Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert’s 80-match rivalry blurred the lines between friendship and competition. However, that is a thing of the past, and now the two friends might choose to have a ‘high tea’ together at Wimbledon as they celebrate the Ice Maiden’s first Wimbledon title. And the ice has cracked now, as both the legend take turns to give a glimpse of their fun times, with a bit of wine and a wild side!

Today, the legends sit side by side watching the younger generation take charge and reminisce about their times. Contrary to their dominance back in the 1970s and 1980s, tomorrow there will be a new Wimbledon champion. However, before that, today is a special day for the Ice Maiden of the tennis circuit. Evert won her first Wimbledon title on 12 July 1974, exactly 50 years ago! And Navratilova didn’t let this occasion slide without showing tennis fans cracks in the Ice.

How could someone transform the highly “prim and proper” Evert into a wild and the life of a party? Navratilova knows how, “she has a glass of wine, she’s a different person.” And what followed next was “The dirtiest jokes” which “Nobody knows,” but Navratilova “still remember some of them.” Though they may have become friends, the competitive spirit is still very much alive in both and Evert wasn’t going to take this lying down. And she took it upon herself to give Navratilova a taste of her own medicine and opened up about the latter’s early days.

When Evert started thinking about Navratilova’s beginning on the court, the latter interjected by saying she was “clueless.” But Evert differed as she thought that Navratilova was “very opinionated, very controversial.” Though not incorrect, as Navratilova has always spoken her mind. And this created a maelstrom once, when she opened up about her sexuality at the mere age of 24, when the world was against it. Navratilova “just was ready to attack any kind of issue. She wore her heart on her sleeve.”– said Evert.

Now, the two have moved beyond tennis but have not distanced themselves from it, as they frequently appear in the commentator’s box. And Evert’s views have also evolved about the Czech-American. She said, “I find as she gets older, she’s more protective.” With time, the two opponents have become thicker friends, and they don’t let go of any chance to stand by each other during every ebb and flow. And when it’s time to celebrate they make sure to shout out to each other.

Navratilova’s ‘generous and thoughtful move’ to celebrate Evert’s another memory

Evert is not just celebrating her first Wimbledon title this year, but also her first Roland Garros title win: a channel slam! And her good friend Navratilova certainly didn’t want to let this slide quietly as she asked Evert to present the title she first won 50 years ago to Iga Swiatek. The ‘prim and proper’ Evert made sure to thank her on X, as she stood with the winner!

She said, “So, I presented the Roland Garros winner’s trophy last year; @Martina was asked to present this year. Since it was the 50th anniversary of my first win, she asked me if I would join her in presenting…Generous and thoughtful, that’s my friend Martina!” Undoubtedly the line between friends and foes did break long ago for the two!

On this special occasion for Evert, Jasmine Paolini takes the cake as she became the first woman after Serena Williams(in 2016) to make it to the finals of both the Clay and Grass slams as she joined the legends on the list.