Rafael Nadal carved out a seemingly untouchable Roland Garros legacy during his tennis career.
The Spanish legend won a record 14 French Open titles during his time on tour, dominating at the sole clay-court Grand Slam.
In recognition of his efforts, the tournament unveiled a stainless steel statue of Nadal designed by Jordi Diez Fernandez in 2021.
Photo by FRANCK FIFE/AFP via Getty Images
Fans attending the French Open often pose next to the statue of the greatest player in the tournament’s history.
He isn’t the only player to have enjoyed success in Paris, however, as several other players deserve recognition.
Speaking in 2024, Martina Navratilova named the player she believes deserves a statue alongside Nadal at the French Open.
Martina Navratilova claimed Chris Evert deserves a statue at Roland Garros
During a 2024 Tennis Channel Media conference, Navratilova said her biggest rival, Chris Evert, should be given a statue.
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“Well, first off, they need to give her a statue, too. If Rafa [Nadal] has a statue there, then Chris [Evert] should have a statue, also, as the winningest female. That’s number one,” she said.
Just as Nadal won the most French Open titles of any male player, Evert won the most of any female player.
RankNameTitlesYears won1Chris Evert71974-19862Steffi Graf61987-1999T-3Iga Swiatek42020-2024T-3Justine Henin42003-2007T-5Serena Williams32002-2015T-5Arantxa Sanchez Vicario31989-1998T-5Monica Seles31990-1992T-5Margaret Court31969-1973T-9Maria Sharapova22012-2014T-9Martina Navratilova21982-1984Multiple French Open women’s singles champions (Open Era)
Navratilova proceeded to explain what made Evert so hard to beat at the French Open.
“Chris just didn’t miss. She was very accurate with her shots. She moved effortlessly. She grew up on the clay. So for an American, she certainly knew how to slide and how to use her feet,” she said.
“Her balls were low, so it was hard to find an opening because you were always hitting lower balls. The ball was not sitting up, and you had to really — it was hard to create an opening. The serve maybe could have been a weakness on other surfaces, but on the clay, you couldn’t really attack it because the ball stayed low, once again, and she defended so well.
“Then of course, there was probably the best return in the game until Monica Seles maybe came around. She had no weaknesses. Her forehand wasn’t as good as her backhand, but it wasn’t a weakness. It just wasn’t as good as her backhand.
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“She moved beautifully, and then she had the drop shot when she got you on your heels. She’s well inside the baseline, hitting drop shots that you never even had a chance to run for them.
“Most of all, she just didn’t miss. So it was hard not to beat yourself because she just got everything back, and then she could attack, as well.”
Beating Evert at Roland Garros was an almost impossible task… for most players.
Chris Evert lost to Martina Navratilova in the final of the 1984 French Open
After losing to Evert in the final of the French Open nine years earlier, Navratilova finally got her revenge in 1984.
“That was one of the best wins for me because number one, I completed the four majors in a row, got a pretty good bonus, but it was about beating Chris on clay in Paris,” said Navratilova.
“I had done it at other places on clay, but never in Paris. Yeah, that was a hard out.”
In total, the pair played four French Open finals against each other, with Evert winning their head-to-head 3-1.
1975 French Open F – Chris Evert bt. Martina Navratilova (2-6, 6-2, 6-1)1984 French Open F – Martina Navratilova bt. Chris Evert (6-3, 6-1)1985 French Open F – Chris Evert bt. Martina Navratilova (6-3, 6-7, 7-5)1986 French Open F – Chris Evert bt. Martina Navratilova (2-6, 6-3, 6-3)
We may never see another rivalry quite like Navratilova and Evert’s, especially at the French Open.
Only time will tell what the stars of today can produce, but it will certainly be worth tuning in for when the 2026 French Open begins on Sunday, May 24.