Billie Jean King names the best rivalry in the history of tennis over Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal

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Tennis has brought about some phenomenal rivalries over the years, with Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal a prime example.

Over 50,000 people once watched Nadal play Federer, with that duo having also enjoyed exciting rivalries with Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray.

Intriguingly, Murray will now coach Djokovic at the Australian Open, where the Serbian is looking to win a record 25th Grand Slam title.

The 24-time Grand Slam champion tops the pile of men’s titles, and is level with Margaret Court across the men’s and women’s games.

Jimmy Connors versus John McEnroe was another great rivalry, although the latter certainly had more than one enemy on the court, while Big Three Federer, Nadal and Djokovic once dominated the sport with their fantastic rivalries.

Billie Jean King singles out Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova rivalry

But as quoted by the WTA Tour website, Billie Jean King has gone as far as saying that Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova played out the best battle not just in tennis, but in sporting history.

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“I think their rivalry is the best ever in the history of sports, not just tennis,” said King. “If they were two guys, we’d still be hearing about it all the time.”

What was the head-to-head record between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova?

Evert and Navratilova played out a stunning 80 matches over the years, with 60 of those coming in championship finals.

And very fittingly, the hugely talented pair both finished their superb careers with 18 Grand Slam titles each.

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And equally impressively, Evert leads the way for Open Era French Open titles (seven), with Navratilova topping the pile for Wimbledon triumphs (nine).

It is, however, the latter who managed to end their rivalry on top, with Navratilova boasting a 43-37 win-loss record from her 80 meetings with Evert.

The likes of current WTA Tour stars Aryna Sabalenka and Iga Swiatek are perhaps leading the way in terms of repeating such a rivalry, with the pair having been locked in a tense battle for the number one spot throughout 2024.