Wimbledon and the Davis Cup are finished and the start of the US Open Series is still a week away. To pass the time, Busted Racquet will be taking a daily look back at some classic matches via YouTube. Today we examine the final Grand Slam final between Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova in the 1986 French Open.
Navratilova was No. 1 in the world and Evert was seeking her record seventh tournament title. Hit play on the clip and follow along with Busted Racquet's running commentary. It's like our own version of the Dark Side of Oz, without the Pink Floyd and Judy Garland.
1. Bud Collins accurately, and creepily, predicts a "Chrissie" win. (0:04)
2. Stat shows that Evert and Navratilova had won 17 of the last 18 Grand Slam titles, a number which would move to 18 of 19 after the match. Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's best stretch was 16 of 17. (0:22)
3. Discuss: More '80s: Evert's feathered hair, Evert's Miami Vice skirt or Navratilova's Coke bottle glasses? (0:57)
4. Evert had lost 11 times on clay in 15 years. Nadal has lost 18 times on clay in 10. (1:05)
5. A perfect backhand winner down the line from Chrissie. (3:47)
6. The match statistics after the second set: Navratilova was 51 percent on first serves and had no double faults, while Evert was 82 percent on first serves and had six double faults. (5:49)
7. It's only when watching replays of old matches and realizing that you have no clue what point you're seeing that you appreciate how important it is to have the score chryon on screen at all times. There are a lot of things to dislike about the evolution of sports coverage (countless shots of fans cheering in the stands is my personal pet peeve) but advances in graphics are not one of them. (6:54)
8. Martina's demonstrative reactions throughout the match are hilarious. She shrugs her shoulders, flips her hair back like a valley girl, smiles sarcastically, bounces back to the baseline with a hop in her step. (7:50)
9. Is that Evert saying "yup" on court when Martina hits a winner? If so, she said it aloud earlier after hitting an ace. (8:16)
10. The shot of the match from Evert puts her up a break in the third set. Not only does she get to a ball that looked out of reach, she roped a backhand passing shot for a winner. (9:14)
11. Want: The US Navy-inspired NBC Sports hat being worn by Chris Evert's father (John Lloyd is at right). (10:50)
12. Match point. Nice to see NBC was still cutting to celebratory shots of the player's box rather than the handshake. (12:54)
13. This would be the last Grand Slam Chris Evert would ever win.
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