Martina Navratilova vs Chris Evert Highlights | 1981 US Open Semifinal

No. 4 seed Martina Navratilova goes head-to-head with No. 1 seed Chris Evert in the 1981 US Open semifinals.
Navratilova is playing in her fifth US Open women's singles semifinal and will be aiming to reach the final for the first time in her career. Meanwhile, Evert is already a 5-time champion and has reached the semifinal or better in all 11 of her US Open appearances. The defending champion heads into the match as the favourite after beating her compatriot 6-0 6-0 in their last meeting.
Will Navratilova turn the tides this time around?
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[@frankzito8653]

This is one of their final "old school" matches. Both using wood racquets. Martina soon, became extremely fit and mentally tough and began to dominate women's tennis. Chris lost 13 matches in a row to Martina, until she finally switched to a mid-size racquet, and got stronger.

[@christopherproietti645]

i have always been curious about the process they both went through play testing and eventually choosing their graphite frames. of course we know Martina switched to the Yonex R-7 a good two years before Chris finally choosing the Wilson Pro Staff. it seems Martina adapted quite quickly while Chrissie had to try several models. i remember reading that Chrissie tried using a Wilson graphite racquet during exhibition matches sometime in the summer of '83 and she lost to both Jaeger and Hanika.

[@tentenalvaro1285]

@@christopherproietti645 aaaa

[@aagold76]

Rene Richards started coaching Martina at this event- she lost in the 1st round and decided to retire and Martina asked her to coach her... Rene was using a mid sized racket and was the one who got Martina to switch.

[@aagold76]

@@christopherproietti645 Chris never liked to leave her comfort zone... her coaches- Dennis Ralston and husband John Lloyd, kept trying to get Chris to attack Martina more- she'd do it 2-3 points, then Martina would pass her the 3rd time and Chris would glue herself to the baseline for the rest of the set. I'm sure the Jaeger/Hanika losses had Chris shaking her head and saying- 'NO WAY!' and running back to her trusty wood.

[@aagold76]

@Tom Leander every coach Martina had said she adapted to anything they taught her faster than any player they ever taught... the Australian in 1982 was played at the end of the year, December (until 1987, then it went to January)- she dominated the tour January through August '82- using the graphite, winning the French and Wimbledon- adapting pretty well... it was her toxoplasmosis that derailed her the rest of the year- she could play for an hour, then she'd crash and burn- the effects lingered- off and on August through December.

[@MsDidi38]

Chris was such an elegant player to watch. I love her passing shots.

[@stevena.2306]

the best !!

[@meidoornloof]

This was so exciting! Two great legends!

[@susanford2388]

Martina Navratilovas returns are powerful & being left handed she is returning what is a usual bank hand directly then runs into the net for a volley.

[@selos5233]

That first point 🔥

[@th8257]

This match famous for an interruption - at one point, people started fighting in the stands and the match had to be paused while the police came in and arrested someone. The US Open could be a bit wild at times in those days!

[@TIZNYC]

Very true! I believe there may have been gunfire once during a Nastase/McEnroe match.

[@shihlin1]

Chris was leading in the third set when that fight broke out in the upper stands. The match was halted for about 10-15 mins. When it resumed, Martina broke Chris three straight times to complete the biggest upset for her at the U.S. Open. Evert was heavily favored to reach the final. I believe this match was the turning point in their rivalry. From this point on, Martina would only get stronger physically and mentally and dominate women's tennis until Graf became #1 in 87.

[@aagold76]

a fight broke out during their 1984 French Open Final as well- I remember Bud Collins commentating- talking about how these two seemed to bring this out of people.

[@stevena.2306]

at 4:23, classic Chris Evert point, patience and and a deadly backhand down the line.

[@michaelbarlow6610]

Wood racket tennis = REAL TENNIS!!!!

[@gerardmackay8909]

Chris was always a beautiful player to watch but I always think the summer of 81 when she was 26 was her at her most gorgeous.

[@lwh7301]

Can you believe this was 42 years ago!!??

[@optimus75]

What an amazing time the 80s were❤

[@clhswade]

good old days!

[@JD-jc8gp]

Magnificent share. Thank you!

[@gregorymathews5866]

Navratilova played a remarkable 7 US Open semifinals/finals that went to at least 6-4 in the third set. Compare that to Graf who played in 3, S. Williams who played in 3, Evert who played in 2.

[@stef1074]

They met 22 times in GS, and 4 times at the US OPEN. That one is a classic

[@jm7804]

I'd rather watch this than the unforced error shows we get nowadays.

[@susanford2388]

Martina Navratilova had a style which forced her female players to go to the net more than usual. She sincerely dominated the tennis with her net action. An amazing player.

[@stevena.2306]

On the first point replay, commentator (Tony Trabert) says 3 times Chris got the lob over Martina’s head. But I think it was only twice. Nevertheless, still one of the greatest points in Us open history.

[@HunterBidenCocaineBag]

That one shot of Evert-Lloyd's that was inches out on the baseline, oh how tennis history may have been different if it had gone in.

[@burninglightfire]

I do actually think that this ball was in ;-)) If they had Hawkeye these days I am sure that this ball would have been shown as on the outside edge off the line

[@shihlin1]

I have a feeling even if Chris pulled out this match she would've lost the final in straights to Tracy. Martina really pulled out all the stops in this match and wore Chris out physically and mentally. Chris woulda been spent the following day against Tracy, who easily won her semifinal match.

[@lenwelch2195]

@@shihlin1I thinkwhen Chris didn’t convert one of the 3 break points at 4-4 Martina serving , she realized she’d have to hold serve break and hold th😮e uphill hill looked too steep. She had won Wimbledon, barely lost inn81, had number one ranking sewn up for 81 the thought of playing Tracy after all that uphill fight against Martina it was too much. This happened subconsciously I believe.

[@armaniusmaximus]

What a difference between those days and these days!

[@williamkelly8026]

Sally Jenkins' article brought me here. Legends.

[@will1graham]

All serve and volley ... no power that's why Graff was so good. She changed the game and the williams sisters took it to another level

[@fjosephgonzales6870]

Say what? Martina was a serve-and-volleyer; Chris was a baseliner. And Serve-and-volleyers ARE/were powerful (though, sadly, there are virtually none nowadays). Besides Navratilova, other serve-and-volleyers included: Margaret Court, Billie Jean King, Hana Mandlikova, Helena Sukova, Claudia Kohde-Kilsch, Pam Shriver, Jana Novotna, Lori McNeil, etc. Monica Seles, Mary Pierce, and Jennifer Capriati should also be given credit for bringing more power to tennis.

[@Sully44JJ]

I wish we could see the first point in better quality.

[@shihlin1]

Imagine what kind of player Martina would be if she had a coach btw 75-81. But in those days nobody has a coach, including Chris. But by the early 80's most of the top pros had a coach. Borg was one of the first to travel full time with a coach.

[@th8257]

Not a coach, but Martina was working with the golfer Sandra Haynie during that time, with Haynie as a kind of business manager, giving Martina guidance from her pro experience and trying to get some kind of stability into Martina's very chaotic life and career.

[@lwh7301]

@@th8257 I am sure it was more than just a "business manager" relationship. Wink wink.

[@shihlin1]

@@lwh7301I agree wink wink

[@shihlin1]

That first point shown is in all the Evert-Navratilova highlight reels. Otherwise Evert didn't play particularly well in this match. On many points she's just "pushing" the ball with no pace or depth. But as usual, Navratilova fell apart against Tracy in the final. All in all, Austin had a 4-1 edge H2H against Martina in 1981, three of them in 3 setters.

[@darlaevitts3459]

Always amazed me. Tiny Tracy given Martina fits. Tracy looked like she weighed 90 pounds

[@th8257]

@@darlaevitts3459 I think a lot of it was because Tracy was 10 times mentally tougher than Martina then. Particularly in her earlier days, Martina was notorious for how she could just lose it mentally. Ted Tinling famously said of her "She goes from arrogance to panic with nothing in between." If you could keep the pressure in her long enough, the chances were she'd fold.

[@thequinnster72]

And oddly the one match Martina did win against Tracy in '81 just weeks after this match was 6-0, 6-2. Martina actually won more games going 1-4 against her.

[@susanford2388]

Once you are at the net you can usually control the game to your advantage

[@boysdontcry5487]

Navratilova easily the best volleyer the women’s game has ever seen. But that weak backhand, jeez...

[@aagold76]

she didn't have a coach from her defection in 1975 until this match in 1981, when Rene Richards began working with her... Rene taught her a top spin back hand- she never hit one before late 81... her slice was perfect for the grass, though- it died or shot through the grass, never really bouncing up much.

[@shihlin1]

Imagine what kind of player Martina would be if she had a coach btw 75-81. But in those days nobody has a coach, including Chris. But by the early 80's most of the top pros had a coach. Borg was one of the first to travel full time with a coach.

[@guyinsf]

It's called a backhand slice and lots of players had it. Nothing jeez about it.

[@spencerpierce1251]

Chris's serve the ball much harder after switching to the Wilson Prostaff. Her serve in this match was so weak. I'm surprised Martina didn't chip/charge of Chris's first serve.

[@aagold76]

actually- once Martina started working with Mike Estep in late 83, he told her to attack Chris' first serve- fairly weak and inside the service box- better to approach on than her ground strokes- this was probably the final straw that forced Chris to go graphite.

[@shihlin1]

I have a feeling even if Chris pulled out this match she would've lost the final in straights to Tracy. Martina really pulled out all the stops in this match and wore Chris out physically and mentally. Chris woulda been spent the following day against Tracy, who easily won her semifinal match.

[@lenwelch2195]

I agree and Chris sure didn’t want to lose two open finals to Austin after coming back the year before to beat her, take over number one ranking, here she won 7 tournaments in 81 including Wimbledon,. The first 7 months Chris won everything except French sf against an inspired Hana who she beat in the wow final. So Chris had to beat Hana in QF of the open which she did then play this match. Chris would’ve been pooped for next day final with Austin especially when the newly fit Martina wilted after winning the first set losing 7-6:7-6. Tracy didn’t face a decent threat of a player until the final, so she had the reserves physically and mentally. Chris had 1981 sewn up for year end number one ( last year she achieved that . Was number one year end for 7 of last 8 years , won open 5 times , Wimbledon 3 times and French 4 times. Martina had two Wimbledons and that was it. Tracy had one open. Chris didn’t need to win this match to prove a thing. Up 3-1,4-2 and at 4-4 had two break points to serve for the match had she won one of the two break points. She missed a break point by returning Martina’s serve an inch long and actually started for sideline thinking she broke her. Subconsciously Chris needed a break, she had her wimbledonbtitle that year and number one sewn up for the year . I bet she was glad she didn’t have to face a fresh Austin the very next day.

[@shihlin1]

@@lenwelch2195Actually 1981 was a closer contest for #1 than you think. Try to find an article by Curry Kirkpatrick of Sports Illustrated from Dec 1981 online if you can. Chris had a strong first half in 81, but after Wimbledon she suffered multiple losses to Austin and Navratilova. What tipped the balance in Chris's favor was her incredible battle w Austin in the round robin match at the year-end Toyota Series Championship. Chris BARELY won that match 4-6 6-4 7-6, it's the match we will never get to see bc it wasn't recorded or televised. Imagine that oversight happening today. When Tracy and Chris met again in the SF, Chris got cleaned thoroughly. Austin went on to beat Navratilova in the final coming back after losing the first set (Again !) Kirkpatrick claims Evert won the year-end #1 ranking only by a whisker. After 81, Austin's game and health began to decline rapidly as sciatica caught up to her

[@shihlin1]

@@lenwelch2195I've watched that match SF against Martina several times, didn't look like Chris was at the top of her game. To me she seemed intimidated by Martina's inspired play and endless net charging. The pressure to pass or lob got to be too much and her strokes lacked their usual pop and depth. She would've been toast for Austin in the final. Tracy beat Chris in straights just weeks earlier at the Canadian

[@meilstone]

Looks like it was much harder to win a point back then, you really had to outplay the opponent, couldn't just hit a winner from 5 m behind the baseline...

[@VanillaCuckoo]

The tennis was great to watch, although it was hard to concentrate with all the quick cuts during some of the points. The TV director was trying to make it exciting like a music video, but as a viewer you just need to focus on the gameplay and the positioning of the players, which is impossible if you're only seeing a close-up of one player for a second, before the next cut. Thank goodness that way of showing the sport never caught hold! Sorry about the rant, but I would have enjoyed this more without the fancy director nonsense. Two great players, and a wonderful era for watching tennis, more movement around the court and tactics than you tend to see today, and certainly a lot better to watch than the late '90s - early '00s stuff, where much of women's tennis devolved into a low-skill biffing contest until someone made an unforced error. At least that's how I remember it. God, that was a low point! 😆

[@yussepig6629]

Martina never got to play Chris at the US open during her dominant years. Yet Chris always made it to the Sf or final of Wimbledon to face Martina. Skewed the head to head.

[@aagold76]

@Tom Leander even Chris said, she was a better player in 84-85 than she was in 76-77... the original commentor was talking about the US Open though- and Martina did have problems there 76-80, losing early before she got to Chris.

[@th8257]

That's not right. Chris beat Martina at the US Open in 1975 in the semi finals. The match was famous because Martina defected to the USA immediately after the match.

[@kinomusic9110]

Damn that umpire had hairy legs!

[@jl3322]

Everyone in that stadium hated Martina

[@aagold76]

81-Martina was fairly well liked- she had just become a US Citizen the month before the Open, but she also got outed... they didn't refer to the outing on TV, just the citizenship- so most people were fine with her- it wasn't until 84 after a few years of dominating that they really turned on her- and being a lesbian was a large part of the equation- 50/50- dominance/lesbian.

[@th8257]

@@aagold76 it has to be said that Martina also didn't always have the most likeable court persona at times either, and that was a huge part in it too. She could be very peevish, there was a lot of the prima donna in her, and she was a notorious whiner. As Ted Tinling famously said of her "She goes from arrogance to panic with nothing in between". Rosie Casals also nicknamed her "The Brat".

[@aagold76]

@@th8257 true- she's said she got that from Billie Jean- who never got booed- had she been out in the 70s, she probably would have, too... Navrat the Brat was given almost as an endearment from Rosie- they all loved Martina- players always said how fair she was and how much they liked her... Steffi had a teenaged nickname as well- 'Little Miss Sauerbraten'- that was not given affectionately. The crowd mistook Martina's desire for total fairness as whining on her own behalf.

[@yetiite]

They’re playing so slowly…. Wtf

[@charleskristiansson1296]

it's called elegance ....

[@Pundit2k]

Jesus, who recorded this? A fan on their VCR?

[@foreveranuj]

What did they eat back in the day? Practically no power in those shots!

[@yussepig6629]

Wooden rackets fool. Wasnt about power then. Jeez.

[@foreveranuj]

@@yussepig6629 Nope, not just that. Lack of power in those arms.

[@yussepig6629]

I’d love to see you try with a wooden racket.

[@MsDidi38]

it wasn't about power, it was about making great shots

[@iliasdf2595]

It looks like that but I saw them play up close those balls were hard very hard