Chris Evert defends Martina Navratilova regarding trans athletes: “Science doesn’t lie”

Tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert had one of the greatest rivalries in sports history in the 1970s and 1980s. The rivalry itself even has its own Wikipedia page.

But while the two battle it out on the court, there is one area where they are on the same side of the net. Both Navratilova and Evert agree: biological men do not belong in women’s sports.

Tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert may have been rivals on the tennis court, but they agree that biological men have no place in women’s sports.

(Getty Images)

Navratilova spoke at a rally on “Our Bodies, Our Sports” during the Take Back Title IX Summer 2024 Bus Tour in Washington DC on Tuesday.

Navratilova explained that she is as left-wing politically as one can be, but people she generally considers “allies” – that is, Democrats – have attacked her for her stance on transgender athletes.

“Personally, I have never been insulted as badly as in the last few years,” said the tennis legend. “‘Oh, you’re a lesbian.’ That was the worst thing I heard (in the 1980s)… Now it’s: ‘Oh, you’re a homophobe.’ Just imagine. I’ve been out since 1981. Yes, I’m a homophobe.

“You are a fanatic. You are a transphobe. You are a Nazi. You are a fascist. You are a communist. Everything in between,” Navratilova continued.

“And this is coming from the left. I am the left. My people are turning against me, and they are turning against us, women who are fighting for women’s sexual rights.”

These attacks have shaken Navratilova, but she has not changed her mind. Men have no place in women’s sport.

Chris Evert defends Martina Navratilova in her effort to keep transgender athletes out of women’s sports

And one of her allies is Chris Evert, against whom she competed for 15 years.

“I’m sorry that Martina is facing backlash. I agree with her,” Evert said in a text message to OutKick.

Tennis legends Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert may have been rivals on the court, but they agree that biological men have no place in women’s sports.

(Chip HIRES/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

“We’ve had a lot of discussions about the injustice (of transgender athletes competing in women’s sports), especially about gender reassignment surgery after a man has gone through puberty,” she continued.

“The physical advantages are undeniable. Science doesn’t lie. Bottom line: everyone has the right to their own opinion and should not be attacked for it.”

This is the right answer from Evert, who as an elite athlete understands the inherent advantages that male players have over female players. She also has a unique insight into this very debate.

In the 1970s, Evert competed against a transgender tennis player, Renee Richards. Although Evert defeated Richards, she struggled despite being in the midst of her prime and competing against a 43-year-old biological male.

“Richards was 43 years old, not in top shape, couldn’t move well, but had strength,” Evert told OutKick. “And yet she made it far into the tournaments!”

Renee Richards was the first transgender person to compete in professional women’s tennis and later admitted that it was not fair to compete against biological women.

(Manny Millan /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)

Richards admitted an inherent advantage

Even Richards admitted later in life that there was a fundamental advantage to being born a man.

“Having lived for the last 30 years, I know that if I had surgery at 22 and then started touring at 24, no genetic woman in the world would have been able to hold a candle to me. And that’s why I reconsidered my opinion,” Richards said in 2012.

“There is one thing that a transgender woman unfortunately cannot expect to do, and that is to play professional sport in her chosen field. She can get married, live as a woman, do all these other things, and no one should ever be allowed to take that away from her. But that limitation – that’s just life. I know that because I’ve experienced it.”

Evert is also right when he says that “science doesn’t lie.” It’s fascinating that the people who shouted loudest during COVID to “follow the science” are now willing to ignore “the science” in the name of inclusivity.

This may seem like progress to them, but it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Sacrificing fairness, safety and privacy for women in sport to appease the feelings of biological men is not right. Not only “science” agrees on this, but also “common sense”.