Martina be off to beat her back then. Even Chris said in the doc about them- 'Martina's best day was better than my best day- it pains me to say that...'

[@lenwelch2195]

Ernesto Jr. Acosta I knew winning the first set was all evert expected after losing a winnable first set at W

[@scotth6814]

They hit the ball so softly i thought they were using wooden racquets until i saw a closeup. They look like graphite or at least fiberglass. Anyway another great match in what may have been the greatest rivalry in women's tennis.

[@fatalwreck9254]

Chris Evert facial expressions were hilarious.

[@Lawrence_619]

this match, to me, was pretty fascinating....because Evert had FINALLY streamlined and improved her "tools" to truly compete against an opponent in Navratilova, who had basically left all of her competition behind. Well, Chris answered the challenge, even in a loss, as THE ONE who would remain the foe, who Martina ALWAYS had to play her best to beat. I mean, looking back at the early 80s, Chris just refused to make the racquet change that Martina did...and Chris knew how to volley, but didnt become the best version of herself at the net, because volleying, to her mind, was not her bread and butter. But again, at some point during all those losses to Martina, in a row..she relented and made some drastic changes. And those overall changes, after this loss, still got her two more French Opens. So, to say that Chris Evert got the best out of herself towards the end of her career..is an understatement.

[@TheDiana1]

User- zs9hl8qc8 t, erm they played each other 80 times and Martina won 43 of them including a WORLD RECORD 9 singles titles at Wimbledon!!!. Marina is the GOAT of women's tennis!!!.

[@azbycx56]

Virginia Wade at 1:26:08 “crowd going nuts”. Thanks for that Virginia!

[@zeddeka]

Martina was towards the end of her record 74 match winning streak here. It was said that the longer it went on, the worse she played. She was incredibly sloppy at times in this match and her concentration was all over the place. Chris really should have won this and she was devastated afterwards.

[@assindiastignani]

I remember watching this match live on TV, and it was excruciating. Some of the sloppiest, most nervous tennis I had ever seen. Chris was playing the tennis of her life and Martina was having a miserably off day. Chris just couldn't put this match away, and Martina refused to loose it. At this point in her career it seems Evert did not believe she could beat Navrarilova. To add to the torture were the inane and somewhat fatuous "insights" of Pat Somerall.

[@fjosephgonzales6870]

Yes, Chris had this match in her grasp and let it slip away (dang), a little reminiscent of their 1985 French Final, but they both played at a higher level in that match, and Chris pulled off the upset (I love both of them). I also agree about Pat Summerall (R.I.P.). God rest his soul, and I'm sure he was a great football commentator (not sure what else he commented on), but he had no business commentating on tennis matches, more often than not just repeating whatever the umpire said on the changovers.

[@lenwelch2195]

assindiastignani chriS had lost the previous 12 matches and she needed to lose this one to feel the anger to have the right she should’ve won . She won 5 days later ten win in Florida Virginia slims in 85 then French of 85. From 85 -88 Chris won 7 matches to Martina’s 11.if anyone watched the 83 open it’s hard to believe chriS would ever win a set again, she worked 24/7 to catch up . Here she just doesn’t believe 100 percent she would win and it showed up at 4-5 Martina serving at 15-40 in second set

[@zeddeka]

Think Chris definitely choked somewhat here. Martina was allover the place mentally in this match and was definitely there for the taking.

[@jmnny85]

Chris said she cried after losing this match(very rare for her to do) She was married to John Lloyd and had thought to herself a victory would have been a great way to retire.

[@fjosephgonzales6870]

You could definitely see the determination on Chris' face and how upset she was in her almost steely handshake with Martina. This was also at a time when there was still a bit of "friction," as Chris called it, in the ladies' relationship (because of Nancy Lieberman's influence on Martina's training, physically and mentally). But, of course, today they love each other like sisters, and I think that's great and says so much about the character of these great champions. :)

[@johncortesi8038]

this was 84...chris best martina in the french open the following two years in the final! i’m glad she didn’t retire after this loss. she would’ve given up two more g. s. titles. 😜

[@aaronclareyloveshr6918]

@jmnny85... Evert might've jagged the first set after being down a break but to be honest that's as close as she got.She went down early breaks in sets 2 & 3 and Martina front runned the whole way.She has a right to be disappointed for losing in a slam final but she was never near victory.

[@elizajohn5]

Martin Navratilova, to be an open lesbian tennis player way back then, sure took a lot of balls.

[@JSmith-zr2ve]

elizajohn5 moron

[@elizajohn5]

Thank you, appreciate it.

[@willnill7946]

What, to reinforce the stereotype that all female athletes are lesbians. Such courage

[@robertwiesler381]

@@elizajohn5 pun intended?

[@elizajohn5]

@@robertwiesler381 Obviously!

[@neorich59]

A wonderful mix of styles whenever these two played. Actually, both women *and* men's tennis was "slower" back in these days. But, I would say that Evert was probably, almost solely responsible for instigating the baseline/double handed backhand game, in the women's game, although, compared to a lot of today's players, she wasn't afraid to venture to the net! :O) One of the reasons I love watching Ash Barty play, is that, when she chooses, she can play a classic Serve-Volley game, a-la Navratilova, Mandkilova, Novotna.

[@soonaikyap4395]

The longest rivalry between these two tennis players.

[@user-jv9qz2bu1r]

America's sweetheart Chrissy

[@LindaCarol-ig2ri]

The game in general was passing Evert by. Power strokes and more sophisticated strokes were coming into everyone's game but hers. She still thought her mental tenacity and two handed backhand would save her.

[@zeddeka]

You'd certainly never teach anyone now to hit the ball like she did. I think the problems were most evident with Evert when she played heavy topspin players in later years. Her stroke mechanics just weren't designed to deal with heavy topspin - she backed off and let the ball come to her. That left her either being pushed way behind the baseline, or being dragged way off court. There was one famous point at the 1989 US Open when Monica Seles hit a high, heavy topspin ball to Evert, and she backed off so much that she ended up against the stands and the ball bounced over her head. Having said that, you'd never teach anyone these days to hit their groundstrokes like Martina Navratilova (except her slice backhand). Her continental grip forehand was notoriously fragile and could break down under pressure.

[@thb1091]

She adapted pretty well to graphite, even if her stroke mechanics were outdated (as the poster above notes). And Navratilova isn't exactly a model for powerful/sophisticated strokes herself.

[@jorgschwantje1239]

In 1988 Graf and Evert were still the two hardest hitting girls in Tennis. So this is not true. It all started to change in 1989 with Monica.

[@jpeyton62]

For all those who say this looks like club tennis, look up a youtube 4.5 women's match. Evert and Navratilova playing in slow motion is faster than club tennis. Having coached for over two decades, I always laugh when someone at the local park, club, or high school court think he or she could hang with an Evert or Connors or Borg. Had a friend who got bumped to 4.5 and thought he could beat a prime Laver if Laver had to use a wood racquet and my friend used his new Babolat....

[@iiinfinity]

I agree although I’m a fairly young high school player I share your views, people don’t understand even with wooden racquets they could take apart many people from the modern game. Jimmy Connors for example even with out of date technology hits the hardest two hander I’ve ever seen, plus the modern game although I’m hopeful will change has seen a lack of variety.

[@iliasdf2595]

It’s bizarre that people would think that -I’ve seen them play live and they played at a cracking pace .

[@johniii8147]

Even though Chris lost it was another turning point in their rivalry she finally got her confidence back again against Martina after this match they were pretty even in terms of their battles for the next three years before Chris retired.

[@petrslivinski7481]

Chris has consistent groundstrokes from the baseline. Martina had the strength at the net. Chris's net play needs much improvement just like her serve. Martina's serve is better and she won the points at the net. Unfortunately, Chris needed to change her game.

[@preciousjey]

Good ending on the First set. Where's my U.S. Open VHS tape? Haha!

[@lenwelch2195]

Martina serving at deuce 5-4 hit her firstvolley looong. That’s why crowd booed when Martina won second set.

[@artistseye1]

Amazing tennis play by legends

[@patrickcleere7635]

This was a very close match Chris had her chances to win it in straight sets with break points in 2nd set to go up 5-4

[@lenwelch2195]

Martina was serving at 5-4 15-40, Chris had two break points to break for 5-5. Martina would’ve been a wreck if that had happened . I felt that Chris had to lose a match that during and after felt like she really had a chance to win and lose to go from losing every time to feeling “ that if and when Martina is slightly off her very best, I should win, deserve it” I think that summer was huge for evert. Losing French on clay her surface, then at Wimbledon almost winning the first set but losing 7-6,6-2. To open4-6,6-4,6-4. She had to feel the disappointment of losing a set she led 3-0 in before feeling like she deserved to win a set when playing well. As she did in the open6-4 win. Losing at the open made everything clear to Evert about how she was approaching her goals in tennis after being number one for 7 years . In 85 Jan in Florida evert beat Martina 6-4,6-2.

[@lenwelch2195]

Evert blew it at Martina serving at 4-3 0-30

[@deeh5749]

I cannot believe the disgusting behaviour of the crowd towards Martina: laughing right before she serves and when she misses a shot, jeering, booing, withholding well-merited applause. And we all know why that is... Such admiration for Martina's stiff upper lip, I would have broken down faced with such hostility. She is a true titan, on court and off 💜

[@thomasjoewilliamson2486]

Totally agree. As a kid, my family always rooting for Chris and against Martina for the same reasons pretty much everyone else did. At some point in my adulthood, I saw an interview with Martina and became interested in her. She seems so nice and sincere. Looking back, she really was a hero and an extremely strong person. I consider myself a huge fan now and when I watch old matches, I root for her. She was the amazing.

[@fatalwreck9254]

Evert just killed her all day wit those passing shots.

[@vanessawyndham8791]

Yeah so much so that she lost lol

[@paologonzato5202]

If a great serve&volley player often Beats a great baseline player even when the weather Is so windy... It's means only One thing:he/She Is absolutely stronger, DEFENETELY!!Martina won many many matches with such a horrible weather conditions and with a crowd totally against her.BEST FEMALE TENNIS PLAYER OF ALL TIME:MARTINA NAVRATILOVA!!! 👏👏👏👏👏👏🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝🔝

[@lenwelch2195]

Martina serving 0-30 at 4-3 and Chris had a short ball and had the whole court but hit it wide . She then Hit a forehand pass at 30-30 to give Martina 5-3. That was the match. Chris had a chance when Martina served 5-4 15-40. Chris had 3 chances to pull even in second set but no chance in third set .

[@templedown]

martina looked like she foot faulted on a few serves. what a passing shot at 36:25. top 3 of greatest sports rivalries; these two.

[@antonboludo8886]

I remember Chris Evert saying that when she retired she was ranked #4 but she considered herself a better player than she was at the time she was ranked #1.

[@quiddy]

That was such a sweet and inspiring segment about Martina and her new coach Mike Estep (who is very all american boy next door gorgeously handsome, I might add). On paper, you wouldn't think that a hard partying, underachieving former pro tennis player like Estep could help Martina but it looks like his laid back attitude may be what Martina needed after having been with Nancy Richey Also interesting to note that even at her peak Martina had never fully maximized her potential. Until 1989 when she switched racquets Martina hadn't been trying to hit the ball hard and Estep mentioned this as something she could be doing.

[@jl3322]

A lot of people HATED Martina!

[@danguee1]

For my part, I didn't like the way she whined all the time and tried - unsuccessfully - to play to the crowd. And every time she got an unlucky let chord it was like she was the only one who ever got them. Year after year after year..... Personally I loved her playing style and was ever so glad she was there to create these amazing matches with Chrissie. But WHAT a whiner!

[@fjosephgonzales6870]

Goodness gracious! It wasn't that they hated Martina (they loved and respected her too). It was that most of them adored Chris; there's a difference there in the interpretation.

[@glyko86]

@@fjosephgonzales6870 i agrée with you but do not forget that she came out as a lesbian in 1981 and consequently people were very hard on her. Coming out 40 years ago implicated a lot of hatred. But thanks to her and some others who did It, now it is easier and even welcomed.

[@guyinsf]

@@fjosephgonzales6870 Don't pay attention to this J L troll. He's here spamming very hateful homophobic crap.

[@paologonzato5202]

@@glyko86 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@zeddeka]

I think one of the problems Chris herself was aware of when playing Martina is that Chris was reluctant to move in and threaten Martina's serve. Chris's whole game was based around letting the ball get to her, rather than stepping in and hitting on the rise. As a result, Martina could just spin her serves in and get to the net. Just a few years later, someone like Monica Seles would step in and murder those spinning serves from Martina, forcing her to be much more selective. We famously saw Jennifer Capriati also do that to Martina's serve at Wimbledon 1991.

[@spartansrace4293]

Aslo this was and is still the greatest day of tennis . Lendl d Cash 7-6 in the 5th... Navratilova d Evert-Lloyd 6-4 in the 3rd and McEnroe d Connors 6-4 in the 5th . CBS needs to release this onto dvds to benefit cbs charities

[@brucewechtler7721]

They were both warriors.

[@xav9258]

Calm down, it's only a game!

[@TheWhite1961]

Chris Evert...the hottest Woman in Tennis history

[@cush6827]

So, you like the housewife type, yes?

[@greatriffishere]

@@cush6827 Chris Evert is a tennis Goddess !!! I would glady drink her bathwater !!

[@cush6827]

@@greatriffishere It may well be that YOU would do something that disgusting. However, that does not apply to all humanity.

[@greatriffishere]

@@cush6827 She is without question the most beautiful lady to ever grace a tennis court !!! You must have terrible taste in women if you don't think she is beautiful!!

[@greatriffishere]

@@cush6827 She much more than a housewife !!

[@davidsalvador532]

It's crazy to see her cry like that considering how she is now.. on one hand it's like she had beaten or 12 times in a row and the year before and was #1 but on the other it's like the crowd could have caused it

[@dmbunny8000]

English translation please

[@zeddeka]

The signs were there for Martina that her huge winning streak was coming to an end. It was noted at the Australian open (played in December 84) when her shock loss to Sukova ended the run, that the longer the winning streak had gone on, the worse Martina was playing. She had got very stale and hesitant with her game - playing not to lose rather than all out aggressive tennis to win. You can see signs of it here. Martina allover the place at times and she was very lucky in the end to win this match. Something similar happened with Steffi Graf's long unbeaten run ending in 1990. As the legendary BBC commentator said of her loss to Seles, Steffi had played a "tactically illiterate" match. It seems that long unbeaten runs always end up having the same effect on a player.

[@lenwelch2195]

Chris had her chamces

[@michaelschwab9806]

The key for Chrissie,was to always keep Martina at the back of the baseline and don't allow Martina to rush the net.. that's where Chrissie would get into trouble against her..when Chrissie would hit short at times,allowing Martina to rush the net and hit those volleys!

[@lenwelch2195]

The whole match turned at 5-4 second where at 15-40 Chris got tentative and both points Martina won were balls that looked out, especially on set point.chris blew it at 15-40 but later on in the game martinsa hit two volleys out

[@lenwelch2195]

John David the people on evert side thought the ball was out and Martina turned around quickly to grab the point

[@lenwelch2195]

Martina did that twice in that game and I think Chris got down about it and served a weak second service game which cost her the match . Chris had chances in second set but really did not in the third even though the score was the same 6-4 for Martina .

[@FLE22P]

Can’t watch it …Chris was awesome but lost

[@aussieburn777]

Imagine a parallel universe with no Chris or no martina ...... each would have won like 30 GS !!! Look at those earlier rounds absolute blood bath 36 min double bagel matches, mind boggles twilight zone ep right there

[@anthonyyusef5897]

You could speculate about several players in that regard. How many more slams would Venus have if it werent for Serena?

[@aussieburn777]

@@anthonyyusef5897 true but all things being equal Venus has not lived up to expectations and suffered from injuries and burn out she probably peaked too soon and has not displayed the dominance or longevity of Chris or Martina.

[@95KIPPIE]

Chris should have won this match

[@wimbledon111]

Классическое противостояние атаки и защиты.

[@fjosephgonzales6870]

Huge fan of both ladies, but it almost looked as if Chris was wearing makeup. Also, I think Chris' chances would have been better here if she had gone for it more on her first serve. It was not until a year or two later that Chris finally started emphasizing more oomph on her first serve, and it showed in the last few years of her career in a more solid first serve (even sneaking in a few aces). ;)

[@zeddeka]

I think Chris choked somewhat in this match. She said she was devastated afterwards

[@debramorganstern5819]

Best match between them

[@funky69funky34]

Looks like Chris is wearing rouge on her face

[@ralphbourgeois5875]

Sad to see Chris lose this match. I was really rooting for her. She choked on the big points.

[@aagold76]

the only way to beat Martina then was to attack her- Chris was able to do that in the first set, but couldn't keep it up in the 2nd and 3rd- because of 2 factors- 1 she lost a little nerve and 2- Martina's serve improved after a very poor start (part of the reason Chris was so successful attacking Martina in first set- multiple second serves). Chris choked a little- but Martina- as Virginia Wade said in the commentary, settled down, and got sharper.

[@ralphbourgeois5875]

Yes I agree. However I also think Chris didnt believe she could beat Martina at this point. Even look at that 4-5 game when Martina was serving where she was down a break point and tossed in a very shaky 2nd serve and stayed back and Chris still blew that point. Which is very unusual for her. Martina was unusually vurnerable this day, even if her play was much better in the 2nd and 3rd sets than the 1st, but Chris got scared.

[@zeddeka]

Martina looks half asleep at times here. Very poor concentration, drifting in and out, with some very sloppy tennis from her at times. I remember watching an interview with her where she said the aim in the 80s was to make herself so good that even on her worst day she'd be better than the rest. This match is testament to the success of that - she was nowhere near her best and yet still managed to find a way to win.

[@HunterBidenCocaineBag]

She was obviously over-confident. I mean, she had beaten Chris 12 times in a row before this match (this would be the 13th). She fully expected Chris to fold easily like the 1983 Final here or their 1984 French final. Later, Chris would say Martina had more "nerve" on the big points than she did in this match. Clearly.

[@zeddeka]

@@HunterBidenCocaineBag I read something about Martina's shock loss at the 84 Australian open to Sukova recently. They commented on how it had been noted that as Martina's winning streak in 1984 got bigger and bigger, the worse she was playing. The pressure building on her and she got into some very negative patterns of play. Think it may well have been what was happening here. At this point though, even on her off days, she was almost always better than anyone else. Chris definitely choked though here I think. Martina was there for the taking.

[@DinoNairobi]

Isn't the sports commentator the same guy that's on The Big Bang? Or is it Fran Tarkenton?

[@russellfrancis6294]

What date did this event fall on?

[@zeddeka]

This particular match was 8th September 1984. The tournament was held 28th August - 9th September 1984

[@richardyoon4209]

Chris Evert never looked more upset than losing this match. She always was a gracious loser in the past that gave a smile a few kind words to the champion, but this one really upset her.

[@mikebatlinh6650]

Surprised at the outcome Evertlloyd was the better player in this match

[@josesalas6641]

obviously she wasnt..she LOST! duh

[@sylvainhyais8166]

50/50 I would say but Navratilova was more confident

[@michaelparbatule]

Look the crowd is cheering on their feet without cell phones

[@Ricky-mo6mv]

Yeah, they are actually enjoying a moment rather than living life through a smartphone.

[@antonboludo8886]

Yep.@@Ricky-mo6mv

[@zeddeka]

​@@Ricky-mo6mvand here you are how, watching the match on a phone

[@zeddeka]

Put your phone down then

[@Ricky-mo6mv]

@@zeddeka Nope. I’m watching it through your anus.

[@erichetherington9314]

I think I'm right, aren't I, in saying that, to her credit, Evert remade herself to keep up with Martina's increased fitness and strength, justas Seles and Graf and others were coming up with stronger games, so good for Evert. I do wonder, tho', why she never really managed to improve her net game. She always seemed uncomfortable at net, and I guess I would have expected her to get better at that area of the game. I realize this is nit-picking of the highest order!

[@Dbdbe1]

Yes, she did. She got fitter, and developed a more aggressive ground game. After losing to Martina 13 times, she finally got it together and famously won the French Open in 1985 and 1986 against MN. She was more competitive at Wimbledon, and though she lost in 1985, 1987 and 1988, they were all very tough matches. The nice thing is that after a bad period (due to Nancy Lieberman) in the early 1980s, they ended their careers as friends.

[@erichetherington9314]

@@Dbdbe1 Yes, I recently watched the end of her 85 and 86 French Open victories. I felt glad for her given how dominating Nav was at that time.

[@robertwiesler381]

Chris Evert must be the twin sister of Marilyn Chambers

[@hyena131]

After watching this, I watched a few minutes of a modern day game with Venus Williams and the difference is night and day as to how hard Williams hits the ball. Navratilova and Evert are so gentle in comparison. And this change took place in a relatively short time span. Any clues as to how? Better nutrition? Heavier rackets? More sophisticated training methods?

[@marylamb6063]

The wooden rackets had a very small sweet spot that required near-perfect placement of ball to string if you wanted any kind of control. Today's rackets are dummy proof because you can hit the ball with mostly any part of the racket and hit a winner.

[@hyena131]

@@marylamb6063 Thank you for your reply. But the physique and raw power of Williams must also be a factor. This in stark contrast to Evert and Navratilova. It can't be simply a tennis racket.

[@franriding6473]

@@marylamb6063 they are not using wooden rackets here. They're using graphite rackets that are used today.

[@alastairfaulds8184]

These were early graphite racquets- racquet technology has improved massively in 35 years... but Serena is simply bigger and stronger than these two. Even given modern racquets and training i don't think either Chris or Martina would beat Serena consistently in her prime. But... give Serena a wooden racquet and put her against Chris on a clay court in the 70s and the outcome may well be different.

[@miskwaad]

Having played with all of them, starting in my teens with wood, then an aluminum, then early graphite to now with the new strings, it is light years in difference. You ran a lot more and points lasted longer except on grass where you could attack. The other major difference is strings which have changed the game as much as anything else. Poly strings..Luxilon...allowed pure power from the baseline to become offensive rather than defensive. Even a big store sale graphite with low end strings is light years better than anything anyone played with up until the late 1990's. Thus power players became much stronger overall. Those big swings with any of the older rackets and you would've sprayed the ball anywhere. What is amazing is how well those earlier players did hit the ball considering the courts, the rackets and the strings. Watch the Rod Laver US Open from 1969 now up..it's clarity allows you to see just how insanely good he was - playing on a wet grass court with holes, a wooden racket and wearing spikes. Or watch Margaret Court who still has one more singles title than Serena. she was 5'9"..tall for the time - She wasn't exactly a slouch. Everything had to be tighter and cleaner with those wood rackets...your prep...your body swing..your footwork. If you missed the stroke at all by a 1/4 inch the ball went elsewhere. You ran..a lot. Jimmy Connors used to run ten miles as a normal routine. It's not taking anything away from Serena...she would've been a great player in any era. But the power of her game would've been cut in more than half and her weight would've impaired her as she would've been running more.

[@DK-lc8gf]

And thank god we didn’t have to listen to bud collins calling her Chissie

[@joerg677]

She calls herself Chrissie.

[@atheistleopard618]

*I love EUROPEAN WOMEN!!!*

[@RiordanLadyGaga]

"Back the underdog" Bullshit. We've seen it with Serena in the present day. It's only because Chrissy is American, nothing more. That's why they're applauding - bringing politics in to sport just annoys me. And it probably didn't helped Martina was an out lesbian on the 80s. I felt her struggle this match

[@lenwelch2195]

Riordan Pett your comments show a total lack of context, martina won 12 matches in a row up to this match and crowd pulled for Chris because Chris was underdog. Had nothing to do with Martina being gay . Crowd. Applauded her in 81 open because they didn’t like straight American Austin and liked Martina better. Don’t project your own stuff about Serena today to a match played in 84 which I saw live as a 22 yr old.

[@lenwelch2195]

Riordan Pett none of that mattered . People were not against Martina they just were for chriS having lost the previous 12 matches winning only one set

[@acemacgruber6593]

USTA and other countries should have required wood racquets with limits on head size like baseball requires wood bats to preserve the game.

[@manuginobilisbaldspot424]

Preserve the game? That's not coded language or anything. GTFOH mayo man.

[@acemacgruber6593]

@@manuginobilisbaldspot424 lmao. I prefer spicy mustard.

[@anthonyyusef5897]

Require wood rackets? Nonsense...You couldve fallen asleep watching some of this match. The progression of the rackets made the game faster. Especially in the womens game which forced them to become better athletes.

[@acemacgruber6593]

@@anthonyyusef5897 They would've become better athletes just like in every sport. Baseball, cricket, etc have done fine with traditional bats. The combination of better athletes, racquets, strings, have made the ball speed such that serve and volley has become almost nonexistent. Smaller head size with less powerful racquets would be good for the game imo.

[@anthonyyusef5897]

@@acemacgruber6593I too miss the serve & volley game. No one said you can't play that style in this day. It can still be done you need to have the gumption to do it. It's alot easier to play and to teach the game from the baseline and bash the ball but dont blame that on the racket! The reason why baseball has stuck with wooden bats over aluminum is for safety reasons. A baseball coming off an aluminum bat would be far deadlier. I also think you would get little to no support from the players on this issue. We agree to disagree but we both love tennis!! So its all good.

[@stephen0303]

Would be hard to play against, your BFF.

[@michaelparbatule]

3335 oops chris was slowe player and mire thoughtful strategic and yes she should have won this but hey they bith stick out in my mind as my top two ir ten somewhere in ten ..no matter how many majors or not .they both classically played tennis and great to watch for the duration of their rivalry 😊

[@russellfrancis6294]

Super Saturday September 8th 1984, Actually, I’m told the date is Saturday September 15th 1984. Can anyone confirm that? Thanks.

[@TonygMus2]

Super Saturday September 8th 1984

[@rushrush1209]

The greatest day ever in US Open history.

[@ralfbeckmann597]

❤❤❤

[@preciousjey]

The Sandwiched Final.

[@davidglover9210]

I know as I used to play with wooden racquets.

[@jasonbrooks6562]

Very good match. Chris everts serve & lack of mobilty cost her so much. Ground strokes kept her going so long.

[@lenwelch2195]

Jason Brooks she was improving . This was the last of her 12 match losing streak , she caught up and won their next match ( 5 days later , then again in Jan 85 and then 85 French

[@petechan5985]

Jason Brooks neither of those things had cost her the match. It was a lack of self belief on the big points and Martina decided to go to work in the last 2 sets. Fantastic match but was tough watching Chris not getting the title in the end.

[@aagold76]

Chris had excellent footwork, but Martina's volleys were just too good to run down and the speed Martina had- no one could compete with until Graf.

[@fatalwreck9254]

Dang, never knew Pat Summerall called tennis games too.

[@user-jv9qz2bu1r]

oh yes - he was great he and Trabert called some of the great matches of the 80's - many McEnroe and Lendl and Connors Finals

[@vanessawyndham8791]

Pat Summerall didn't know jack s**t about tennis. He was an old hack at CBS that covered football.

[@tomloft2000]

in high school he won the Florida state boys championship.

[@user-jv9qz2bu1r]

@@vanessawyndham8791 he provides an earthy warmth and humor - he shares the booth with two ex pros, usually Trabert and Newcombe - awesome team

[@jonathankieranwriter]

I know this match is mythical because it occurred on a pioneering TV Super Saturday, and it was a close match, but Chris Evert played like crap and Martina played like crap. The one out-crapped the other.

[@scott7521]

First game was atrocious

[@jasonzaremba4551]

She only paid him $50,000 GRAND 😳😳😳😳😳THATS IT ???? WHAT A FUCKING JOKE😆

[@tomschmitz261]

50 thousand in 1983/84 dollars...

[@deepakmahajan4978]

@@tomschmitz261 even with inflation it is like max 300 usd dollars Players get three million usd at us open

[@biggalljzionkemp9719]

That’s $150, 000 in todays market

[@susanwoods7242]

Yes regards Virginia's voice we aren' t all so poshly spoken!! Ha ha x

[@russellfrancis6294]

Ginny is very British, the best of British.🇬🇧

[@danguee1]

@@russellfrancis6294 That accent of Ginny's is white South African. That accent is white South African. When she returned to the UK to finish her schooling she didn't manage to acquire much English accent. I say this as someone who has lived in England for 4 decades but had my formative years in SA - much like Ginny. I can spot that accent a mile away...

[@charleskristiansson1296]

@@danguee1 Virginia has a southern English accent. Her vowel inventory is quite clear.

[@gerardmackay8909]

@@charleskristiansson1296 South African accent mate. You can’t have listened to much southern English. But yes she is ‘cut glass’ and posh sounding

[@charleskristiansson1296]

@@gerardmackay8909 Really? It's a close call for me then. Thanks for taking time to reply :)

[@davidglover9210]

Womens tennis was so slow in those days. I don't think you can compare the players in the past to the present ones.

[@ilovesuisse1]

Racquets were different to now.

[@tomschmitz5745]

@@ilovesuisse1 yeah, give the players today wood rackets or these early "primitive" graphite rackets with different weaker strings and a smaller head and see how well they play! IT WOULDN'T BE PRETTY!!!...

[@MrBjorn6]

@@tomschmitz5745 People they are both using graphite rackets. Why are we talking about wood rackets for. Power tennis began with Steffi Graf in 1987, and really took of in 1990 when we had Seles, Graf and Jennifer Capriati, using the exact same racket technology they where using in 1984. In fact the racket used by Evert in this match. Is similar to the one used by Sampras, Edberg, and Federer today, its changed very little.

[@tomschmitz5745]

@@MrBjorn6 1) because both evert and navratilova learned the game as children with wood and played with wood for MOST of their professional careers, THEN had to change rackets including their actual stroke productions and mindset to adapt to the changing game using early primitive graphite rackets.. that is a HUGE undertaking that i don't think most people give them credit for. evert changed rackets, stroke production and mindset (not to mention lifting weights, doing tons of cardio, footwork agility exercises too!) when she was already 30 years old!...playing for 25 years with a wood racket! and NO, the racket used by evert is not similar to what federer uses today. evert's rackets as were all the rackets of the 80's much much heavier, then today's rackets, the string technology is way different and more powerful and the players can do more with their strokes because of it, and the racket head size is bigger today as well...to say their is basically NO difference between the rackets of the mid 80's to today's rackets is disengenous to say the least. My kennex pro staff that i played with in college in the mid 80's is like a "different species" compared to today's rackets... like comparing titanium light weight light as a feather but uber powerful to a heavy wet paper towel...and yes different strings and smaller racket head as well..

[@MrBjorn6]

@@tomschmitz5745 The Wilson Prostaff used by Evert the same racket used by Sampras, Edberg, Federer with very little changes, this is a fact. Federer was using the same racket as Sampras and Edberg until he changed his racket 5 years ago for a bigger head. You can't debate facts. What has changed significantly in tennis is string technology. Which was used by guga kuerten in the 90's which added significant spin to the game.

[@jl3322]

Crowd Hatred Martina-rightfully so, as Martina stated years later the lesbian Nancy Liberman convinced Martina Chris was taking everything from her and she had to hate Chris (bob costas interview 1990). Chris never had hate in her she saw her opponents as rivals, MN saw them as demons. Chris had a whole career of winning, MN had about 8. I still hate Martina for admitting that. They both had 18 GS titles. Evert won a GS 13 straight yrs. Chris was the real Goat in more ways then one

[@richardyoon4209]

Wait till you hear what Michael Jordan felt about his opponents... also Martina and Chris were doubles partners in the 70s, when Martina started to beat Chris, it was Chris who dropped Martina as partners.

[@tobiasisback4605]

This is such nonsense. Martina and Chris were and remain friends. Martina was quite popular on the tour and known as a good sport. Actually in their 15 year rivalry, Martina led Chris h2h over 9 seasons and Chris led only over 6 seasons. Martina led on all surfaces but clay. She led Chris 14-8 in grand slam events and 10-4 in grand slam finals. 18 singles slams each, but Martina had a longer time at #1, better win loss seasons, better h2h, and was more dominant at her peak than Chris was at her peak. Both great champions but it's a shame you feel the need to demonise Navratilova.

[@artistseye1]

What are you even talking about. The women were all really close friends on the tour.

[@richardyoon4209]

@@artistseye1 No , they were not. They were close at the start but when Nancy Lieberman became Martina's partner, their relationship really cooled. They became friends after Chris stop playing.

[@michaelschwab9806]

Chrissie is the "Ultimate" of the word "Class" and ultra "femininity"

[@josesalas6641]

she was known as the "ice queen"

[@jesusllamas5021]

oh god... I just came from AO 2012 nadal-federer and this is... depressing... how tennis has changed!!!

[@cfhar080591]

Well obviously you know nothing about tennis

[@jesusllamas5021]

@@cfhar080591 insult attempts with no reasoning mean nothing to me. Thanks in anyways

[@cfhar080591]

@@jesusllamas5021 You're welcome 🤷🏾‍♂️