1981 US Open SF (pt 2/2) - Navratilova d. Evert
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- Опубліковано 10 кві 2011
- Some observant fans have noted that they could be as proud of Chrissie for the valiant way she fought her way through a loss, as they were when she won. Some say no player lost with more grace and equanimity. Other fans note that percentage-wise, no top player lost less often! But this battle in the 1981 US Open SF belonged to Navratilova & is one of the rivalry's most epic matches, seen here in 2 parts. Martina wins 7-5 4-6 6-4.
Virginia Wade, Tony Trabert & Pat Summerall provide commentary for CBS. The footage is provided by chrisevert.net to preserve the art of the "Classic era of the Tennis Boom" before technology was allowed to overwhelm the higher character of the sport. - Спорт
This tournament, and this match, gave us more incredible action than most could imagine. I was rooting for Martina at this point, because I had just started playing as a 14 year old and fancied myself as a serve and volley player. But I loved rooting for both players. And what happened during this match, and the women's final, was amazing.
I adore Mrs. Evert's giant glasses!
Yes, Colette Evert (Chris' mom) was a familiar presence at her daughter's matches over very many years. She passed on in late 2020 at age 92 - by all accounts, Colette was a lovely woman who was dedicated to her large family and church. RIP dear lady!
There was never another player more gracious than evert. Great match
Martina underwent an incredible physical and mental transformation in summer 1981.
After her 3-set loss to Mandlikova in Wimbledon semis in early July, in the interim two months coach Renee Richards and trainer Nancy Lieberman put Martina thru her paces.
The fruits of her hard work was beating Chris at the U.S. Open, a tournament she had always more or less "owned".
Still, it’s hard to figure out why Martina continue to lose to Austin rest of 81 season, most notable was the year-end Toyota Championships.
Had Austin performed a stronger first half in 1981, a credible case could be made for ranking her #1 that year.
Evert still had the most consistent season and was rewarded #1 player at year's end.
I think the pressure got to Martina following the adjustments you alluded to. I'm not saying she cracked up completely but something was amiss with her towards the end of the final with Tracy.
This is when Martina’s training started to show, she lost in the final but turned on the after burner from there with 6 straight W’s, I miss this kind of tennis, the charger against the defender - same with Sampras/Agassi.
Great match from Navratilova
It was about this time Martina’s training with Nancy Lieberman and Renee Richards started to pay off. She couldn’t quite pull off the final, but Martina became the new one to beat going forward. Six Wimbledons in a row settled a lot.
I still hate Nancy Lieberman to this very day.
5:27 shows Matthew Calamari. This incident led to an interesting career for him.
@newmark401 Well said. Yes Martina seemed to stay calm and loose during the fan disturbance joking with the ball boys while Chris' face said it all.
@1111cedargrove Indeed and also MN handled the wind conditions and adjusted her game accordingly better than Chris appeared to.
Watched live at the time in my dorm room. Surprised Chris lost this one, but Tracy deserved the title that year. Great year 1981. Chris won Wimbledon and Tracy won Eastborne, The Canadian and the Toyota Year End Championships beating Chris and then Martina in the final. Classic tennis was just about to come to an end with the loss of wood rackets and teenage girl phenoms. : (
best match martina played in the tournament in fact best match she played all year in 81 as it was a 'down year" for her.. evert's serve and forehand let her down... not enough 1st serves and forehands constantly hit too short, allowing martina's aggression to take over and win the match..
thomas schmitz never have I seen a match where Chris hit so short on her forehand , I think she felt Martina coming on strong in fitness and becoming a major threat again . And was nervous .
Didn't know Evert had any footwork...
@dtw1958 What about Martina's focus? Chris was always the one who found it easy to shut out any distractions. I think this is the turning-point in their later rivalry, in that Martina usually lost matches like these. Instead she started to win almost all of them.
Yeah but nobody beats Chris Evert 15 times in a row.
Lets not forget the final...Martina's goal was to beat Chris... she choked in final.. she destroyed Tracy in the first set and was up 4-1 in the third... and still lost in the tie-break.
jubbadupa Perfect case of the better shotmaker losing to the better competitor. After the first set, everybody thought Martina was gonna roll thru Austin. But Tracy dug deep into each point and never gave up. She also went for her shots when Martina least expected. Anybody who saw that 3rd set tiebreaker couldn't believe Tracy hitting those forehand winners against Martina. It broke Martina's spirit.
Evert was still leading up a break 3-2 in the 3rd set, but the loud jerk in the upper stands turned the match around for Martina, who went on to break Chris's serve and eek out this match 6-4 for her first U.S. Open final. But it would be another 2 years before Martina could win the title. Tracy eeked out the third set tiebreaker the next day and Martina was upset by doubles partner Shriver the following year in the Quarters. Chris seemed scared during this entire match her shots lacked depth
shihlin1 I think your right , Chris did look scared , every stroke very careful and measured ( tight ) my gut tells me that Chris did not want to play Tracy in the final and subconsciously distances herself from trying her best to win this
I don’t think Chris wanted to play tracy in the final, just think Tracy was on her mind in the last 3 games
Len Welch I think Tracy would've ended up winning the final had she met Chris, who seemed nervous the entire match against Martina. Evert didn't bring her "A" game, but that's not to take away the brilliant play from Martina. Too bad she fell apart in the final against Tracy.
shihlin1 Chris wasn’t nervous about Tracy , she had run into Martina early August and noticed she had transformed her physique. I just think the idea of playing Tracy exhausted her and late in this match she just didn’t wish to play Tracy and it affected her commitment in this match
Wow, hadn't seen any of this match except for that one great point they show on on ESPN specials. 3-1, 4-2, double break point to go up 5-3, for Chris. Wonder if that fan mayhem broke her focus, this is unusal to see her lose with these leads.
Amazing match. Two great players at their best. But what's wrong with Chris Evert fans that they need to make up all sorts of excuses for every match that she lost? The only reason for her loss here was the terrific play by Martina.
Tough loss for Chris. Martina would lose the final to Tracy Austin.