"I was a little jealous of that" - Chris Evert on Martina Navratilova getting a Harley-Davidson bike on her retirement 

Serena Williams announcing her retirement plans got the likes of Chris Evert and John McEnroe to reminisce about the time they hung up their boots during a chat with the media on Thursday.

Evert and McEnroe, legends of the sport, spoke to the press to discuss a wide range of topics, mainly circling the US Open as the Major is scheduled to begin on August 29.

Over the course of their conversation, 18-time Slam champion Evert confessed that she was jealous of Martina Navratilova after the Czech–American received a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with her name painted on the gas tank on the day of her retirement.

"Martina got a motorcycle, I think a Harley-Davidson at Madison Square Garden. I was a little jealous of that, not that I wanted a motorcycle but I would have settled," Chris Evert said, via ESPN.

When asked by McEnroe if she would've settled for a car, Evert said:

"A necklace, diamond necklace!"

Martina Navratilova on her Harley-Davidson bike.

She gave a little more insight into the day she said her goodbye to tennis. The 67-year-old stated that it was a low-key event with no fanfare.

"I retired at the U.S. Open. It was so different in that day. I mean, it’s like I just waved and walked off the court and that was it. And there’s no fanfare or anything. No parties. Nothing. Nothing going on. So, I thought it was pretty low-key," Chris Evert said.

However, she wished, in hindsight, that she had savored that day a little more.

"I wish maybe that I could have savored the moment a little bit more and really looked at the fans and maybe been a little more emotional about it and felt a little bit more," she said, adding, "I guess I wish I would have been a little more in the moment and a little more engaged in the moment when I retired and walked off center court."

---

Chris Evert praises the retiring Serena Williams

Serena Williams speaking during the Bitcoin 2022 Conference in Miami.

During the same conversation, Chris Evert singled out the soon-to-be retiring Serena Williams and praised her for everything she has achieved - on and off the court.

"She’s a superstar. Sometimes, at the end of their career or after they’ve retired, then you see the true contribution that they’ve made. And I think that now we’re seeing more and more what Serena has done. And I keep saying honestly what impresses me the most is just off-court influence and how she’s influenced young women to own their power, to speak their mind, to be fearless," she said.

Chris Evert added that while a lot of athletes do not have their futures planned post-retirement, Williams has been very clear on how she wants to spend her time. She has gone on record stating that she is eagerly looking forward to having the freedom to pick and choose what she wants to pursue.

"A lot of athletes retire and they haven’t set up a future for themselves. And I think that you’ve seen a lot of depressed retired athletes. But the thing with Serena is that she has so much to go to. And so much more richness in her life and experiences and happiness that I’m sure it’s going to be, like, crushing for a while," she said.