"Some players are wearing more mascara than Chris Evert ever did” – Martina Navratilova on how WTA stars today balance femininity & fitness training

Martina Navratilova recently gave her take on how the current WTA stars struck a balance between femininity and rigorous fitness training. The American also talked about the difference between her and Chris Evert's outlook on femininity.

Navratilova and Evert sat down for an interview with Christiane Amanpour and talked about a host of topics. The Czech-American said that she took rigorous training to a whole new level, but players such as Billie Jean King and Margaret Court were already training hard.

"I took it to a different level but I mean Billie Jean [King] and Margaret Court, they were training hard. But I think I took it to another level in off-court training, and the diet as well," Navratilova said [at 6:30].

Navratilova claimed that nowadays WTA stars apply a lot of makeup while being in good shape due to the increasing physical demands of the sport.

"Nowadays, some of the players are wearing more mascara than Chris [Evert] ever did, but they are in better shape because they have to be. The other part is hitting the ball bigger and harder. The racquets enable you to swing bigger and you have to be in better shape. You have to be fast but the mascara is still there," she said.

Differentiating between herself and Evert, Navratilova said that the latter was more 'feminine' compared to her.

"Chris [Evert] was the epitome of an athlete that was feminine. I was just an athlete, I was never feminine, never felt that way. But always a woman and competing the best that I could. My mom used to tell me wear long sleeves to hide my muscles so at the end of the I am you know ‘this is what it is’ and I wore sleeveless," she added.

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Martina Navratilova talks about her rivalry with Chris Evert

Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert at the French Open 2024 (Image: Getty)

During the same interview, Martina Navratilova also talked about her rivalry with Chris Evert. The 18-time Grand Slam champion said that the duo attending the 2024 French Open was 'symbolic' of their battle with cancer.

“Oh my goodness! There’s so many. There’s a few but let me just say for me it was more about not about the 50th and 40th year anniversary although it was that, but it was that we were still both there after our epic battles with cancer. So it was more symbolic on that front for me rather than the anniversary,” Navratilova said [1:35]

Navratilova also talked about how they practiced together before their final match at the 1975 French Open because they were good friends. Evert eventually won the match 2-6, 6-2, 6-1.

“But the matches, I mean I lost to Chris in 75 in the finals and then we played doubles together and we warmed up for the final together because they were the only people left there and we were such good friends we were like, ‘Okay, we'll just warm up for the final together and then she of course wiped the court with me.” she added.

Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert squared off 80 times in their career, with the former leading 43–37.