Statistical Comparison: Chris Evert Vs Martina Navratilova Vs Serena Williams

Martina Navratilova, Serena Williams and Chris EvertSerena Williams, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova are iconic players who enthralled crowds with their amazing shot making ability, never-say die attitude and their love for the game which stands till date.While all three have 18 majors to their name, their unique styles of play and rivalries with fellow legends and young players have defined the game for many years. Although Williams played in a different era compared to Navratilova and Evert, their records on different surfaces stand testimony to the fact that they helped many a young players pick up a racket and be successful at the highest level.

#1 Grand Slams - Singles

Martina Navratilova with the 1987 Wimbledon Championship

Player	Australian Open	French Open	Wimbledon	US Open
Chris Evert	2	7	3	6
Martina Navratilova	3	2	9	4
Serena Williams	5	2	5	6

There is very little to choose between the three when it comes to success in Grand Slams. Evert clearly seems to have an edge when it comes to winning more titles on the clay courts in Paris. Navratilova loved the grass lawns at Wimbledon and has overtaken both Evert and Williams in a big way.

All three have done well at their home slam- The US Open with a tie between Evert and Williams. All of them have a career slam (winning all four Grand Slams) which is considered a remarkable achievement in the modern game.

#2 Grand Slams Doubles

Martina Navaratilova and Billie Jean King with the 1979 Wimbledon doubles troph

Player	Australian Open	French Open	Wimbledon	US Open
Chris Evert		2	1
Martina Navratilova	8	7	7	9
Serena Williams	4	2	5	2

Both Navratilova and Williams have won career slam in doubles as well. This record in doubles sets Navratilova apart from the other two in contention in this comparison. She proved that she wasn’t just a good singles player, but can adjust her game and win titles even in pairs.

#3 Tour Finals

Serena Williams with the 2013 WTA Championships

The WTA tour finals are an important part of the season which shows the consistency of a player throughout the year. Only the top players feature in this year-end event.

Evert has won the tour finals on four occasions – 1972, 1973, 1975 and 1977.

Navratilova’s consistency comes to the fore here as she has an incredible 8 wins in tour finals–1978, 1979, 1981,1983,1984, 1985, 1986 (March), 1986 (November). She was superb in doubles tour finals as well winning 11 times including a 10-year winning streak - 1980-1989 and 1991.

Serena Wiliams has won the tour finals four times – 2001, 2009, 2012, 2013 in singles and her best effort in doubles has been reaching the semifinals in 2009.

#4 Olympic Games

Serena Williams with the gold medal in the London Olympics

Tennis made its return to the Olympic Games in 1988 for the Seoul Games after a 64-year gap. Evert and Navratilova missed out on participating in the Olympics in their prime due to its exclusion.

However, Evert did feature in the 1988 Olympics and she lost in the third round.

Navratilova’s best result in the Olympic Games was reaching the quarterfinals in the 2004 Athens Olympics with her partner Lindsay Davenport.

Williams won the gold in singles at the 2012 London Games. She is also a three-time gold medallist in the doubles event with her sister Venus Williams in 2000, 2008 and 2012.

#5 Career titles

Martina Navratilova with the 1984 French Open trophy

Player	Singles	Doubles
Chris Evert	157	32
Martina Navratilova	168	186
Serena Williams	63	22

Navratilova is way ahead of the other two and has the Open era record in both singles and doubles titles. It looks like that record will stay for a long time!

#6 Career record

Chris Evert with the 1983 Wimbledon title

Player	Singles	Doubles
Chris Evert	1309-146 (89.96 %)	117-39 (75 %)
Martina Navratilova	1442-219 (86.8 %)	747-183 (83.9 %)
Serena Williams	677-118 (85.15 %)	174-26 (87 %)

Evert was an outstanding singles player and has the best win percentage when it comes to singles. But Navratilova balanced both with relative ease as she has an impressive record taking into account the number of matches played in singles and doubles.

Williams’ record is no less either considering the tough modern schedule that players have to endure on the tour. It is even more significant given that top male tennis players do not play much of doubles.

All the three women will go down in history as some of the best that the game has seen although Williams has a chance to overtake the other two when it comes to the number of majors won.