Novak Djokovic trolled by Chris Evert for calling rivalry with Nadal 'greatest in tennis'

Former Women's World No. 1 Chris Evert has called out current Men's World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on a statement he made after his French Open final loss to Rafael Nadal. Women in sport have long been fighting for visibility and equal respect from audiences and broadcasters, and this is just one such example of how men's sport is considered the default while women's sport is mentioned as an afterthought. 

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The greatest rivalry in tennis?

In the trophy presentation ceremony at French Open 2020, this year's runner-up Novak Djokovic made a statement that while innocent, showed the mindset of male players when it comes to recounting sporting records and legends. In his acceptance speech, Djokovic mentioned that he and Rafa had the greatest rivalry in tennis history and had played each other the maximum number of times in the history of the game.

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While Novak Djokovic was technically correct, he missed out on an important detail. His rivalry with Rafa is the greatest in the men's game. The actual greatest rivalry in tennis was between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert and the latter was quick to point this out. Navratilova also joined in on the conversation to school the many people who claimed that her rivalry with Evert mattered less, or that Novak Djokovic's non-mention of the word "men" was acceptable. The tweet was also mentioned by 12-time Grand Slam champion Billie Jean King.  

Nadal vs Djokovic head to head

As of today, the Nadal vs Djokovic head to head record stands at 29-27 in favour of Novak Djokovic. This makes 56 total games. However, the Nadal vs Djokovic head to head number doesn't come anywhere close to the 80 games that Navratilova and Evert played against each other in their careers. Of these 80 games, Navratilova has won 43 while Evert has won 37 of their encounters.

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Navratilova and Evert dominated the tennis world from the 1970s to the early 1990s. Unlike most rivalries in the men's game, the two managed to remain close friends through the decades and remain so today. Starting in 1974, either Navratilova or Evert topped the WTA's year-end rankings till 1986, after which Steffi Graf took over.

Either Navratilova or Evert won every Women's Singles title from the 1981 Australian Open till the 1985 Wimbledon Championships.

A similar complaint could be made to the tennis community by Serena Williams, who is constantly overlooked when it comes to Grand Slam title records. A simple search for 'Most Grand Slam titles' will return result upon result lavishing praise on Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Someone unacquainted with the game might never know that Williams, Margaret Court and Steffi Graf each have more than 20 titles to their name. 

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