‘She Was at the Funeral’ – Chris Evert Narrated Heart-Breaking Personal Incident to Praise Martina Navratilova for Her Continuous Support

American tennis star Chris Evert is among the most followed tennis celebrities in the world. Even after retiring a long time ago, the 67-year-old is pretty active in the tennis circuit and works as a commentator and analyst. Her friend and archrival Martina Navratilova is also following the same path. Their careers as players and after retirement has been quite similar. Interestingly, both of them have won 18 Grand Slam singles titles each.

Back in their playing days, the two were fierce rivals on the court. However, over the years, a strong friendship blossomed between the two. A few years ago, in an interview, Evert spoke about her relationship with Navratilova.

Chris Evert recalls Navratilova’s support in tough times

Remembering the time when her sister passed away, Evert recalled how Navratilova stood by her side during the toughest times of her life in an interview with The Associated Press.

“My sister passed away in February, and Martina was there the whole day, she was at the funeral. She was there for the burial. She was at the house for food and stayed until 10 p.m,” Evert said.

Further, the 67-year-old spoke about the bond between them.

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“Martina is definitely one of my closest friends right now. We have no competition. I can really enjoy her and her personality now and she can really enjoy me,” she added.

Chris Evert’s records

Evert is one of the all-time greats in tennis. The 67-year-old has won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including two Australian Open, seven French Open, six US Open, and three Wimbledon Championships. She was also ranked the world number one for 260 weeks.

Evert’s peak performance came during the 1970s-1980s. Over this period, she also made a unique record of winning at least one grand slam a year for 13 consecutive years. Moreover, from 1975 to 1986, she was either ranked world number 1 or 2 in the WTA rankings, an astonishing feat indeed.

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Talking about her winning percentage, the 18-time Grand Slam champion’s win percentage is a staggering 89.97%. Notably, it is the second highest in the open era. The legend of the sport was deservedly inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the year 1995.