UNMATCHED---Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova

[trumad]

Check out the trailer of the ESPN special about these two great tennis players.

http://30for30.espn.com/film/unmatched.html

[givemebackmycountry]

1. So far, these 30 for 30 shows have been hit and miss...

But for the most part, I've enjoyed every one I've watched and I've seen most of them.

For some reason, my favorite 30 for 30 movies were the story of the Baltimore Colts marching band "The band that wouldn't die" and "The Guru of Go" the Paul Westhead story.

Hank Gathers.
What a beast.

[joeybee12]

2. The two greatest women tennis players...ever...

Each has 18 grand slams, Chris has 150+ titles, Martina 160+, and they did this during the heydey of women's tennis: Billie jean King, Evonne Goolagon Cawley, Steffi Graff, Monica Seles, Margaret Court...they both competed against them...no one playing today, let me repeat, no one, comes close to these two.

[JonLP24]

3. I hate to argue with you in an area that isn't my expertise

I'll just tell you what my mom always says and leave it at that. She says each generation of tennis players becomes better than the one before. The main reason is power. She says Williams has a very powerful strokes and serves that would enable to beat pretty much "kick all of their asses".

I do trust her judgment because she was a tennis player and a pretty good one in her youth judging by all the trophies she still has. She has played in inter-regional tournaments in her teenage years and the Fiesta Bowl and Cotton Bowl(tennis tournaments) but never the Orange Bowl. She says they couldn't afford the trip being in Wyoming. She always tells me this story of when she got to know Andre Agassi sister (who was closer to my mom's age) in Las Vegas and the Inter-Mountain Tournament, she did see Agassi as a little boy practicing with his dad.

Her tennis playing ended when she got a scholarship to play in Amarillo. She quit not long after that because she actually hated tennis. My grandpa constantly coached her since she was young child, fed her nasty food such as blackstrap molasses, and would always beat her whenever she didn't play well. However she always remained a fan but football is actually her favorite sport to watch. She believes this applies to the Mens game also. Players get stronger and therefore better each generation than the one before.

[tishaLA]

5. the power of their strokes is mostly technological

for most of their careers, Evert and Navratilova played with wooden racquets, although they later moved for composites. Nonetheless, it was in the early days of the technology, which has changed dramatically since then. If we need anything to demonstrate that someone like Navratilova could compete with the big hitters today, we need look no further than a 50 year old Martina winning Grand Slam doubles titles. Remove 25 years, add technology, and have someone as singularly focused and competitive as Martina was? She's still a champion.

[joeybee12]

8. You don't see great shots like you used to in the women's game, you don't even

see serve and volley like martin'as...it's now all about power, not skill...they all have flat, flat strokes and hit hard until someone screws up...moreso than someone hits a winner. Pretty boring to watch these days.

[joeybee12]

7. Your Mom is right...as Tish notes, they played with wooden rackets...

graphite wasn't even until the early 80's. And you can say that about any sport that each generation gets better, the training and technology, and humans are getting bigger and stronger because of it...no one rules the tennis world like these two did, though, for thier time. While you can't judge generation against generation, I still think if those two were born and raised 20 years later, we'd see them dominating today as well.

[Awsi Dooger]

11. Serve and volleyers would rule

Serena is livid with Belgians and lineswomen. Imagine how frustrated she'd be when Navratilova dictated every point from the net, forcing a fat ass pass or bust? I'd take Sampras over Federer in their prime for the same reason, particularly at Wimbledon. This era has moved away from net play, similar to football teams that abuse pantyhose passing instead of the annoying dirty work of relocating huge bodies to create running lanes. It hardly equates to superior tactics or superior caliber of play, merely a reliance on lazy and one dimensional.

Martina was a superb athlete and at about 5-8 she was plenty tall enough to match the Williams sisters.

Steffi wasn't a net rusher but she'd also give the Williams sisters fits with her piercing shots and tenacity.

The women in this era depend on collapse. Often multiple collapses. It's the most gutless second and third tier ever. Venus and Serena virtually can't win a Slam minus some Russian choking away a set and break lead. They'd be shell shocked when a Navratilova or Graf, and many others, wouldn't back down from them on cue. Serena last year blew up when Clijsters forgot to start handing her the match on a platter.

[fishwax]

4. King and Court? They were basically done when Evert and Navritalova took the stage

Evert had a bit more overlap with Court and King, since she started earlier, but Court won her last major before either Evert or Navritalova won their first. Billie Jean King won two majors after Evert's first, but her last Slam final was in 1975 (the year of Navritalova's first).

There isn't much more overlap with Graf and Seles. Evert retired before Seles made her first Grand Slam final and won her last Slam before Graf had ever made a Grand Slam final. Navritalova did win three after Graf beat her in the 1987 French for her first title.

Goolagong did win most of her titles (5 of 7) after Evert and Navritalova came on the scene. She won one of those after Navritalova's first Slam title.

Evert and Navritalova won the lion's share of their 36 combined majors competing only against each other. Twenty eight of those wins came between 1978 and 1986. It's not surprising that there weren't many other players to win multiple Grand Slams during that time (Tracy Austin won two and Hana Mandlikova won three), since CE and MN won so many of them, but other than Mandlikova, Wendy Turnbull was the only player to make it to more than two finals in all that time.

[joeybee12]

6. Chris made her first grand slam final against Court...Court when on to win

I think 3 more while Chrissie was around, same with Billie Jean King...true, they were in the later parts of their careers, but still at the top of their game. No one in today's game is gonna come close to their number of titles...Court had 25.

[fishwax]

9. true -- that was also the last year that Court reached a Grand Slam final

Court won all but Wimbledon that year. At Wimbledon Evert beat her in the semis. I could be wrong, but I think that's the only time that Evert beat Court in a Grand Slam tournament.

I agree with you that nobody playing today will reach Court's 24. As a kid I thought Steffi Graf would, but she retired young. Right now Serena has 13, one less than Chris Evert did at her age (Navritalova had 11). She has won two slams in each of the last two years, so a couple more years like that would put her within reach of 18.

[joeybee12]

14. Chrissie lost to Court in the French finals, and Court beat Evonne Goolagong

in the final at the US Open...she probably won the Aussie early in the year because no one but Aussies played in that back then...seriously, it was too far and not convenient to the schedule for the rest of the tour.

[madinmaryland]

10. Speaking of CHRIS EVERT...

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1725324

:D

[tishaLA]

12. Anybody watch besides me? I loved it

I've always been a fan of Martina's game--to say nothing of her bravery.

The film was great and, I'm not afraid to admit, I cried a couple times because their relationship just seemed enviable. To be such rivals and such close friends, and to do it at such a high level for so long....we won't see that kinda thing again.

[cwydro]

13. Thanks for posting!

...And thanks to the DUer who let me know!