Sport: Serena, Venus played 50 fewer times than Evert, Navratilova

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Chris Evert knows a thing or two about tennis rivalries and she’s noticed something about Serena Williams’ career: The 23-time Grand Slam singles champion has not had much in the way of rivals.

© Provided by Associated Press FILE - In this June 27, 2002, file photo, Venus Williams, left, with her sister Serena, talk during their women's doubles match against Japan's Rika Hiraki and Germany's Kirstin Freye, at Wimbledon. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant, FIle)

Evert knows that her series of matches through the years against Martina Navratilova — including five finals at Wimbledon, which should be happening right now but was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic — provided compelling contrasts in playing style and backstory.

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“We were like night and day. She came from a Communist country. I came from the ‘land of freedom.’ She was fearless. I came from this Catholic family, and I was fearful. Everything was different about us. We really brought along the groups of fans for the ride,” Evert said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “People loved me and hated her or they loved her and hated me. People took it personally when we played.”

With Williams, in contrast, the player she's faced most often is her older sister, Venus — 30 matches so far, 50 fewer than Evert vs. Navratilova. So, Evert reasoned, maybe their all-in-the-family matches but don't generate as much “cheer for one side or the other” emotion as other tennis rivalries tend to.

Other opponents who might have offered that element — Maria Sharapova, say, or Justine Henin or Sloane Stephens — don't have a volume of work, or wins, against Serena that's compelling. Stephens is 1-5 against Williams; Sharapova went 2-20; Henin trailed only 6-8 but that included just one Grand Slam final.

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© Provided by Associated Press FILE - In this July 2, 1987, file photo, Chris Evert, left, is consoled by defending champion Martina Navratilova as they leave Wimbledon's Centre Court at the end of their women's singles semifinal match. Navratilova won the match 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. (AP Photo/Adam Stoltman, FIle)

“Maybe it shows,” Evert said, “that Serena is just too good for everybody.”

Some top women’s tennis rivalries in the Open era, which began in 1968:

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA VS. CHRIS EVERT

Meetings: 80 (Navratilova, 43-37); Grand Slam Finals: 14 (Navratilova, 10-4)

Highlights: Navratilova's first Grand Slam singles title — she and Evert both wound up with 18 — came via a 7-5 third-set win at Wimbledon in 1978; Evert's 7-5 third-set victory in the 1985 French Open final is widely considered among the finest matches in tennis history.

© Provided by Associated Press FILE - In this July 4, 1987, file photo, Martina Navratilova, left, and Steffi Graf pose on Center court after the women's singles final at Wimbledon. Navratilova won 7-5, 6-4. (AP Photo/Robert Dear, FIle)

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Evert recalls ups and downs of long rivalry with Navratilova

Chris Evert’s view of Martina Navratilova went from up-and-coming danger to doubles partner to foil in a record 14 Grand Slam finals to, these days, close pal. “My sister passed away in February, and Martina was there the whole day. She was at the funeral. She was there for the burial. She was at the house for food and stayed until 10 p.m. She and Pam Shriver were the only two players there,” Evert said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. “Martina is definitely one of my closest friends right now. We have no competition. There’s no tension in our relationship whatsoever. It’s a freeing kind of a feeling,” Evert said.

SERENA WILLIAMS VS. VENUS WILLIAMS

Meetings: 30 (Serena, 18-12); Grand Slam Finals: 9 (Serena, 7-2)

Highlights: Venus won their matchup in the 2001 U.S. Open final — the first Grand Slam title match between siblings in more than a century, which was moved to prime time and drew better TV ratings than a big-time college football clash; Serena won four sister vs. sister Grand Slam finals in a row, including at Wimbledon, from the 2002 French Open through 2003 Australian Open.

© Provided by Associated Press FILE - In this Sept. 8, 1996, file photo, top seed Steffi Graf of Germany, right, and second seed Monica Seles of Sarasota, Fla., share a laugh at the net before the women's singles final at the U.S. Open in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)

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LOOK: Serena Williams shares adorable photos playing tennis with daughter

They even had matching fits to go with itAUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - JANUARY 12: Serena Williams of USA celebrates with the trophy after winning the final match against Jessica Pegula of USA at ASB Tennis Centre on January 12, 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand.

STEFFI GRAF VS. MARTINA NAVRATILOVA

Meetings: 18 (Tied); Grand Slam Finals: 6 (Graf, 4-2)

Highlights: Graf's three-set victory in the 1988 Wimbledon final helped her achieve a Golden Slam that year and ended Navratilova's streak of six championships in a row at the All England Club; the German won the rematch there a year later, too.

AP Was There: Serena beats Venus for 1st Wimbledon title

EDITOR’S NOTE — Tennis history is filled with wonderful rivalries, and so many are remembered because of matchups in Wimbledon finals. The Associated Press is republishing stories about a handful of such matches while the canceled grass-court Grand Slam tournament was supposed to be played. One memorable head-to-head rivalry is a sibling rivalry: Serena Williams vs. Venus Williams. Of their nine meetings in Grand Slam finals, four came at Wimbledon. The following story, about their first title match there, was sent July 6, 2002.

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STEFFI GRAF VS. MONICA SELES

Meetings: 15 (10-5, Graf); Grand Slam Finals: 6 (Tied)

Highlights: Seles' 10-8 third-set victory in the 1992 French Open final belongs on any list of spectacular sporting events — she needed a half-dozen championship points to close out Graf for a third consecutive title at Roland Garros; far less competitive and remarkable for how one-sided it was: Graf's 6-2, 6-1 triumph in the 1992 Wimbledon final.

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CHRIS EVERT VS. EVONNE GOOLAGONG CAWLEY

Meetings: 38 (Evert, 26-12); Grand Slam Finals: 5 (Evert, 3-2)

Highlights: Evert won their 1-vs.-2 matchup in the 1976 Wimbledon final by a score of 8-6 in the third set; Goolagong Cawley needed just two sets to get past Evert four years later at the All England Club and become the first mother in 66 years to win the singles title there.

OTHERS

Graf vs. Arantxa Sanchez Vicario; Justine Henin vs. Kim Clijsters; Venus Williams vs. Lindsay Davenport; Margaret Court vs. Billie Jean King

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Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at https://twitter.com/HowardFendrich

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More AP tennis coverage: https://apnews.com/apf-Tennis and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports