Rivalries: Reflecting on a statement by Martina N on Chris Evert rivalry

[RaulRamirez]

I caught this (if not verbatim) quote from Martina Navratilova speaking about her legendary rivalry with Chris Evert.

"Without one another, we would have both won more majors, but our level of tennis wouldn't be as high."

Do you think this generally holds true for this -- and all -- great rivalries? (Whether Martina-Chris, Pete-Andre, the Big 3 matchups, Alcaraz-Sinner, etc?)

I think the second part -- that it raised both their levels -- is definitely true.
But did having another champion at their level actually take away more majors or motivate them to compete even longer and make them even more deadly versus the rest of the tour? (making it a wash)

Per placement on this forum, I know that both players are long retired, but my question is more general, and can be applied just as easily to Alcaraz-Sinner.

 

[helterskelter]

I think they'd have won more majors.

 

[RaulRamirez]

I think they'd have won more majors.

That's the part I'm thinking through.

My thought is that they (which works with most rivalries) compensated for lost majors by playing at even higher levels and staying on tour longer than they might have.

I guess, this didn't hold for Borg-McEnroe.

 

[helterskelter]

That's the part I'm thinking through.

My thought is that they (which works with most rivalries) compensated for lost majors by playing at even higher levels and staying on tour longer than they might have.

I guess, this didn't hold for Borg-McEnroe.

`I doubt that players stay on tour longer based on other players. Perhaps they raise their level. But overall, I'm pretty sure they'd have won more majors, especially Evert, who would probably still have been dominant #1 for much of the 80s without Navratilova.

 

[ND-13]

I can agree that Djokovic needed Federer and Nadal to raise his own level.

 

[RaulRamirez]

I can agree that Djokovic needed Federer and Nadal to raise his own level.

Novak would readily agree -- and has said that.
And I think he motivated Fed and Rafa to raise their own games and keep their fires burning.

 

[PDJ]

I suspect Evert did indeed stay in the game longer because she was not content to stay at no.2. She put in the work, went to the gym and improved parts of her game/tactics. The results followed eventually, and a return to no.1. Not too shabby.
I was always surprised that Sharapova didn't try similarly with her Serena Williams rivalry.

 

[Angrybirdstar]

i think Federer's pre-prime into prime ('03-'04) transition, along with his '08-'11 late prime/early post-prime period, call into question (or at least present an outlier) the point about higher level in response to, or contingent upon, a sufficient challenge. can definitely see the case for basically every other male singles OE ATG+ (including Murray) besides Nastase, Connors, Vilas, and Sampras

as to the point about winning majors, pretty much overlapping lists

 

[messiahrobins]

Why is Navratilova seen as greater than Evert when it's 18-18?