A Court in the Storm

“They have known each other for 50 years now, outlasting most marriages. Aside from blood kin, Navratilova points out, ‘I’ve known Chris longer than anybody else in my life, and so it is for her.’ Lately, they have never been closer – a fact they refuse to cheapen with sentimentality. “It’s been up and down, the friendship,’ Evert says. At the ages of 68 and 66, respectively, Evert and Navratilova have found themselves more intertwined than ever, by an unwelcome factor. You want to meet an opponent who draws you nearer in mutual understanding? Try having cancer at the same time.” Sally Jenkins: Bitter rivals. Beloved friends. Survivors.