"The greatest rivalry in sports continues with this amazing friendship" - Pam Shriver on Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova

Former doubles World No. 1 Pam Shriver has expressed her love and admiration for Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova's relationship.

Widely regarded as two of the greatest tennis players of all time, Evert and Navratilova shared an intense rivalry in the 1970s and 1980s. Between 1973 and 1988, the two faced each other 80 times, with 60 of them coming in various finals.

Navratilova had the upper hand over Evert, leading 43–37 in the head-to-head, along with a healthy 36–24 record in the finals.

Besides their on-field battles, Evert and Navratilova also went through similar struggles in their personal lives, notably their fight with cancer. Evert was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2018. Navratilova, on the other hand, had breast cancer in 2010, followed by a second diagnosis of breast and throat cancer last year. They underwent chemotherapy and surgeries and are currently cancer-free.

Speaking on the latest episode of The Craig Shapiro Tennis Podcast, Pam Shriver, the 1988 Olympic doubles gold medalist, applauded Evert and Navratilova for turning their amazing professional rivalry into a deep personal relationship in retirement.

“Can I just say, those two, what they've been through medically in the last year. Their story continues, the greatest rivalry in sports continues with this amazing friendship and shared difficult relationships. I have so much admiration for them both,” Shriver expressed.

When asked to describe Navratilova as a player, Shriver stated that the former World No. 1 was the reason why she was in the Hall of Fame.

“[Martina is the] greatest, and the reason I'm in the Hall of Fame,” she opined.

She then expressed regret at giving Evert too many opportunities to use her dominant two-handed backhand when competing on the court.

“Why did I approach her backhand so much?” Shriver asked herself.

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Chris Evert: "Martina Navratilova was one of the first people I told about my cancer"

Martina Navratilova (L) and Chris Evert pictured during the 2021 WTA Finals in Tlaquepaque, Mexico.

Earlier this year, Chris Evert announced that she was cancer-free. In her statement, she revealed that the disease changed her perspective on life. She said it taught her that the most important thing in life was to be at peace with herself while also being of service to others.

"Cancer changed my perspective on life. Cancer makes you reflect on your life, and when you're going through something like this, you realise the importance of coming to peace with yourself because, you know what? You are all you have. You also realise how important it is to be of service to others. That makes me happy," she said.

Evert disclosed that Martina Navratilova was the first person she told about her cancer.

"Martina Navratilova was one of the first people I told about my cancer, and I think I was one of the first people she told when she was diagnosed with cancer. It's just ironic that both of us experienced that at the same time. We had tears over it and we visited each other. We text each other a lot and we have gotten closer as a result," she added.