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Chris Evert said that she felt less pressure than Martina Navratilova after facing the Czech-American in the semifinals of the 1988 Australian Open.
Evert was seeded third in the tournament, and she booked her place in the final four while dropping just one set. She then faced her rival and second seed Martina Navratilova, triumphing 6-2, 7-5 to set up a title clash against Steffi Graf.
The American said after the match that she didn't think about facing Graf until beating her rival, whom she called the "best player" in the world.
"She is the best player in the world and to be honest and before today's match, I didn't think about meeting Steffi," Evert told the media.
The then-33-year-old also claimed that she had less pressure since it wasn't a "crime" to lose to Navratilova.
"Martina had all the pressure on her today and I just went out thinking, well there's less pressure on me. After all, it's not a crime if you get beaten by Martina Navratilova," Evert said.
Chris Evert went on to lose 6-1, 7-6(3) to Steffi Graf in the final of the very first Australian Open that was held on hard courts.
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova faced each other in 14 Grand Slam finals
Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova locked horns in 14 Grand Slam finals, with the latter triumphing in 10 of those.
Their first meeting in a Major title clash came at the 1975 French Open, with Evert winning 2-6, 6-2, 6-1. The American went on to beat Navratilova in two other finals at the clay-court Grand Slam, in 1985 and 1986. Evert's only win over her rival in a Major other than the French Open came at the 1982 Australian Open, where she triumphed 6-3, 2-6, 6-3.
Martina Navratilova managed to defeat Chris Evert in the title clashes of each of the four Majors. Five of the Czech-American's 10 Grand Slam final wins over her rival came at Wimbledon, in 1978, 1979, 1982, 1984 and 1985. She beat Evert in two finals each at the Australian Open and the US Open, while also coming out on top in the title clash at the 1984 French Open.
The last Grand Slam match between the two came in the semifinals of the Wimbledon Championships in 1988, with Navratilova winning 6-1,4-6, 7-5 to reach the final, where she was beaten by Steffi Graf.
