"Now it's Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert's turn to be scared of me" - When 16-year-old Steffi Graf was confident of her chances at French Open

A 16-year-old Steffi Graf said in 1986 that it was time for both Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova to be scared of her.

Graf burst onto the scene as a youngster and was already women's World No. 3 by 1986, when Navratilova and Evert were the top-two ranked players.

The German said that year ahead of the French Open that the two veterans did not like playing on clay.

“Navratilova is still the No. 1 in the world. And Chris Evert Lloyd is still unchallengeable for No. 2 when she plays faultlessly,” Graf said as quoted by the Los Angeles Times. “But they don’t like playing on clay."

The German also seemed confident of her chances at the French Open, saying that it was time for Evert and Navratilova to be scared of her like she once was of playing them.

“Whether I can get even closer to them in Paris, well, we’ll just have to wait and see. Before, I used to be a little bit scared of playing Martina and Chris. Now, it’s their turn to be scared of me," Graf said.

The German went on to reach the quarterfinals of the 1986 French Open before losing 6-2, 6-7(3), 1-6 to Hana Mandlikova. Chris Evert won the tournament after beating Martina Navratilova 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 in the final.

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A look at Steffi Graf's record against Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova in Grand Slam finals

Steffi Graf with husband Andre Agassi in 2023

Steffi Graf faced both Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova in Grand Slam finals and has a positive record against both greats of the game.

The German and Evert played just one Major title clash at the 1988 Australian Open, with the former winning 6-1, 7-6(3). She faced Navratilova in six Grand Slam finals, winning four of them.

The first Major title clash between the two came at the 1987 French Open, which Steffi Graf won 6-4, 4-6, 8-6 to win her maiden Grand Slam title. That year, Navratilova beat her in the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open, both in straight sets.

Graf and Navratilova squared off in the 1988 Wimbledon final, with the former winning 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 to win her first title at the grass-court Major. The following year, they squared off in title clashes at Wimbledon and the US Open, with the German triumphing in both in three sets.