“Wasn’t Lucky Enough to Have a Chris”: Martina Navratilova Reveals Serena Williams’ Two Closest Rivals

One of the most engaging aspects of any sport is rivalries. Beyond just entertainment for the viewers, they provide motivation and drive for the competing athletes themselves. For instance, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, the big three of tennis: Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic; the Yankees and the Red Sox; Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier; Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert, they all made each other better athletes. However, the 23-time Grand Slam champion Serena Williams was not lucky enough to have an arch-rival.

Although Martina Navratilova admitted that Serena did not ‘have a Chris,’ she revealed her closest two rivals. They were former Belgian professional Justine Henin and her older sister Venus Williams.

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Martina Navratilova on Serena Williams’ closest rivals

Serena Williams and Justine Henin had an 8-6 head-to-head record, favoring the American professional. Interestingly, they met five times in the finals, where Serena had a 3-2 lead over Justine. Without any doubt, they pushed each other to the limit in each of their epic battles.

Additionally, Serena had an 18-12 advantage over her older sister Venus Williams. Besides, the Williams sisters battled in nine Grand Slam finals, where Venus only won twice.

“I think Justine Henin would be the closest rival,” Navratilova said on The Goat: Serena podcast. “And, of course, her sister Venus. But she wasn’t lucky enough to have a Chris [Evert], you know, and there’s nothing you can do about that.”

A promising Serena Vs Victoria rivalry

Furthermore, the 18-time Grand Slam champion opened up on the promising rivalry between Serena and Victoria Azarenka. Currently, the head-to-head stands at 18-5 in favor of Serena.

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“There were a lot of pretenders. Azarenka looked like she was heading that way, but then that fizzled out. So, Venus and Justine, that’s it,” Navratilova concluded.

Currently, Serena is recovering from a knee injury and hasn’t played since Wimbledon 2021. However, it is most likely that she will return in 2022 at the Australian Open.

Above all, Serena is still chasing her long-awaited 24th Grand Slam title. But with new talents on the WTA Tour and an enticing young rivalry with Naomi Osaka, can Serena fulfill her dream? Only time will tell.

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