Don't have the full match, this was shown during Wimbledon week and I wish I had the full match to make highlights but posting since I couldn't find any footage of the match on youtube.
One of their better encounter but French 85 is still their most exciting Slam match. This was maybe the best quality of their Wimbledon encounters. Aussie 82 (Chris wins) and US 84 (Martina wins) are also top class.
What a treat to watch this match again. Elegant tennis from a more civilised age, when skill, guile, brains and finesse counted for so much more than the witless ball bashing that is what passes for ladies tennis nowadays. Different age, different technologies, different styles of play of course, but hugely entertaining. As for those younger commentators contributing in the comments section - they really had to be there to witness just what a highly skilled match this was. It was an exciting day which the fans thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you so much for posting this :-)
What is not oft-said about Evert's game is her tennis brain--look how she constructs every point. She may not had the hair-raising attack of a Navartilova or the forehand power of a Graf but she is so effective in winning over the course of making a point. She may have spanned the eras of wooden and graphite rackets but then, like every one of us, age claims our heights of our physical abilities. Would have loved to see a young Evert play with today's more powerful rackets.
Evert was not ruthless enough she lost 7 finals at Wimbledon. Maybe if she had stayed with Jimbo he would have put more grit in her game. Too nice a lady in my veiw.
@@johnclark7049 What? Evert was not unruthless because tore your heart out with a poker faced never give an inch demeanor. Yes she was a class act and lost 7 Wimbys to who else Martina? Well not all 7 but five I think.Look at total body of play and tell me she had no ruthlessness and I mean this as a compliment
Quite a winnable match for Chris-if only she had been able to maintain that cracking depth she displayed so often through the contest, as well as the all-court press. And she was returning beautifully. As long as her groundies landed even two feet inside the baseline during rallies, she had the distinct advantage. But the moment she took her foot off the gas a bit and delivered an exchange on or a foot beyond the service line, Martina was in like a piranha. Any short ball was toast. A bit more pressure applied and Evert could have taken this classic. Martina, however, fully deserved the win.
Потрясающей силы игроки. Я всегда был фанатом М. Навратиловой, но не могу не отметить и её великих подруг-соперниц. Такие фамилии как Эверт, Мандликова, Граф и многие другие, составляют золотую ветвь мирового тенниса. Браво! Великие спортсмены и игроки! (RU)
@ Christopher King. I remember demo-testing a Dunlop Max200G graphite racket in a tennis and golf store during the 1980's or early 1990's and it amazed me how the racket so thoroughly absorbed the impact of the ball on the strings that I couldn't feel the ball hit the strings at all! The version of that racket available to the public in stores had an unusual square-configuration handle which was disconcerting. Of course, the pros could send their rackets to Warren Bosworth who would modify the pros' rackets to meet their demanding personal specifications. Tim Mayotte and Ivan Lendl used to send their rackets to Bosworth for modification. Bosworth put a completely different configuration handle on Mayotte's Head rackets than the handle that was available on the Head rackets sold to the public in stores. I remember also that Dunlop put out a women's version of the Max200G graphite racket that was lighter in weight than the men's version. I have always wondered which version Graf played with during her career? She probably played with the men's version of that racket.
@@michaelbarlow6610 Yup I'm totally aware of all of this except the women's version of the frame. Wow! I had a hard time with the OG wooden McEnroe MaxPly because of that octagon grip too. I learned to work with it but really my fave grip was the Kramer Autograph on the wood side and the Kneissl or Adidas Lendl frames but overall I remain a Wilson guy
@@KingCast65 . Great comment! I remember that whenever I watched Lendl playing a match and the TV camera showed a close-up shot of the butt cap on the Adidas Lendl GTX Pro racket in Lendl's right hand as he was bouncing the ball to prepare to serve, I noticed that the shape of the edge of the plastic butt cap at the end of the racket handle was unusual looking because the top and bottom edge of the butt cap was horizontal which was normal, but the sides of the edge of the butt cap were curved which was unusual looking, and I remember thinking if that is how the wood handle is shaped, then that must be a very difficult racket to play with! But years later, after I bought my first Apple Mac laptop computer and was able to purchase a Lendl GTX Pro racket on Ebay, when the racket arrived in my mail, I pleasantly discovered that whereas the edge of the plastic butt cap has the unusual configuration described above, the actual shape of the wood handle is a beautiful, European-style grip like those found on the great Estusa graphite midsize rackets from the mid-1980's! I also noticed that only the edge of the plastic butt cap at the bottom of the butt cap has the unusual configuration. The part of the butt cap that wraps around the wood handle is normal configuration. Unfortunately, I never got the opportunity to play a match with that Lendl GTX Pro racket and have always wondered if the racket has a solid feel when the ball hits the strings (which it would if the racket has a good foam core) or does the racket have a metallic, tinny feel when the ball hits the strings (which it would if the racket has a hollow core)? When I first learned to play tennis, my father purchased a Jack Kramer Autograph wood racket for me (I think for my birthday) and I really liked that racket, although I agree with Steve Fiott's evaluation ( or the evaluation found in the book, "The Tennis Catalog" which was published in the 1970's) of that racket in his excellent book, "Tennis Equipment" (which was published in the early 1980's) , that the Kramer Autograph wood racket while good in all areas of the game (baseline play, serve-and-volley play, approach shots, lobs, overheads, serves, etc.) was not outstanding in any particular aspect of the game. Interesting story about the Dunlop Maxply McEnroe wood racket is that when Dunlop was asked by McEnroe to modify the original Maxply Fort racket (made famous by Rod Laver in his stellar career) to his specifications, the Dunlop design team changed the original Maxply Fort racket which had a stiff shaft and flexible head to a flexible shaft and stiff head. McEnroe then went on to only play with the Maxply McEnroe wood racket for a year or less before switching to the Dunlop Max200G midsize graphite racket. The Dunlop design team was, from what I recall reading many years ago, understandably upset that they put all those hours into modifying the Maxply Fort racket to meet McEnroe's specifications and then he abandoned playing with that racket after a year or less! In fairness to McEnroe, he saw that the game of tennis was moving away from the wood and metal rackets in favor of the newer graphite rackets. Slazenger actually designed the Max200G graphite racket, but since Dunlop was ( and may very well still be) the parent corporation, Dunlop insisted that the Dunlop name be put on the racket since they felt that the Dunlop name was more widely recognized worldwide from a marketing standpoint than the Slazenger name.
@@michaelbarlow6610 I did not know that Slazenger had designed it initially, wow. I know they were pissed..... The MaxPly Mac was an orphaned racket for sure. The ProStaff woodie was arguably better than the Autograph, and the Autograph was very similar to a Rossignol Strato which I also had. Then I had a Vitas Schnauwaert (I never spell it correctly and give up trying) which I can't really remember much about that one. I *CAN* tell you that the GTX feels solid but very whippy actually!
@@KingCast65 . Glad to hear that the Adidas Lendl GTX Pro racket has a solid feel when the ball hits the strings! I do remember, even though unfortunately I never got the chance to play a match with that racket, that when I received my Adidas Lendl GTX Pro racket in my mail, that it was a "whippy", easy-to-swing racket! I remember reading Tennis Magazine Equipment Editor Tracy Leonard's reviews of the actual Rossignol F-200 Carbon racket, Dunlop Max200G racket and Adidas Lendl GTX Pro-T racket that Wilander, McEnroe and Lendl respectively, played with during their careers in an issue of Tennis Magazine. Leonard said that despite the very small head-size of Lendl's GTX Pro-T racket, the ball leapt off the very thin gut strings with tremendous power! Wilander's Rossignol F-200 Carbon racket was a very heavy racket (which was generally true back then for most European-made tennis rackets compared to their much lighter American-made counterparts), and that McEnroe's Dunlop Max200G racket absorbed the impact of the ball very very well! McEnroe used to put a small amount of lead tape on the outside of the racket head on his Max200G rackets. Lendl also had Bosworth put some lead tape on the racket head of his GTX and GTX-Pro-T rackets.I remember reading many years ago that Lendl had Warren Bosworth string his Adidas Lendl GTX Pro and GTX Pro-T rackets with very thin badminton strings! I have always wondered what the difference between the GTX and GTX-PRO-T rackets is other than the difference in the outer cosmetic finish? I wonder if the letter "T" stands for the metal, tungsten? World Tennis Magazine's racket reviews were generally more detailed and more accurate than Tracy Leonard's racket reviews for Tennis Magazine. For example, I remember purchasing three Wilson Ceramic midsize rackets from Holabirds after being unsuccessful when I tried to purchase three Wilson Sting midsize rackets from Holabirds (because Holabirds had sold out their limited supply of Wilson Sting midsize rackets after that racket had been discontinued by Wilson Sporting Goods a number of years earlier) and was very disappointied to discover that contrary to what Tracy Leonard said about the ball-control capability of that racket, the Wilson Ceramic is not a good ball control racket (at least not for topspin players) because no matter how much topspin you put on the ball, the racket is just too flexible and powerful and no matter how tightly you string that racket, the ball still sails over the baseline during baseline rallies. I even had Tennis Outlet string my Wilson Ceramic midsize rackets at 75-77 lbs. tension, and the ball would still fly long over the baseline on the fourth or fifth shot during a baseline rally! As bad as the ball control of that Wilson Ceramic midsize racket was, the Wilson Graphite Force (50% graphite/50% fiberglass) midsize racket which I purchased at Herman's World of Sporting Goods, had even worse ball control than the Wilson Ceramic midsize racket! A racket that had the potential to be an excellent ball-control racket was the AmerPro Power Beam PB midsize graphite racket, but that racket's very good ball control was ruined by the unusual configuration of the racket handle which made getting the racket head oriented perfectly vertical upon impact with the tennis ball almost impossible. It is amazing how tennis racket manufacturers back then, and possibly still to some extent today, can royally screw-up the design of an otherwise very good tennis racket by putting a very bad configuration handle on a racket! Makes you wonder, just what the hell those racket manufacturers are thinking when they ruin the design of a racket like that!? Misspelling the tennis racket manufacturer Snauwert's name is perfectly understandable since it is an unusual name.
Both good matches I thought the 88 semi 85 French 86 French were their best matches - evert had to work really hard to beat martina & at the time she was dominating
If someone told me just last year that I'll come to LOVE Chrissie as I do now, I won't believe. Prejudice is a real thing. Mine wasn't wilful; I just hadn't known of her as I do now, watching her on youtube. Seems she takes the ball to opponents' side and bends down to put it exactly where she wants. And those lobs too. If I watched tennis in her day, I certainly wouldn't be enjoying what I'm seeing today
True, but also players now need more focus, it’s a lot more intense and physical now, very pedestrian back then in comparison. Players from that era wouldn’t stand a chance today.
Not so. At the time, it was widely considered to be a very sloppy match. One commentator at the time said it was "more semi retirement than semi final". Chris never got going, and it was a continuation of the poor form she'd had throughout 1987. Martina played a very unfocused match at times - playing very loose tennis in the second set. The result was never in doubt though. Chris just wasn't playing anywhere near well enough to get anywhere near winning.
@@th8257 I still stand by my comment. I saw it in recent years and I know quality when I see it. But lets provide some evidence. I have found this NY Times article from 1987 reporting on the match. Also I think we can respect Evert and Navratilova's views on it. I feel some writers may not have appreciated the quality because they saw how friendly they were towards each other and also the writers were taking it for granted and were bored as they had seen so many matches with similar patterns between these two over the years. www.nytimes.com/1987/07/03/sports/navratilova-turns-back-evert-and-faces-the-future.html The writer confirms they were "unyielding" and mentions the quality. "They (the contestants) agreed that this was one of the better matches in their rivalry". Navratilova said after the match: ''I felt as athletic as I have in a long time,'' Navratilova said. ''It was just winners, all winners for both of us. I think it was the best that Chris ever played against me and still lost.'' ''I didn't have a chance to get nervous because Chris was playing too well,'' Navratilova said. ''That first game in the third set turned the tide. It was more crucial than I thought it would be.'' Evert just picked her spots, making most of her passing shots, serving as well as she ever has on grass. Evert said after the match: 'But this was the happiest I've felt after a loss in a long time. Finally, I was playing well. I can't ask any more of myself.''
@@th8257 , A comment from "Whitestar" further down the thread: "I have this match as part of my classics collection, and the BBC version has the legendary commentator Dan Maskell referring to it as "tennis from the gods." The standard was that high."
@@th8257 You're entitled to your opinion, but this was widely regarded as a classic at the time and has been ever since. It was probably their highest quality match ever in terms of the winners to errors ratio. I think you are maybe just disappointed with the result?
Chris Evert... The player who reached 52 GS semifinals out of 56 she played (Better % than Nadal reaching RG semifinals) For the first time she failed it was on her 13th year at the tour. For 12 years never missing a GS semifinal. Obviously she could be consistent when it comes to playing high level of tennis. I'd humbly suggest to drop the needless "goat and sheep" discussions and enjoy the game by these champions.
At the time everyone thought Martina's 9 wimby titles was unthinkable for future pro tennis players to achieve, but then comes Federer, Nadal and Djokovic...
Chris was infinitely more watchable with the modern racquets and her forehand was noticeably heavier and more potent during this period. It's a shame that Evert never really developed an aggressive serve that would've helped her temper Navratilova's constant attacking, like Mandlikova or Graf.
Especially on the return of serve. Even in the old days (BJ KING VS M COURT), they hardly ever took a second serve from inside the baseline, despite the really slow speed of those serves....
Chrissie had so many other weapons like the best lob ever in the game and the best passing shots and drops. Her serve and overhead were fine but her volley was way underrated.Bud Collins once said if Chrissie had a better serve they could have just closed the gates
Serve and volley, single hand backhand (at least Martina) great confidence at the net and great touch. No scream at each shot, and it is not just a matter of who's hitting the ball the hardest. That was elegant tennis so fun to watch.
They are very close. They have been at each other's wedding and it Martina that introduced Chris to her second husband and father of her children. It's a genuine friendship
This was a very close match . Martina looked very stressed in the last game. Chris had a point for 5 all. Chris played her very closely in this and 88 semi. Both matches Chris could have won.
This match was better than the final for sure - the 88 W semi 85 & 86 FO finals were their best matches just at the time when Grumpy Graf separated them both. Never will be matched this rivalry 43-37 it finished
Pure fun speculation, but I feel that if Martina had missed her first serve at 5-4, 30-40 in the third set the match would have gone to 5-5. Chris was punishing her second serve, but Martina got in somewhere around 80% of her first serves in this match. The winner to error ratio was astounding in this match. One of their best, but in the end not the most suspenseful.
Chris should have won this match and also the 88 match which she got robbed. Her first serve was going in and her groundies were great. her net play wasn't bad either. Martina got on my nerves albeit she was a great player.
@Tom Leander Yes you have first hand knowledge but I keep watching replay and TODAY they would have probably seen that it was on the line. chrissie may still have lost because Martina is Martina ongrass but the suspense would havebeen better.
That first game of the third Seyfi think both were thinking of the other and howthey would feel losing this match . Graf was waiting for the winner and I think Chris knew That Martina had a better chance against Graf than herself . Both stumbled in that first game thinking of the effect of the matches result but then it didn’t matter and both played uninhibited tennis with great points .
Loved them back in the day, but let’s face it. There was zero depth back then, Chris and Martina never lost, other than to each other. #232 Renata Zarazua would kill the #10 player of 1987.
Tennis referee is the best job in the world. You just sit there counting the points. Don't have to make hard decisions because of the magic computer eye and get loads of money travelling around the globe.
This is how you can tell Martina’s greatness. I mean who in the right mind would or could take your rivals racquet, the Dunlop max 200, play with it and beat the person who was using that racquet to begin with.
Yup Seles had grumpy grafs number and could beat her - their matches were good to watch apart from the Wimbledon 92 final - I liked Graf 97 98 99 & retired too soon tbh - she had another slam win in her
No power? In the eighties she hit just as hard or harder than anyone and she didn't have to overpower her foes because she wore them down with groundies, lobs and drops
Despite the hyperbole at the start, this wasn't considered to be a great match, or one of their better ones. One commentator described it at the time as "more semi retirement than semi final". Martina was very wistful in this match and played an exceptionally sloppy second set. Chris never really got into gear, and it was very much a continuation of the poor form she'd had that year.
A match with 100 winners and around 30 unforced errors not one of their better matches? Martina said in the post match interview that it may* have been their highest quality match. It wasn't that suspenseful, as Martina was nearly always in the lead. Also, Martina had over 80% of first serves in play well into the second set.
@@thequinnster72 from the official 1987 Wimbledon book: "Miss Evert, who had been defeated but still contributed an almost equal share to the shape and style of a pleasant rather than passionate occasion, could not resist a final look and wave to both sides of the court as she left. Although many of us in the press box could not go along with the impression of both players that it had been one of the best matches they had ever played, it was certainly enjoyable...in the opening game of the second set Miss Evert rallied from 0-40 down to hold serve with a series of free flowing winners, yet although she went on to take the tussle into a third set, helped by one exceedingly loose 12th game by Miss Navratilova, the outcome somehow never seriously looked in doubt." I think that's probably the main criticism of the match I have - it was pretty obvious from the start of the match who was going to win and it was only a really sloppy second set by Martina that took it to a third. That inevitably took a lot of the tension out of the match. I think also you can tell by how relaxed the players were - they both pretty much knew that Chris was struggling for form and what the outcome would be. Contrast it with their semi final the following year in 1988 which had a real tension to it.
Have you ever watched or heard Martina discussing this encounter? She was extremely complimentary of Chris's play. As for the term "housewife tennis" - Martina frequently stated that Chris "hit bombs", and that her groundies were difficult to break through. Then I suppose housewife tennis doesn't count for much when you've only accumulated in excess of 150 career titles.
Hmm, take another look at the scores of these two matches. Steffi was out after a routine straight setter 7-5, 6-3 . This one went 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. Now take a look at the winner/ unforced error ratio in this match and compare it to the final.
@@BTURNER1961 I have this match as part of my classics collection, and the BBC version has the legendary commentator Dan Maskell referring to it as "tennis from the gods." The standard was that high. The final was exciting by virtue of being played at a faster pace, and the expectation that it was Steffi's grasscourt coming out party. Was Graf's tennis that day somehow better than Evert's semi-final play? I'd argue not.
Don't have the full match, this was shown during Wimbledon week and I wish I had the full match to make highlights but posting since I couldn't find any footage of the match on youtube.
I have this on DVD wish I knew how to upload it to TH-cam!
Thank you for sharing this
@@Petey8482 Google how to
All those incredible points, shots, winners. And zero shrieks, drama, coaching.
So nice to see them having a nice chat before the match. Unrivaled sportsmanship in this rivalry
bffs as well..true sportsmanship.
Watching these two, particularly in the 1980s, is never ever boring. Wish we had the whole match but thank you so much for this!
One of their better encounter but French 85 is still their most exciting Slam match. This was maybe the best quality of their Wimbledon encounters. Aussie 82 (Chris wins) and US 84 (Martina wins) are also top class.
When watching women’s tennis was even more funny than watching men’s.
Two wonderful players, two friends, two great ladies of the court.
well, I like how they're talking to each other when entering the court..
What a treat to watch this match again. Elegant tennis from a more civilised age, when skill, guile, brains and finesse counted for so much more than the witless ball bashing that is what passes for ladies tennis nowadays. Different age, different technologies, different styles of play of course, but hugely entertaining. As for those younger commentators contributing in the comments section - they really had to be there to witness just what a highly skilled match this was. It was an exciting day which the fans thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you so much for posting this :-)
I couldn't agree with you more. Witless ball bashing!
@@markwhitman9029 nowadays they bash the ball with little touch, angle , and hit toward the center of the court.
Well said! ❤❤❤
So guess the male tennis players are also doing the “witless ball bashing”. But comes down to one thing: winning. Seems the ball bashing is what wins.
What is not oft-said about Evert's game is her tennis brain--look how she constructs every point. She may not had the hair-raising attack of a Navartilova or the forehand power of a Graf but she is so effective in winning over the course of making a point. She may have spanned the eras of wooden and graphite rackets but then, like every one of us, age claims our heights of our physical abilities. Would have loved to see a young Evert play with today's more powerful rackets.
Evert was not ruthless enough she lost 7 finals at Wimbledon. Maybe if she had stayed with Jimbo he would have put more grit in her game. Too nice a lady in my veiw.
Chris has the highest winning record of the course of long career. 90%
@@johnclark7049 Chris was actually ruthless on the court. She didn't need any help with that and she ended up with a far better record than Jimmy
@@johnclark7049 What? Evert was not unruthless because tore your heart out with a poker faced never give an inch demeanor. Yes she was a class act and lost 7 Wimbys to who else Martina? Well not all 7 but five I think.Look at total body of play and tell me she had no ruthlessness and I mean this as a compliment
Quite a winnable match for Chris-if only she had been able to maintain that cracking depth she displayed so often through the contest, as well as the all-court press. And she was returning beautifully. As long as her groundies landed even two feet inside the baseline during rallies, she had the distinct advantage. But the moment she took her foot off the gas a bit and delivered an exchange on or a foot beyond the service line, Martina was in like a piranha. Any short ball was toast. A bit more pressure applied and Evert could have taken this classic. Martina, however, fully deserved the win.
I love boh of them
Yes! I can't decide who I love more!
Incredible quality. Thank you Jamie
Потрясающей силы игроки. Я всегда был фанатом М. Навратиловой, но не могу не отметить и её великих подруг-соперниц. Такие фамилии как Эверт, Мандликова, Граф и многие другие, составляют золотую ветвь мирового тенниса. Браво! Великие спортсмены и игроки! (RU)
Those two points starting at 2:26 = classic and awesome. I had forgotten that Martina was using a disguised Max 200G, one of the best frames ever.
@ Christopher King. I remember demo-testing a Dunlop Max200G graphite racket in a tennis and golf store during the 1980's or early 1990's and it amazed me how the racket so thoroughly absorbed the impact of the ball on the strings that I couldn't feel the ball hit the strings at all! The version of that racket available to the public in stores had an unusual square-configuration handle which was disconcerting. Of course, the pros could send their rackets to Warren Bosworth who would modify the pros' rackets to meet their demanding personal specifications. Tim Mayotte and Ivan Lendl used to send their rackets to Bosworth for modification. Bosworth put a completely different configuration handle on Mayotte's Head rackets than the handle that was available on the Head rackets sold to the public in stores. I remember also that Dunlop put out a women's version of the Max200G graphite racket that was lighter in weight than the men's version. I have always wondered which version Graf played with during her career? She probably played with the men's version of that racket.
@@michaelbarlow6610 Yup I'm totally aware of all of this except the women's version of the frame. Wow! I had a hard time with the OG wooden McEnroe MaxPly because of that octagon grip too. I learned to work with it but really my fave grip was the Kramer Autograph on the wood side and the Kneissl or Adidas Lendl frames but overall I remain a Wilson guy
@@KingCast65 . Great comment! I remember that whenever I watched Lendl playing a match and the TV camera showed a close-up shot of the butt cap on the Adidas Lendl GTX Pro racket in Lendl's right hand as he was bouncing the ball to prepare to serve, I noticed that the shape of the edge of the plastic butt cap at the end of the racket handle was unusual looking because the top and bottom edge of the butt cap was horizontal which was normal, but the sides of the edge of the butt cap were curved which was unusual looking, and I remember thinking if that is how the wood handle is shaped, then that must be a very difficult racket to play with! But years later, after I bought my first Apple Mac laptop computer and was able to purchase a Lendl GTX Pro racket on Ebay, when the racket arrived in my mail, I pleasantly discovered that whereas the edge of the plastic butt cap has the unusual configuration described above, the actual shape of the wood handle is a beautiful, European-style grip like those found on the great Estusa graphite midsize rackets from the mid-1980's! I also noticed that only the edge of the plastic butt cap at the bottom of the butt cap has the unusual configuration. The part of the butt cap that wraps around the wood handle is normal configuration. Unfortunately, I never got the opportunity to play a match with that Lendl GTX Pro racket and have always wondered if the racket has a solid feel when the ball hits the strings (which it would if the racket has a good foam core) or does the racket have a metallic, tinny feel when the ball hits the strings (which it would if the racket has a hollow core)? When I first learned to play tennis, my father purchased a Jack Kramer Autograph wood racket for me (I think for my birthday) and I really liked that racket, although I agree with Steve Fiott's evaluation ( or the evaluation found in the book, "The Tennis Catalog" which was published in the 1970's) of that racket in his excellent book, "Tennis Equipment" (which was published in the early 1980's) , that the Kramer Autograph wood racket while good in all areas of the game (baseline play, serve-and-volley play, approach shots, lobs, overheads, serves, etc.) was not outstanding in any particular aspect of the game. Interesting story about the Dunlop Maxply McEnroe wood racket is that when Dunlop was asked by McEnroe to modify the original Maxply Fort racket (made famous by Rod Laver in his stellar career) to his specifications, the Dunlop design team changed the original Maxply Fort racket which had a stiff shaft and flexible head to a flexible shaft and stiff head. McEnroe then went on to only play with the Maxply McEnroe wood racket for a year or less before switching to the Dunlop Max200G midsize graphite racket. The Dunlop design team was, from what I recall reading many years ago, understandably upset that they put all those hours into modifying the Maxply Fort racket to meet McEnroe's specifications and then he abandoned playing with that racket after a year or less! In fairness to McEnroe, he saw that the game of tennis was moving away from the wood and metal rackets in favor of the newer graphite rackets. Slazenger actually designed the Max200G graphite racket, but since Dunlop was ( and may very well still be) the parent corporation, Dunlop insisted that the Dunlop name be put on the racket since they felt that the Dunlop name was more widely recognized worldwide from a marketing standpoint than the Slazenger name.
@@michaelbarlow6610 I did not know that Slazenger had designed it initially, wow.
I know they were pissed..... The MaxPly Mac was an orphaned racket for sure. The ProStaff woodie was arguably better than the Autograph, and the Autograph was very similar to a Rossignol Strato which I also had. Then I had a Vitas Schnauwaert (I never spell it correctly and give up trying) which I can't really remember much about that one.
I *CAN* tell you that the GTX feels solid but very whippy actually!
@@KingCast65 . Glad to hear that the Adidas Lendl GTX Pro racket has a solid feel when the ball hits the strings! I do remember, even though unfortunately I never got the chance to play a match with that racket, that when I received my Adidas Lendl GTX Pro racket in my mail, that it was a "whippy", easy-to-swing racket! I remember reading Tennis Magazine Equipment Editor Tracy Leonard's reviews of the actual Rossignol F-200 Carbon racket, Dunlop Max200G racket and Adidas Lendl GTX Pro-T racket that Wilander, McEnroe and Lendl respectively, played with during their careers in an issue of Tennis Magazine. Leonard said that despite the very small head-size of Lendl's GTX Pro-T racket, the ball leapt off the very thin gut strings with tremendous power! Wilander's Rossignol F-200 Carbon racket was a very heavy racket (which was generally true back then for most European-made tennis rackets compared to their much lighter American-made counterparts), and that McEnroe's Dunlop Max200G racket absorbed the impact of the ball very very well! McEnroe used to put a small amount of lead tape on the outside of the racket head on his Max200G rackets. Lendl also had Bosworth put some lead tape on the racket head of his GTX and GTX-Pro-T rackets.I remember reading many years ago that Lendl had Warren Bosworth string his Adidas Lendl GTX Pro and GTX Pro-T rackets with very thin badminton strings! I have always wondered what the difference between the GTX and GTX-PRO-T rackets is other than the difference in the outer cosmetic finish? I wonder if the letter "T" stands for the metal, tungsten? World Tennis Magazine's racket reviews were generally more detailed and more accurate than Tracy Leonard's racket reviews for Tennis Magazine. For example, I remember purchasing three Wilson Ceramic midsize rackets from Holabirds after being unsuccessful when I tried to purchase three Wilson Sting midsize rackets from Holabirds (because Holabirds had sold out their limited supply of Wilson Sting midsize rackets after that racket had been discontinued by Wilson Sporting Goods a number of years earlier) and was very disappointied to discover that contrary to what Tracy Leonard said about the ball-control capability of that racket, the Wilson Ceramic is not a good ball control racket (at least not for topspin players) because no matter how much topspin you put on the ball, the racket is just too flexible and powerful and no matter how tightly you string that racket, the ball still sails over the baseline during baseline rallies. I even had Tennis Outlet string my Wilson Ceramic midsize rackets at 75-77 lbs. tension, and the ball would still fly long over the baseline on the fourth or fifth shot during a baseline rally! As bad as the ball control of that Wilson Ceramic midsize racket was, the Wilson Graphite Force (50% graphite/50% fiberglass) midsize racket which I purchased at Herman's World of Sporting Goods, had even worse ball control than the Wilson Ceramic midsize racket! A racket that had the potential to be an excellent ball-control racket was the AmerPro Power Beam PB midsize graphite racket, but that racket's very good ball control was ruined by the unusual configuration of the racket handle which made getting the racket head oriented perfectly vertical upon impact with the tennis ball almost impossible. It is amazing how tennis racket manufacturers back then, and possibly still to some extent today, can royally screw-up the design of an otherwise very good tennis racket by putting a very bad configuration handle on a racket! Makes you wonder, just what the hell those racket manufacturers are thinking when they ruin the design of a racket like that!? Misspelling the tennis racket manufacturer Snauwert's name is perfectly understandable since it is an unusual name.
Truly fabulous encounter. I remember it like it was yesterday.
For me, one of the greatest women's matches ever.
@@FlabbyTitmuss Agree, it was on of their best ever matches. Quite a bit better than the 88 semi-final.
@@thirpalshk Yes, the 88 semi wasn't as clean and both looked to have generally slowed down considerably.
@@FlabbyTitmuss 100% agree. ‘88 wasn’t quite as good a match though it certainly had plenty of drama.
Both good matches I thought the 88 semi 85 French 86 French were their best matches - evert had to work really hard to beat martina & at the time she was dominating
If someone told me just last year that I'll come to LOVE Chrissie as I do now, I won't believe. Prejudice is a real thing. Mine wasn't wilful; I just hadn't known of her as I do now, watching her on youtube. Seems she takes the ball to opponents' side and bends down to put it exactly where she wants. And those lobs too. If I watched tennis in her day, I certainly wouldn't be enjoying what I'm seeing today
both of them are amazing.
2:51 sHould be one of the GREATEST POINTS EVER!
AWESOME video quality
Thank you so much for these old match highlights. If by any chance you ever get hold of Capriati-Weingartner R1 I would be eternally grateful.
They were the picture of class. They waked out on the court smiling and talking. The Williams sisters don't even do that
Yes. Nowadays, many players are so rude.
True, but also players now need more focus, it’s a lot more intense and physical now, very pedestrian back then in comparison. Players from that era wouldn’t stand a chance today.
@@yuttasakarakkitsakul4288 keep hating different game now doesn’t mean rude hater racist
Different time different people doesn’t mean rude
Navratilova did not have much class with seles in 92, maybe because she Lost ?
This was one of their best ever matches, superb quality.
Not so. At the time, it was widely considered to be a very sloppy match. One commentator at the time said it was "more semi retirement than semi final". Chris never got going, and it was a continuation of the poor form she'd had throughout 1987. Martina played a very unfocused match at times - playing very loose tennis in the second set. The result was never in doubt though. Chris just wasn't playing anywhere near well enough to get anywhere near winning.
@@th8257 I still stand by my comment.
I saw it in recent years and I know quality when I see it. But lets provide some evidence. I have found this NY Times article from 1987 reporting on the match. Also I think we can respect Evert and Navratilova's views on it. I feel some writers may not have appreciated the quality because they saw how friendly they were towards each other and also the writers were taking it for granted and were bored as they had seen so many matches with similar patterns between these two over the years.
www.nytimes.com/1987/07/03/sports/navratilova-turns-back-evert-and-faces-the-future.html
The writer confirms they were "unyielding" and mentions the quality.
"They (the contestants) agreed that this was one of the better matches in their rivalry".
Navratilova said after the match: ''I felt as athletic as I have in a long time,'' Navratilova said. ''It was just winners, all winners for both of us. I think it was the best that Chris ever played against me and still lost.'' ''I didn't have a chance to get nervous because Chris was playing too well,'' Navratilova said. ''That first game in the third set turned the tide. It was more crucial than I thought it would be.''
Evert just picked her spots, making most of her passing shots, serving as well as she ever has on grass.
Evert said after the match: 'But this was the happiest I've felt after a loss in a long time. Finally, I was playing well. I can't ask any more of myself.''
@@th8257 , A comment from "Whitestar" further down the thread: "I have this match as part of my classics collection, and the BBC version has the legendary commentator Dan Maskell referring to it as "tennis from the gods." The standard was that high."
@@th8257 You're entitled to your opinion, but this was widely regarded as a classic at the time and has been ever since. It was probably their highest quality match ever in terms of the winners to errors ratio.
I think you are maybe just disappointed with the result?
Chris Evert... The player who reached 52 GS semifinals out of 56 she played (Better % than Nadal reaching RG semifinals) For the first time she failed it was on her 13th year at the tour. For 12 years never missing a GS semifinal. Obviously she could be consistent when it comes to playing high level of tennis. I'd humbly suggest to drop the needless "goat and sheep" discussions and enjoy the game by these champions.
One of their most high quality matches.
At the time everyone thought Martina's 9 wimby titles was unthinkable for future pro tennis players to achieve, but then comes Federer, Nadal and Djokovic...
I wasn’t aware that any of those 3 had 9 Wimbledon titles?
@@sl1975sl I didn't mean only Wimbledon, I meant to win a single slam 9 times or more it was unthinkable.
I apologise I did not make it clearly
@@katerinadicamella I understood perfectly what you meant. No need to apologize to some keyboard nitpicker ;)
magnificent players. And you would get out of bed in the middle of the night to watch them play. Great memories. Tennis isn't like this anymore.
Chris was infinitely more watchable with the modern racquets and her forehand was noticeably heavier and more potent during this period. It's a shame that Evert never really developed an aggressive serve that would've helped her temper Navratilova's constant attacking, like Mandlikova or Graf.
I too preferred to watch Evert with modern racquets, particularly off the forehand as you say. With wood, that shot frequently looked awkward.
Wish she had also learned to take the ball on the rise. It would have robbed Navratilova of so much more time.
Especially on the return of serve. Even in the old days (BJ KING VS M COURT), they hardly ever took a second serve from inside the baseline, despite the really slow speed of those serves....
Chrissie had so many other weapons like the best lob ever in the game and the best passing shots and drops. Her serve and overhead were fine but her volley was way underrated.Bud Collins once said if Chrissie had a better serve they could have just closed the gates
When tennis was played with skill and tactics
Cool, Martina is playing with Dunlop max200g with yonex logo on strings 👍
Yes but it will be refined to the max.You dont buy these down at the local sports shop.
Serve and volley, single hand backhand (at least Martina) great confidence at the net and great touch. No scream at each shot, and it is not just a matter of who's hitting the ball the hardest. That was elegant tennis so fun to watch.
I hear they are very good friends in real life.
They are very close. They have been at each other's wedding and it Martina that introduced Chris to her second husband and father of her children. It's a genuine friendship
@@johniii8147 Good. As it should be! Cheers! :D
Great match !
If Evert had had more power in her swing in addition to her excellent ball placement, she may have been invincible.
This was a very close match . Martina looked very stressed in the last game. Chris had a point for 5 all. Chris played her very closely in this and 88 semi. Both matches Chris could have won.
This match was better than the final for sure - the 88 W semi 85 & 86 FO finals were their best matches just at the time when Grumpy Graf separated them both. Never will be matched this rivalry 43-37 it finished
Pure fun speculation, but I feel that if Martina had missed her first serve at 5-4, 30-40 in the third set the match would have gone to 5-5. Chris was punishing her second serve, but Martina got in somewhere around 80% of her first serves in this match. The winner to error ratio was astounding in this match. One of their best, but in the end not the most suspenseful.
Very be beautiful tennis I have ever seen . I don't like the power game nowadays.
Chris Evert the most feminine, graceful and sporting player ever.
Martina's racket was Dunlop Max 200G with YONEX logo at this time.
Chris should have won this match and also the 88 match which she got robbed. Her first serve was going in and her groundies were great. her net play wasn't bad either. Martina got on my nerves albeit she was a great player.
@Tom Leander Yes you have first hand knowledge but I keep watching replay and TODAY they would have probably seen that it was on the line. chrissie may still have lost because Martina is Martina ongrass but the suspense would havebeen better.
Pure Class!!
Weeks prior at the French Open, Martina really drubbed Evert 6-2, 6-2. I was so hoping Evert would exact some revenge in this match.
Im sure i have this whole match in a box on vhs cassette.
That first game of the third Seyfi think both were thinking of the other and howthey would feel losing this match . Graf was waiting for the winner and I think Chris knew
That Martina had a better chance against Graf than herself . Both stumbled in that first game thinking of the effect of the matches result but then it didn’t matter and both played uninhibited tennis with great points .
Can you tell me how many hours was this match being played? Cause i am searching for the most long play with Navratilova.
2 hours, 2 minutes
@@thequinnster72 Thank you!!
Just how did Martina get so musclebound and enhance her performance so.
She started working out and lifting weights. That's how.
@@guyinsf Yes of course lol
I was thinking the same thing.
I really hate to say it, but I wonder too...
@@oiooi6460 musclebound? Not close.
When do we ever see two finals opponents chatting like besties walking out to the court before competing?
Loved them back in the day, but let’s face it. There was zero depth back then, Chris and Martina never lost, other than to each other. #232 Renata Zarazua would kill the #10 player of 1987.
Martina got many fortuitous net cords at the Big W, especially in 1987.
@Consuelo Patagonia Lol!
Tennis referee is the best job in the world. You just sit there counting the points. Don't have to make hard decisions because of the magic computer eye and get loads of money travelling around the globe.
Great serves
it’s weird watching women’s tennis when neither player grunts…
it's not a scream they're doing,more of a gasp.
This is how you can tell Martina’s greatness. I mean who in the right mind would or could take your rivals racquet, the Dunlop max 200, play with it and beat the person who was using that racquet to begin with.
The 2 Greatest of the Tennis history , Not Serena or Graf
Martina and Chrissie are the best of the best
Yup Seles had grumpy grafs number and could beat her - their matches were good to watch apart from the Wimbledon 92 final - I liked Graf 97 98 99 & retired too soon tbh - she had another slam win in her
My! looking back you see how primitive the style of play. Instead of Hitting the ball Away out of reach they tend to hit towards the opponent
1:30, 4:40, 4:45, 5:50 Unique short, no-preparation 1-hand backhand by Natratilova. She pushed rather than hit the ball.
細かすぎてのキンタロー。と阿佐ヶ谷姉妹から🙋♀️🙋♂️
Lesbienne raisonnable?
Thierry what on earth does Martina's sexuality have to do with this post? S'il vous plaît, expliquez!
Lesbienne regrettable!
@@whitestar655 . I think it was just a pun. No sense of humour ?
@@poemedamour8055 plenty of humour right here. Calling out homophobic commentary or other bigotry is what I'm all about.
Yes and that is wonderful! Yay gay!
evert had no power but she can play with anyone.. that’s how good she was..
Chrissie played with plenty of power. In Martina's own words " she hit bombs."
She hardly hit pitter patter!!
Ever played tennis?
Evert had composure, consistency and accuracy. Same with Martina Hingis.
No power? In the eighties she hit just as hard or harder than anyone and she didn't have to overpower her foes because she wore them down with groundies, lobs and drops
Evert is the queen in 70's but not in 80' a since the invention of carbon composite rack. Much faster speed , not her world
Nah, she was a better player in her 30s with graphite, but she was older. She should have switched to graphite earlier in her career.
She still won a slam every year until 1986 so not true
アメリカでは人気あったようだ？でもアイスドールと言われてた。両手打ちの元祖。日本ではグーラゴンのが人気あったようだ。子鹿の脚と言われてた記憶がある。
Poor Chris. Nobody could have competed with Navralitova during these ahem "supercharged" years.
Despite the hyperbole at the start, this wasn't considered to be a great match, or one of their better ones. One commentator described it at the time as "more semi retirement than semi final". Martina was very wistful in this match and played an exceptionally sloppy second set. Chris never really got into gear, and it was very much a continuation of the poor form she'd had that year.
A match with 100 winners and around 30 unforced errors not one of their better matches? Martina said in the post match interview that it may* have been their highest quality match. It wasn't that suspenseful, as Martina was nearly always in the lead. Also, Martina had over 80% of first serves in play well into the second set.
@@thequinnster72 from the official 1987 Wimbledon book: "Miss Evert, who had been defeated but still contributed an almost equal share to the shape and style of a pleasant rather than passionate occasion, could not resist a final look and wave to both sides of the court as she left. Although many of us in the press box could not go along with the impression of both players that it had been one of the best matches they had ever played, it was certainly enjoyable...in the opening game of the second set Miss Evert rallied from 0-40 down to hold serve with a series of free flowing winners, yet although she went on to take the tussle into a third set, helped by one exceedingly loose 12th game by Miss Navratilova, the outcome somehow never seriously looked in doubt." I think that's probably the main criticism of the match I have - it was pretty obvious from the start of the match who was going to win and it was only a really sloppy second set by Martina that took it to a third. That inevitably took a lot of the tension out of the match. I think also you can tell by how relaxed the players were - they both pretty much knew that Chris was struggling for form and what the outcome would be. Contrast it with their semi final the following year in 1988 which had a real tension to it.
Evert's housewife tennis is no preparation for Navratilova's encounter with Graf in the final.
Hahaha that's a bit harsh, but I know what you mean.
Have you ever watched or heard Martina discussing this encounter? She was extremely complimentary of Chris's play. As for the term "housewife tennis" - Martina frequently stated that Chris "hit bombs", and that her groundies were difficult to break through. Then I suppose housewife tennis doesn't count for much when you've only accumulated in excess of 150 career titles.
Hmm, take another look at the scores of these two matches. Steffi was out after a routine straight setter 7-5, 6-3 . This one went 6-2, 5-7, 6-4. Now take a look at the winner/ unforced error ratio in this match and compare it to the final.
@@BTURNER1961 I have this match as part of my classics collection, and the BBC version has the legendary commentator Dan Maskell referring to it as "tennis from the gods." The standard was that high. The final was exciting by virtue of being played at a faster pace, and the expectation that it was Steffi's grasscourt coming out party. Was Graf's tennis that day somehow better than Evert's semi-final play? I'd argue not.
Cush your talking about the 88 championships where Steffi picked Martina apart in 3 sets
Before Steffi, there was Chris and Martina. All great champions. Serena is the best. But................
Martina v Serena would be like Magic v Bird.