Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert are, appropriately, holding court to discuss their hefty history at the All England Club as well as against each other. Navratilova, 67, sits on the left — which aligns nicely with her personal philosophy — wearing a stylish white blouse. Evert, 69, is sporting a red dress.
It’s been 50 years since Evert won the first of her three titles at Wimbledon.
“I don’t remember anything about it,” Evert said, smiling.
But of course she did.
She was 19 years old and coming off her first major title at Roland Garros in the spring of 1974. Her steady baseline game was perfect for clay, but grass with its low, sometimes erratic bounces was more of a challenge. After losing to Billie Jean King earlier that year in New York, Evert won 20 straight matches going into the French Open and arrived at the All England Club with a 27-match win streak.
“I remember that that year I should never have won Wimbledon because I was in the same tournament as Billie Jean King, who I hadn’t beaten on grass yet, and Evonne Goolagong, who had my number on grass,” Evert said. “Lucky for me Olga Morozova beat Billie Jean King and Kerry Reid beat Evonne Goolagong.”