Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, two of tennis's greatest rivals, have turned their on-court competition into a profound friendship as they supported each other through cancer. The new 90-minute Netflix documentary Chris & Martina: The Final Set captures their candid conversations about battling ovarian, breast, and throat cancer.
A Friendship Forged in Adversity
Chris, 71, said: "When we got cancer together it really cemented our lasting friendship. Martina and I hung in there with each other, through the bad times and the good times. I think it is a testament to friendship. There is no going back. We are always going to be tight now."
Both women admit the fight for survival was tougher than any tennis match. Chris has been cancer-free since July 2024 after a second bout of ovarian cancer. Martina, 69, was given the all-clear from throat and breast cancer in March 2023.
No Competition in Cancer
Martina, who previously fought breast cancer in 2010, said: "You feel like it is never going to pass. There's no competition of whose cancer was worse. We're in the same boat and we were there for each other. We are like siamese twins without being connected."
Directed by two-time Emmy Award winner Rebecca Gitlitz, the documentary begins in summer 2023 when Martina visits New York for treatment after being diagnosed with stage one throat cancer and unrelated early-stage breast cancer.
Cancer Diagnoses and Treatment
Martina first noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck during the WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas, in November 2022. A biopsy revealed throat cancer, and a lump in her breast was later diagnosed as an unrelated cancer. Speaking on the way to her specialist, she said: "I still get like PTSD being here."
Chris was diagnosed with stage one ovarian cancer in December 2021, a year after losing her sister Jeanne to the disease at age 62. After a recurrence in the pelvic region, she underwent further surgery and chemotherapy in late 2023.
Life Lessons from Cancer
Removing a baseball cap to reveal her hair loss, Chris said: "My youngest sister died from ovarian cancer. It spreads so quickly. By the time she was diagnosed she was Stage four and it spread to every other organ in her body. It was so painful to watch. Two years later, I get the call to go get tested. I have the same gene. I was diagnosed with stage one. If I had not been tested I would have been stage three or four. The second time really hit home how precious life is. I want to be around forever for my kids."
Martina added: "Chemo knocks you out. It is a shock to the system in every way, emotional, physically mentally, but it beats you up. It is a strange feeling for an athlete to not be in control."
A Legendary Rivalry
Their rivalry transformed tennis. They played 80 times between 1973 and 1988, with 60 matches in finals and 14 in Grand Slam finals. Martina won 36 of the 60 title matches, including 10 of the Grand Slam finals. From November 1975 until August 1987, either Chris or Martina held the No. 1 ranking for 592 of 615 weeks. Chris held the top spot for 260 weeks, and Martina for 332 weeks. They each finished as year-end World No. 1 seven times.
Martina won 167 singles titles and 177 doubles titles, while Chris won 154 singles titles and 18 doubles titles. Martina's nine Wimbledon titles remain the most of all time, and Chris's seven French Open titles are the highest in women's tennis.
A Calmer Outlook
Both agree that cancer has given them a calmer perspective. Chris said: "When we were left alone in the locker room during those icy years we would not talk to each other. It was the lowest of lows in our relationship."
Married and divorced three times, Chris added: "When you have cancer you rethink your priorities and they are my three boys and my grandson. People are my priority now." Martina added: "You pick your spots more carefully as you realise how precious time is. But Chris, as hard as she seems from the outside, is really soft on the inside."
While both are now healthy, they are not planning a rematch. Martina joked: "Playing tennis again is not on my bucket list. I would like to go skiing one more time with Chris and maybe do another Saturday Night Live sketch."
Chris & Martina: The Final Set premieres on Netflix on Friday, June 26.
