FULL VERSION 1986 - Evert vs Navratilova - French Open Roland Garros

[@jmnny85]

Love this match! Watched the whole thing, credit to Chris who showed strength, toughness and focus,she 100% earned this!👏👏👍👍

[@normadesmond6017]

o boy, I can still remember this match. I was very young then, and loved to watch the tennis matches. The world was ahead for me. No clue what kind of a horror was awaiting Have the best of memories of these times and getting out of bed at night to watch these champions.

[@zeddeka]

Welcome to getting old! Happens to all of us, in every generation. I remember my parents and grandparents back in the 80s saying how bad things were then compared to when they were young.

[@garyeeds5851]

Chris had total class on court

[@sylvainhyais8166]

I remember that final.. Not as intense as the 1985 final..but a great game for sure. The last 2 sets from Evert is probably one of the best all round clay court tennis I 've ever seen. So much precision, variety , and tactical perfection.

[@kdohertygizbur]

Was no where close to their epic 85 final, one of the Greatest Matches period at this Tournament, but this being Everts last Grand Slam win, it is still memorable

[@jorgschwantje1239]

Chris said this match was much better quality wise. In 1985 both were very nervous.

[@jonathankieranwriter]

Martina, because of the nature of her serve-and-volley game, was the more “forwardly aggressive” player of the two, but from the *baseline*, Evert almost always hit a harder, deeper, more “bombing” ball than Martina on all surfaces. (Martina’s own coach, Renee Richards, famously said, “Let no one say that Chris Evert plays patty-cake tennis. Chrissie hits bombs.”) The conundrum between these two, besides their differing styles, was really a 2-year period when Evert refused to upgrade her equipment and fitness. Once she did, things shifted in remarkable ways in both tour and exhibition matches. Each were killer instinct-level aggressive in their own games. But those who think Evert was a “pusher” know nothing about tennis, or tennis of this era. Just as Martina was a smothering, fantastic serve-and-volley genius, Chris was a pounding, relentless, dictating baseline bomber (given her day and the equipment). Every baseline shot had danger on it. And Evert, in a different way, was just as brilliant a precision shotmaker/placement-genius, as Martina, with Martina’s magnificent volleys. Such a glorious rivalry. And Bud Collins was wrong, here: Martina could not approach as much as she’d like once Evert was hitting really hard and deep in the second set.

[@jondavwal13]

Evert was as close as it’s ever been to Djokovic on the women’s side. With better serve and modern racket technology she may well have been unbeatable. He might be a bit quicker by her anticipation was uncanny.

[@BTURNER1961]

They ended up playing 14 times on clay. Evert won 11 of them, including 4 of the last 5 meetings. Statistically reflected by percentage, clay was the surface with the greatest disparity between them.

[@johniii8147]

Chris was the queen of Clay of Martina was the Queen of Grass.

[@markwhitman9029]

I think grass wasn't too wide a gap between them or hard court either. Anyone know stats!

[@normadesmond6017]

watched this match on a saturday afternoon way back when. It didn't matter when you were 6-0, 5-0 against Chris Evert. She could always come back. She was magnificent .

[@markwhitman9029]

I remember a match way back in 1975 when she was way down against Nancy Richey on clay I think and made an awesome comeback I think from 0-5 in final set. May have been the USA claycourt championship that no longer exists!!

[@markwhitman9029]

Especially on clay you never bet against Evert!

[@normadesmond6017]

@@markwhitman9029 certainly not!.

[@carrerau7138]

@@markwhitman9029 I always did that from 1986 on against the great Steffi!

[@hirsch4155]

Chris Evert with her mentality and modern (ie more intense) training would have easily been winning slams if she were of todays generation

[@kosta88816]

I love this match !! I love an Evert victory!!

[@jm7804]

Martina was up 2-0 in the final set but would only win 1 more game. Chris just would not be denied a seventh FO title. She was absolutely unrelenting in trying to break down Martina's backhand.

[@ranasiddabattuni4177]

What a Class Act. So poised. I don’t care if it’s a bit scripted. She’s an amazing ambassador for the sport and the United States. She makes me proud to be an American.

[@johniii8147]

Chris in classic style had picked herself up from a class slow start and then got her composer and really went for that back hand of Martina.Very clear strategy here Chris was working.

[@ralfbeckmann597]

God bless you Chrissie

[@andyroo9381]

I think the final game was the most suspenseful part of this match. I was so very happy Chris pulled her game together and took the title. Since these two have retired, women's tennis has just been boring as can be.

[@greatriffishere]

Chris Evert was amazing and so damn sexy. Both players owned the 70's and most of the 80's. Great times.

[@markwhitman9029]

All now are mere sluggers and noise makers! Boring

[@Barnstable11]

Interesting to hear how often Martina is sliding, and how seldom Chris is. Both have great footwork; I think Chris had better prep and anticipation.

[@cpa2011]

"I'd burn that sweater - two double faults" - love Bud Collins!

[@jl3322]

The sport moved on but his witty and right on the money commentary put Tennis on the map. RIP Bud.

[@paulmc5542]

Two of the best

[@bretwebster6266]

Chris is the best, always on her game with style and class.

[@aureliengdt5932]

Yes very class

[@ralfbeckmann597]

CHRIS I love and adore you

[@jl3322]

Chris had a decade of being number 1-Martina had 5. Chris was the GOAT of this rivalry.

[@guyinsf]

Martina was ahead of Chris in their rivalry in total matches played (43-37), finals (36-24) and slam finals (10-4). Martina clearly got the better end of the rivalry in all the categories.

[@carrerau7138]

Chris was #1 in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1981. Martina was #1 in 1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986. So Chris was #1 only for 5 years whereas Martina was #1 for 7 years.

[@JD-jc8gp]

@@carrerau7138 Chris and Martina both won the same number of majors in 1978 and 1979. However Chris had the far superior win percentage in 1978 (56-4 for Chris; 80-10 for Martina). I just don't see how anyone can see Martina as being better than Chris in 1978. She simply wasn't. The ranking is misleading, because Martina played more matches, while Chris was far more dominant. 1979 was very close between the two, with no clear advantage for either of them. 1980 Evert returned to being more dominant. Martina's clear prime was 1982 to 1986, but Chris was the superior pllayer up to that point. Look at Martina's win-loss records before 1982: she had losses in double digits in all the years between 1974 and 1981. Chris only once (uncharacteristically in 1979). Then Martina went terminator in 1982-1986, but even then Chris was close in '82 and matched Martina's major totals that year (with 2). Overall Evert was better for longer, while Martina probaby had the best peak of any player, with that 5-year stretch in the 80s.

[@carrerau7138]

@@JD-jc8gp How would playing more matches have helped in the rankings in 1978?

[@thomasr7959]

Miss Dick Enberg. Ohhhhh myyyyy… he was great.

[@xaviercrain7336]

The crowd got to her in 88 and 89 when Steffi became the real queen of Wimbledon…it was luck that won Martina the 1990 Wimbledon title

[@lenwelch2195]

At 52:12 Chris is disgusted and from here on she wins . Her inner fire is easy to see but Chris is so dignified. This rare show of disgust her inner fire .

[@zeddeka]

Chris often a very slow starter. She lost a lot of first sets in her career, but her opponents usually couldn't keep up the necessary standard

[@ralfbeckmann597]

The most adourable tennis Player ever

[@david203]

Which one? They both looked great.

[@AmurTiger-vm5dy]

Chris is the best player of all the times

[@markwhitman9029]

She definitely is GOAT on clay!!

[@AmurTiger-vm5dy]

@@markwhitman9029 absolutely yes

[@ralfbeckmann597]

Chris is supreme

[@potterwalker4823]

one of the greatest

[@tore705]

Chris is special.

[@nguyenai1337]

Oh, Christ is not only great player, she is a lovely lady indeed.

[@al1976-v7m]

Funny how quickly the officials crowd the court once it's over. That has certainly changed.

[@antonboludo8886]

These 2 women are great friends in real life.

[@TheVerbalVolley]

Mary Carillo nailed it on the head when she criticized her coach, Mike Estep on his training regime for Martina. Over the course of their relationship, he slowly wanted to make her a female version of himself, rather than improve on Martina Navratilova's groundstrokes. She came over her shots way too much, and tended to hit extremely short (often not even clearing, or barely clearing the service line) in rallies.

[@jamespeyton7312]

Pam Shriver said the same exact thing in her book Passing shots. It was easier to pass Martina when she came in off her forehand and overall her topspin shots were landing much shorter than her earlier flatter strokes.

[@JD-jc8gp]

Bizarre to me how anyone could criticize Martina in these years. She was the perfect player and almost never lost. Sure, she had some bitter defeats, but was only human. Mary Carillo has a big mouth.

[@TheVerbalVolley]

@@JD-jc8gp But she speaks the truth. I would rather have a person with a big mouth speaking the truth, than someone just "towing the line".

[@Roosevelt1674]

Último título de GS para Crissi😍

[@jl3322]

They kept writing her off but she knew better.

[@carrerau7138]

But when they were writing her off again they were right!

[@yussepig6629]

Great cat and mouse tactics from both

[@rolandgreen7484]

Chris used the powerful groundstrokes of a man to overwhelm Martina.

[@8sabu1982]

The Best Players all the times ❤❤

[@johnlyndontuason5925]

Heard chris with her mini grunt.

[@nguyenai1337]

God! She is attractive on court and on speaking, too.

[@fazct]

I was definitely a Chrissie fan. She was always so classy and regal on the court.

[@carrerau7138]

Both players are the peak of their abilities! But just one year later they were too old.

[@davidr2802]

great comment and not unusual in this sport. And as Christie predicted Martina won the 1986 Wimbledon Singles and Doubles

[@zeddeka]

Martina's father said to her after this match that her ball toss had got too low in this match and as a result her serve started to go off. Martina had a low ball toss at the best of times, but it could get much worse when she was nervous or not on form.

[@rolandgreen7484]

The powerful groundstrokes of Christopher Evert were too much for Martina.

[@sylvainhyais8166]

Christopher???

[@robertallen6022]

Christine dipstick.

[@aristocratprofit2412]

クリスとマルチナは本当によきライバル。マルチナはクリスに憧れ、髪の色を変え、髪型も変えた。ただクリスがパーマをかけた時、パーマをかけようとして美容師に止められたとか。Chris and Martina were really good rivals. Martina admired Chris and changed her hair color and hairstyle. However, when Chris got a perm, the hairdresser stopped her from doing so.

[@M.EngelhART]

Chris Evert Was Always A Lady.

[@carrerau7138]

But didn't she cheat on her husbands now and then?

[@M.EngelhART]

@@carrerau7138 I'm Writing About Her Presence On The Court.

[@carrerau7138]

@@M.EngelhART Then you are right.

[@TheCazz1960]

Martina is the best player ever

[@carrerau7138]

I think Steffi was a bit better. But Navi surely is the second-best.

[@danguee1]

Who is the female commentator? I've just watched a passage of play about 5-10 minutes long and almost everything she said was wrong, delivered with utmost certainty - but she doesn't stop talking.....

[@tomschmitz5745]

former player joanne russell...and yes, i agree with you, she was like "the poor man's mary carillo" (not a fan of carillo's either for that matter, someone who was in the right place at the right time and with her association with john mcenroe and VOILA! a career as a commentator and tennis "expert" was born....

[@noahparsons7688]

So she's wrong for 5-10mins in a match of 1hr 45+ min? How awful. (sarcasm) Seriously, watch the game play and forget the commentary. Russell's in the booth because it's a women's tennis match and it would look odd with an all-male commentary team.

[@andyroo9381]

I never liked Joann Russell, either. I cannot stand the voice of Mary Carrillo!

[@jayowens6383]

Joanne Russel. Incredibly annoying voice, and she talks like she's talking to 5 year-olds. States the obvious and doesn't add anything to the conversation.

[@ugaais]

@@noahparsons7688no it would be handled competently

[@lenwelch2195]

Martina was so hurt watching this some 30’ plus years later I realize how emotional Martina is and it’s the sensitive people that feel so much of the fire to win but feel devastated when they lose . Martina was 10-4 in slam finals with Chris . So Chris was 18:16 in slam finals which is hard to believe and she didn’t play French 76:77:78 years where nonone could’ve beaten her at French and she didn’t play 9 Australian open events . Chris experienced what Martina feels being runner up and no handled it with more grace. This final was the last slam final that Kris played in one. She only had one left and that was in the Australian open 1988 and lost the Steffi Graf after beating Martina in the semi so from 74 to 86 Chris’s ability to be number one or to be the very best. She was either number one or number two.

[@JSmith-zr2ve]

Chris always gracious…..Martina always the whiner.

[@jpeyton62]

1:19:27 WTH is Joanne Russell extolling Navratilova's return when Chris proceeds to hit a great forehand winner. No love lost between Evert and Russell, I think, since they had played from childhood and as Bud Collins pointed out, Evert won every match.

[@jmnny85]

The clear pro Martina bias from all 3 commentators was terrible,should have given Chris way more credit,most roads no matter who won the point went to Martina. SMH. This match was more about what Chris did than what Martina didn't do. Chris was tough in the end,and it was not about luck. She went out as a great champion in one of her last Grandslam finals.

[@stevenodenthal3642]

What is SUPER annoying about these videos is how the camera breaks away from the players when they are just about to meet at the net and scrolls over to the audience. SO DAMN ANNOYING!!! They all do it….whether friends or foes, happy or angry, how they interact with each other when it is over is the most interesting part of this. And it’s rarely shown. Some idiot family or friend is found in the audience and the camera pans over to them for some reason. Stop it!!

[@themowpacer]

Lighten up Francis

[@carrerau7138]

What is so interesting about the players meeting at the net when the match is over?

[@xaviercrain7336]

Next year Steffi will prove Navratilova will always be runner up unless the other player is not in best form

[@lwh7301]

Chris had a cute tush.

[@speabody]

1:35:18 "tense" rally? Sorry that was like a practice session. Look at when the point ends and they cut to the audience. It looked like those two guys weren't even looking at the court. They looked up suddenly. "What, something happened?"

[@jamespeyton7312]

Those two guys are Evert's brother and Dennis Ralston, Evert's coach. They looked away for the same reasons many do-too tense to watch. Ralston had said during Evert's losing streak to Navratilova that if Evert believed she could win, she would-and she did.

[@jl3322]

The lesbian loses

[@tobiasisback4605]

That's enough about your mother.

[@mc7477]

What I wouldn't give to have this lesbian's money, talent, and legacy, even if she blew two Calendar Grand Slam opportunities in 1983/84 in singles competition. She still won six in a row, something only Maureen Connolly accomplished in 1953/54. Plus, she's right about the modern controversy in sports because it's still cheating and cheating stinks.

[@andreadimarzo6662]

I have a crush on Chrissie ❤ since i was 12....😊

[@jl3322]

Martina patted Chris’s ass when they met at the net after she lost 1:48:11 . Interesting😉

[@dpreymak]

1:45:!! he meant

[@dpreymak]

1:45:11 sorry

[@carrerau7138]

Always the predator!