Chris Evert vs. Tracy Austin: Famous 1980 US Open semifinal!
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- Опубликовано: 16 мар 2010
- EDITED FOR EVERT FANS: Intensely poised with measured energies and deliberate pacing, Chrissie battles Tracy in a match more like a war, vying for backcourt supremacy. In these clips, Chris displays her superior range of arsenal and varied court craft to pull off a classic 4-6 6-1 6-1 victory on her way to a 5th US Open crown in just 6 years. Jimmy Connors makes a surprise appearance during the final changeover to show his support for Chris.
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This was THE most important win of Evert's career. She was losing to Tracy consistently, and finally executed the right game plan to defeat her. Later, she had to contend with an improved Martina, and once again, figure out how to win. Chris was the ultimate "chess player" on the tennis court.
She, like the other Women Players on the Tour, had to get physically stronger in order to compete against Navratilova! They did, and other players DID manage to beat her in addition to Evert!
@@arthurgearheard4701 Chrissie got really strong from 84 on and played damned well against Martina in those two French finals. At Wimbledon in 85 she played the greatest on grass against Martina and should have won that year
Chris realized 4-0 down that playing steady just fed Tracy the perfect ball to Tracy’s strike zone. By moving Tracy up and back she altered Tracy’s strike zone which took Tracy’s power in dictatating .the point. Whenever Chris dictated the point she won. Of course her eagerness and courage in playing a different strategy was hard for, Chris, she was always hesitant in changing her strategy but from 4-0 down it gave her permission not to worry about the first set and she won 4 games in a row out of 5. She lost first set by two points. .then she continued this strategy and won 12 of next 14 games, really 16 of the last 20 games from 4-0 down. Chris could take losing to Martina a peer age wise that played serve and volley. With Austin out she could tell herself she was still number one from 5he baseline. Until 83 and 84 when Martina improved her mental game and became as strong from back court as Chris. That was huge for Martina. No one else except austinnfor 6 months from sept 79 to Jan 80. Chris beat Marina before Wimbledon then lost easily in W final. In mahaw, Bergen the tourney before open Chris beat Tracy 4-6,6-4,6-2 which should’ve happened 8n open f8nal but Chris was intimidated by Austin’s beating Martina 7-5,7-5 in. Sf. Austin was fearless. Austin also broke Austin’s clay court streak earlier that spring which gave her the motivation to beat Tracy at Bergen. Then in open final was hoping Austinnwouldget nervous in final which she didn’t. Up 4-3 Chris blew an overhead and lost 6 straight games 3 of which she led 40-0. Or 40-15. Down 5-2 Chris finally stepped into the ball and reached 5-3 wihbtracy serving at 15-40 Chris dumped an easy serve from Austin in to bottom of net reaching for the ball out of trying to play carefully instead of attacking and moving her feat. Chris was 8n same position 8n Bergen losing first set and down in second and Tracy caved abitvfrom being tired. I think when Chris closed the. Gap she reverted to playing steady afraid to stepn8nto the ball hopingbtracy would cave and she didn’t. I believe had Chris broke Tracy she would’ve served 4-5 and reach 5-5. It was Tracy’s day. Tracy got a great deal of confidence which carried over the next 5 matches. Tracy got into Chris’s head. I was there in Jan 80 in Cincinnati when Tracy rolled over Evert who just stood there and let Tracy dictate. At the time I don’t think Chris was as aware as she became afraid to compete she needed a break. So wise. She came back building her confidence on clay in spring of 80 then beat Martina at W. She saw how Goolagong mixed things up against Tracy. Then night before to play Austin Don Candy told her she’d lose if she just played steady letting Tracy dictate . Tracy’s strike zone was a deep ball . Chris needed to become unpredictable. She employed this tactic and found Tracy’s weakness. Tracy couldn’t get into position with mixed shots Chris hit and dictated the point winning 6-1,6-1. I was not a Tracy fan not because I didn’t admire her. Tracy was a small girl and her body was never as strong as her mind. In 81 Chris. ( at open ) had Hana iin QF then Martina iin Sf with a newer fit Martina then Martina came out next day and was strong 6(-(1 first set but that long 3 setter over Chris caught up with Martina and was just sh6 of her aggressive play missing forehand volleys in a hurry and 13 double faults. Oi was devastated for Martina. Austin had eager in her half who lost early so Tracy only had one tough match at 81. Open -the final. Mentally Tracy won that match but Martina was exhausted last two sets and still. Reached Tie breaks. This tournament burned Martina to become the greater player over Evert kofor rest of rivalry . It took evert two years to raise her game to have 7 win to Martina 11 wins. Chris. Played her finest W matches quality wise in her losses to Martina at W . 82- 6-1, 3:-6, j6-2;’, 84: 7-6,6-2;;, 85. : 4-6, 6-3,6(-2(;,, 87sf
Lost 6-4 in third, 88 losing 7-)5. To play Martina that close even though Martina won every time was a great feat especially looking at 83 open where Chris was lucky to win 4 games. I armoire both women so much. On clay 85 on Chris won 4/5 matches including 2 French open finals and AO Sf in 88. I admire Evert for putting herself on the line.
Chris really shows her beautiful ability to hit the corners consistently, super fine ground strokes and she is so easy on the eyes. Love these old matches, thank you.
You can certainly she that Chris is not tentative like she was in 79, she is dictating the rallies and looks completely focused. It is a beautifull thing to watch !
Chris, undoubtedly, was the smartest player ever in women's tennis. Her mind was brilliant. Her shot selection unmatched. These women today use two hands on the backhand because of Evert. Not fair to denigrate Chris or compare her to the Williams sisters or whoever. Chris played with an undersized wooden racquet for the 1st 13 years on tour. If u look @ Chrissie in her dominant years(74-79) she hit the Crap out of the ball. Watch her against Goolagong in the 75 US Open final. Even then, @ 20, she worked those points. And the lady could volley too.
dominant years....78 and 79 Martina was #1 on the points computer and was voted #1 in 79 by the panel- This match set Chris back on the throne for 80-81. As far as hitting hard- if you tried to wind up and smack the ball like they do today- it would go 20 feet out. I always thought if you gave the champions of yester year the technology of today, they'd still be great, but if you gave the players of today yesterday's equipment- they'd be at the back of the court sobbing. Renee Richards did say of Chris-'don't think for a minute Chris played patty cake- Chris hit bombs!' You could hit it hard, it just didn't have the velocity of today.
Chris also dominated in 1980-1983
Hingis is considered the smartest female player, best tactician and shot selection...and she had greater variety than Evert.
Then there was what I call the Chris Evert Mentality - win every point in every game in every set in every match that you play over the course of your entire career. Run a lot and never make any errors. I don't think she ever wavered from that.
G Dog agreed
Love wooden racket tennis. Real shot making and thoughtful.
Chris Evert had one of the best forehand drop shots and one of the best backhand and forehand offensive lobs in tennis history.
I miss this era in women's tennis. Awesome rivalries.
Chris Evert was given the number ranking in 1980 (year end) undispustedly by all major tennis associations at the time, including the Women Tennis Association and the International Tennis Federation.
Chris Evert Stadium.... has a nice ring to it, couldn't think of another player that is more deserving !!!!
Of course it's slower but there was far more finesse and variety of shots. It was more interesting to watch from a tactical viewpoint that today's mindless slugfests.
and then we have grunting and fist-pumping now, vulgar tennis
And Chris was the best tactician ever. You saw it on full display in this match
But you cannot deny the Williams sisters, esp Serena, changed the face and game of tennis for the 21st century.
@@user-jv9qz2bu1r lol. Oh, no, not fist pumping! How dare anybody react in a match?
@@keithjacobson1640 yeah LOL ,,,
I loved this video of Chris evert taking Tracy Austin apart in every aspect of the game
I was a freshman in college and was glued to my set on Labor Day weekend watching this match. I had always been a Chrissie fan but at this time in my life I had a HUGE crush on Tracy and wanted to marry her desperately. LOL.
Could watch Chris Evert all day.......
no kidding
It is said that Austin and Evert had similar games. Then why do I find Austin's game so boring and Evert's game so creative and inspiring?
Evert‘s game has more variety. She surprised Austin here by drop shotting her to death and also taking many moon balls outta the air and putting it away for winners.
shihlin1 in the five previous matches Evert tried to outstesdy her by just being consistent which unknowingly she hit the balk right where Austin feed off in it in her strike zone - Austin didn’t have to move that much to get into position while at same time Chris was scared to lose for the first time in a major final grand slam event . Chris saw how Evonne sliced and diced her way into making Austin vulnerable at Wimbledon . At 4-0 down tracy has her back to Chris ready to receive serve . This gives Evert a moment to analyze what was going on - a continuation of the pre joys ten sets she had nothing to loose.she decided to go for her shots and go for the winner first - she became unpredictable and won 16 of the next 20 games and then beat hana in final to secure number one ranking and never be ranked below Austin again . Tracy was a phenomenal talent - she , Evonne ( 74 Australian ) martina and steffi were only ones to beat Chris in a slam final during Chris’s prime . Chris was not number one in 73 W final . Would’ve Austin responded if she had been healthy - yes she was that mentally strong but her body didn’t allow her too . For 6 months Tracy played number one tennis ( sept 79 - Jan 80) and never ranked number one fir the year . Chris was number one 7 years and number 2 or 3 for 18 years
Maybe because you have not yet watched Navratilova, Graf, or Seles?
@@rolandgreen7484 Tell that to Seles! Seles had zero variety but still kicked ass.
because Evert was foxy...Austin.? NOPE
Fun to watch the control and strategy at work, especially with today's game so full of sloppy errors. It bears mentioning that, even with wood racquets, these two hit the hell out of the ball. This wasn't patty-cake tennis, particularly when one watched from courtside. As for the rivalry, here ... wow. Talk about a looking-glass war. It's easy to see why Austin freaked Evert out. Tracy was a superb fighter, but Evert had more variety, disguise, fluidity and much better footwork.
In addition to this being a watershed match in the Evert-Austin rivalry, one can easily see from the exchanges in this particular war of attrition why Evert was technically, athletically, and mentally the superior player of the two. First, Evert's stroke-production off both wings was far more natural, fulsome, and fluid. A great component of this technical excellence was due to her deft and seemingly effortless footwork; one rarely caught her out of position for any baseline drive or return. She would likely have made a good basketball player (I think even Navratilova has said as much.) Austin, on the other hand, is glaringly mechanical in almost every department, except perhaps the backhand. Her short, choppy little terrier-steps seem forced, clumsy, and strenuous compared to Evert's agility -- little wonder Austin could be made to look late to the ball and on her heels, at times. Evert used her whole lower body to move, whereas Austin seemed to employ only her calves. She puts me rather in mind of a centipede. Her forehand, while powerful, is overwrought and stiff on the take-back -- like she's wielding a cast-iron skillet. Her overhead was atrocious, as we see in this match: it's as if she's swatting diffidently at an angry wasp whilst running away from it at the same time. Evert's anticipation, court sense, timing, disguise, variety, volley -- all notably better than Austin's. Tracy had a superb, Seles-like grit, admirable depth and consistency --which was enough to secure her some amazing wins and a lovely legacy-- but she caught Evert at a low-point and Martina before she went into overdrive. Not in the same league.
Someone compared Martina Hingis' game to Chris Evert's. I can agree on certain similarities between the two. The biggest being their strong mindset on the court.*
T A made her earn it
Evert said that Hingis was the only player who ever reminded her of herself.
@@jondavwal13 Hingis had a more varied tennis game than Evert, but both possessed clever minds on the court. Hingis redefined the game during her peak years 1997-99. She would take balls out of the air and put them away for winners and played well inside the baseline, effectively taking time away from her opponents. Hingis hit even more sharp angles than Evert, if that's to be believed.
Thanks for the great post, I have never seen anything from this match. What a great treat !
What a thrill to see these 2 in their prime, two sides of the same coin in style, competitiveness, grit and composure...and an added bonus seeing Mrs Evert and Mrs Austin and other Tennis Golden Age glitterati watching. Game was far more intriguing in the wooden racquet era.
Why do I like to watch Chris Evert playing tennis?
Because of this wonderful combination of body, mind, soul and heart. Especially between min. 7.30 and min. 7.55.
A real champion and a lady with class!😊
Love seeing Chris volley and drive volley winners with an antique wooden racquet!! Now that's talent!
Great to see Lynda Carter rooting for her in the crowd fresh out of her wonder woman stint cameo ++++
What I love about this match is that it reinforces what Virginia Wade said about Chris. Its her mind that made her great . Chris had the best drop shot & lob (shots that arent used anymore) in the history of tennis. She was a tacktision (bad spelling). Watch Chrissie work her points. She wasnt just hitting out from the baseline.
Yeah, I noticed that right away.*
so so true, to the untrained tennis eye it looks like evert was just getting the ball back and it was boring... for those who truly truly watched, she was BRILLIANT, what she did was called "constructing a point" a lost art in today's wham bam, all i have to do is "play my game" (how many times do you hear that when a player is asked ahead of time what they have to do to win against so and so?!) and i hope i don't hit too many errors game...
Agreed, however the lob and drop shot are still used today.
drew deflon two things bro; tactician. and "watch Chrissie work her points"...? you mean nipples?
Yeah, Chris was amazing. She was a bit before my time of watching tennis, but in general, I always preferred finesse to pure power. I guess thats why I loved watching Martina Hingis play too.
Just to add a comment. I was a ranking junior in the 70s and early 80s using wood rackets. I was a solid baseliner who wore people down with deep groundstrokes and great placement. I stopped playing for many years. In my 40s I decided to start playing again and I bought a new racket. With the new technology I was basically superman. The only thing I needed to learn was to use a looser wrist and not to be afraid to whip my wrist around (in the 70s you were taught to keep your wrist tight). I also had to adjust my grip slightly. Once I got used the racket I was overpowering teaching pros. Sorry, but Chris Evert with the new rackets would be pretty unstoppable. Navratilova wouldn't have been able to handle her passing shots at the net and having power off both sides she would be more Seles and Capriati than Graf. Capriati's power with Evert's mind beats Williams at least half the time. And trust me, this might look like club tennis if all you do is watch tennis, but it wasn't.
well said and more importantly the truth!...
Jonathan Wallach you surely know Martina and Chris had modern racquets and Martina had the edge .
@@iliasdf2595wrong.. when martina retired in 1994 and evert retired in 1989, they BOTH were playing with basic primitive graphite rackets that were and are light years away from today's rackets, not to mention the strings too! today's rackets are super light (one would think they were toy rackets for children if you had played with wood and the early graphite rackets) and one can swing faster and quicker for greater power and spin along with the materials that today's rackets are made of that cause that, huge racket head (so the players do NOT have to hit the ball in the center of the racket head EVERY SINGLE TIME FOR EVERY SINGLE SHOT), the strings have the trampoline effect and so on and so on..
tom schmitz no
You are wrong - they had equipment that was top of the line for the time , of Chris’s game Wouid improve massively with today’s rackets , so would Martina’s and Grafs .
Graf was a harder hitter and better athlete , as great as Chris was .
Same can be said of Martina ,
@@iliasdf2595 your right FOR THEIR TIME..compared to today's rackets and strings the rackets they used are "primitive" ... yes, graf and martina were greater athletes, however, evert hit her groundstrokes harder then martina (martina's forehand was comparable), evert had cleaner strokes then both of them and evert had a just as good if not better mind as both of them, and evert was just as good in mental toughness...
contin... Even when Tracy got out to a 4-0 lead in the first set, you could feel the mood in the crowd. They excepted Chris to loose. She made some unforced errors at the beginning, but setteld down;and dismantled Tracy's game. It was a great performance that meant much to her.When the match was over, she went to the ref's office below the court, and call her father, and told him she won; and burst into tears.
Love Chris’s ace at 6:55. Perfect placement.
Thanks for posting; this is an awesome blast from the past. So many great rallies to enjoy.
Truly a champion for the ages, CE would have done well in any era, with her fierce determination, nerves inside an emotional fortress, clean strokes, point construction of a world class tactician, shot variety and super efficient movement. Additionally I love the crisp, flat groundies, penetrating serve and highly effective net skills.
Wonder Woman at 3.00 ❤️💃🏼
Wow, Chrissie was exceptionally focused, sharp, and determined to avenge her loss to Tracy in the '79 USO Final. After losing a close first set, Chrissie took charge and didn't look back!! One of her best career performances, I'd say.
I prefer watching these two over today's boring hunters. Chris's backhand is pure perfection.
F Joseph Gonzales I feel her finest match of the 70’s
For me Chris is undoubtedly the goat,she is mesmerizing to watch,every stroke is perfection,and her grace and humility are so evident within her game,records aside she dominated the courts with class,Martina had to completely transform her body in order to compete with her, and even then at times had difficulty.When you bring in her records no one can touch her. Humility of self is something that cannot be taught.
💯
To me Chris, Martina, Steffi and Serena are more or less on par. But when it comes to integrity and dignity of behaviour and demeanour, Chris rises above the other 3.
@@danguee1 I notice you didn't mention Court. Interesting.
@@grantgoffin4774 Yes and no, Grant. I think Court was a great of her era. But a) nearly half her GS wins were at the Australian which the top players didn't compete in and remained a secondary event until well into the 80s (even Evert and Navratilova between them attended fewer than barely 1 in 3 of the Aussie Opens they were eligible for over their careers) b) most of her GS wins were in the amateur era (the others players I mention were professional era players). So, I would say that Court was just behind that group.
Of course you could ask what would Steffi have ended up with if a deranged fan hadn't removed the player who was relentlessly mopping up almost all the GS's at the time with Steffi barely getting a look in? How would Serena have fared if she'd been up against another great for all her career - like Chrissie and Martina had had to? I suppose you could ask, how many more might Court have won if she hadn't taken off 1967 and 1974 - another 4 or 5 maybe?
And longer shots: what might Little Mo and Monica Seles have done had their careers not been cut short or so catastrophically interrupted?
If you take everything into account ibesides the tennis yes. Her poise, will to win, and the class she showed whether she won or lost puts her right there.
If you're just talking about tennis, it's probably Serrena, Martina, Graff and then Chris. All of that being said no one in any sport has ever represented themselves better than Chris Evert. How special she was.
The 2 consecutive backhands that Chris hits at 2:31 (after Tracy lobbed her) are fundamentally gorgeous - one cross-court and the other inside-out. There have been great backhands since then (and great 2-handers) but Chris' was IMO the best aesthetically and fundamentally. Tracy's was so stiff and she didn't have that beautiful hip rotation and follow-through. I could watch Chris hit that ALL DAY LONG.
Edit: Also the ones at 8:24 to the end of the point. Beauties
Absolutely- any one who like me played with a wood racket appreciates the skill Chris demonstrates in that particular point.Chris had an innate sense of where her racket face was in relation to the ball. Her stroke production was unfailing, perfectly timed. BJK said in 73 that Chris is better prepared when hitting the ball more than any other player. Only when rushed did she make errors. Martina rushed her in 83, 84-all of which Chris improved her timing, changed rackets ,and sharpened her quickness at age of 30 to come back and beat Martina in 3 slam events 85french, 86 French 88 Australian.
An interesting difference between Evert and Austin's tennis games is that Austin's two-handed backhand was much wristier than Evert's! That's why Chris was that much more consistent on the two-hander than Austin, although Austin was pretty solid on her backhand as well.
@@michaelbarlow6610 : Interesting observation which brought up something I’d forgotten about - around this time when I was playing, I’d patterned my BH around Chris’ but at some point I saw a photo of Tracy’s takeback and noticed the wrist so I adopted it for a while and the result was that it just wasn’t consistent as it had been before.
@@pjesf . Many years ago when I was playing tennis, my first backhand was a two-hander modeled after Connors' straight take-back and straight forward swing, then when Borg came along , I switched to a topspin two-hander modeled on his looping swing with the follow-thru finishing over my head. But I had always wanted to develop a one-handed, topspin swing on the backhand like Lendl's classic one-hander and so I finally ended up switching to a one-hander that looked similar to Lendl's! The only drawback to switching to a one-hander was that by doing so I gave up my really good two-handed topspin backhand lob which was so effective against net rushers!
@@michaelbarlow6610 Hmmm, tough call on that one but I always got compliments on my form with the 2-hander so I think vanity would have prevailed (I say shamefully)
The last 5 mins of the match were all F.U. points. Chris drop shotting Tracy to death and wearing her out.
Brilliant tennis at 8:35. Nice set-up, disguised drop shot, lob, pulls Tracy out of position and then belts the unreturnable shot. What patience and strategy!
Chris is anticipating beautifully. Always senses where Austin is going to hit.
I absolutely love Chris's dress, it is so pretty..
Chris Evert was always so elegant and graceful on a tennis court demolishing the opposition.
up 5-1 30-0 Chris serves and then hits the finest dropper of her life for match point. The supreme confidence hit such a shot was incredible. She didn’t miss one drop shot. It paid off here unlike the drop shot return against Goolagong in second set tie break at 80 Wimbledon final . Two different Everts - believing the ball will go in is everything in tennis. A confident evert here played what I feel is her finest competitive match along with French final 1985. The two best matches of her career against her two biggest rivals.
Had the opportunity to hit with John Lloyd at kooyong many years ago, a gentleman and glorious stroke maker, a real nice bloke
Thanks, he was a great bloke, hitting with a cheeky 15 year old asking for a hit for a few minutes whilst he was training for the Aussie open
In the 79 final between these two Evert played steady , pushing the ball back hoping Tracy would make errors . She unknowingly hit the ball right in to Tracy’s strike zone allowing Tracy to hit the perfect ball she wanted to hit moving side to side . Down 4-0 in first set Chris figured it out . Take the strike zone away from Tracy . She became unpredictable , hitting drop shots and lobs , hitting scorching winners , overheads from the baseline , making Tracy hit the ball from where she hated it . Tracy no longer dictated the policy , Chris did . Chris came back and won the Open and returned to number one with Tracy never a threat after this match . Biggest win for Chris up to this point .
The greatest thing about watching old school female players is their versatility. Evert- considered a baseliner- never hesitated to come to net, especially later in her career. She hit drop shots, swinging volleys, approach shots and could hit groundstrokes very deep into the court. I wish the female players of today dared to show this much intelligence and poise as did Evert, Navratilova, King, etc. With the departure of Henin and the mercurialism of Schiavone we don't get to see that often
Chris practically won this match with her deadly forehead dropshot, it wore down Tracy's stamina. Kinda like a water torture test....drip, drip, drip. Eventually retrieving those low, angled dropshots wiped Tracy out, just look how she struggles reaching those dropshots.
Evert did a good job of raising her game for this match. At the time it was starting to look like Austin had her number.
That might explain Chris' aggressiveness with her strokes. It comes across like she stepped up her game...not counterpunching so much.*
Essentially, one of the handful of Chris's milestone matches. I think this is the one that marked the halfway point of her career. Even though the win at the French Open earlier that year was the true halfway point as far as her final total of 18 Grand Slams, she was a changed player after this match. I think the other two "mile markers" were the 2nd round win at the 1971 US Open (saving the renowned 6 match points) which started her legendary run and her trouncing of future legend Monica Seles in the 4th round at her last US Open in 1989 which wrapped up what should considered the best career ever had.
They hit like they are warming up for the match. Tennis has evolved for sure! Love watching it then and now!
@@annoyingchannel8812
When your brain fully warms up you might be able to understand what evolved means.
What great tennis from Chris, it was great to see some of this match. You could tell how emotional this victory was for Chris, it is written all over her face. I didn't realize that Lynda Carter was so close with the Everts. Kissing Collette at the end of the match.
Great level!!
Do you have the Austin Evert 1979 Rome semifinal? Score was 64 26 76. Would love to see it.
I love watching Chris Evert's strategy allows her to open up the court for a winning drive or volley.
More offcourt drama followed this match.
Chris's dad was not present to watch this match and it meant a lot to her to have her dad here to see her win the final.
Wonder Woman egged Chris to call her dad again and invite him to fly up for the final.
The next day he was in the stands to watch her win her fifth and most emotional U.S. Open title.
At the end of the year Chris won most awards from sportswriters as Female Athlete of the Year
Reflecting on this time in her career, I remember Evert saying that she and Tracy were "cordial" to each other but "not friends." Glad to see that they're like sisters today, especially with the common bond of each being the mother of 3 sons (yes, Tracy still copies Chris at everything, LOL).
I don't think they're even at the "friends" level today.
In Chris's FB page, Tracy's picture is not even shown once while the likes of Martina, Billie Jean and others are shown at least once if not more.
Tracy still not there yet.
@@shihlin1 Yes, There is a pretty chilly response from Evert to Austin at some large meeting of former champions. Austin to this day will not say she copied Evert's game, but Evert always says for a year or so that Austin was a mirror image of her (Evert) but better. They seems professional and cordial, but not much more than that. Austin's relationship with Shriver is even more tenuous.
my thoughts: tracy hit her groundstrokes a tad harder, but evert had more variety in her groundstrokes, both in terms of spins and strategy/placement. both their serves were average, but evert had way better technique and variety as well. both were great movers on the court, but in different ways. evert had incredible footwork and anticipation and was smooth as can be, austin was more "athletic" and like a energizer bunny scrambling style. (kind of like austin would win in a short sprint, but evert would win in a longer race analogy?) evert had the better mid court game, a better volleyer and way better overhead. at the end of the day austin was a hard flat hitting ball machine and a scrambling fighter, evert was the more complete in her game and strategy.
we will never know the "what if's" but i tend to think even healthy austin as she matured would NOT be able to keep up with the super martina and super evert of the graphite era mid to late 80's.. any slight advantage austin had in power in her groundstrokes would have been matched and nullified by others using more powerful rackets. austin would have had to have improved her serve big time like evert did, but it would be harder since austin's entire serving motion would have to have been changed, kind of hard to do. austin would have to have upped her mid court game, added more variety and of course get stronger and fitter, something her body would NOT be able to do it seems?...austin was a great fighter and tough as nails (hence why she had such a great record against andrea jaeger) she would always be tough, but i personally do not see her competing on the level of a martina and chris. her game and mindset was TOO 1 dimensional. a perennial top 3 to 5 player and dangerous but that's it. austin might have had big trouble with a graphite wielding more experienced, consistent and mature hana mandlikova of the mid 80's as well.
interesting, because some might say and myself included (?) might think it would be the other way around... in that wozniacki has more variety and uses tactics i think more then kerber? and evert had more variety and was a better tactician than austin and a better serve/mid court game then austin, but austin had the slight advantage in power....slight advantage when they were both using wood.. not sure, about the mid 80's evert who not only wielded a graphite racket, which helped her power, but also when she became stronger and fitter and a better "athlete" then she was previously in her "wood racket" form... i don't think austin could have kept up with the martina and chrissie show and the game being MORE physical and one having to be a better athlete AND have variety....austin had the will, but not the body i don't think?..
It looks slow on TV but trust me being there live it was not slow!
They are clocking the ball. The wooden rackets were hard to control, which makes this era the pinnacle of tennis strategy in my opinion.
Chris was hitting it hard, there is something about camera tech and angles that didn't capture the speed back then. Roscoe tanner hit serves with a wood racket in the70s over 150mph , he was clocked numerous times, he ranked high as 4 in the world. Connors, playing with the small head t 2000 beat tanner 8 out of 9 meetings in the 70s. I have seen live tennis in the 70s and more recent, the avg power from all players went up slightly but the spin and less chance of a miss hit is more noticeable also rackers are stronger and lighter , 70s players could spin the ball but its easier and safer now. Connors had terrific hand eye coordination and his margin of error, hitting flat over the net was small.
So good!!
Man, that must have been an incredibly hot day in New York!
The worst call tennis ever made was not to mandate a minimum head size and standard racquet material. Chris Evert said on TV last year that she hits harder now 40 years later than she could as a young athlete because of the great difference in racquet technology. No other sport allowed such a drastic change in its basic equipment.
It would be akin to baseball allowing aluminum (or any other composite) bats in major leagues. Can you imagine trying to compare hitters from years past and today?
Or...the NBA allowing for smaller basketballs, etc.
The technique and precision necessary to hit pure shots with these wooden racquets is hard to fathom if you've never played with them. Let the evolution in the game be in athleticism and skill development- but to do that, you have to have an even standard in basic equipment.
Tell that to the Williams Sisters!
Chris in full control of the court,impressive!👍
In Max Bellamy's book 'Love Thirty' he refers to this match as being one of Evert's favourite of her entire career. (Evert said she ranked this with her 85 & 86 French Open wins and that absolute whallopping she gave poor Monica Seles in the 1989 US Open quaters) Apparently she had an overwhelming desire to hammer Austin into the ground like a tent peg, as revenge for dethroning Evert in the previous year's US Open Final. I guess its that hate-on-the-court attitude that makes a great champion.
Für mich ist Chris das größte Tennisgenie aller Zeiten.Gepaart mit einer ungeheuer attraktiven Weiblichkeit und einer sensationellen Leichtigkeit der Anlage ihres Spiels.Zeit-und Konkurrenzlos.
@CO767224, agreed. Tracy is an aggressive player (check out her series of volleys at 8:40) but she just seems inexperienced here. Chris has superior control over the ball and keeps Tracy running all over the court for returns. Then after she keeps Tracy scrambling for 30 seconds and starts to wear her out, Chris nails it, always just out of Tracy's reach. And this happens over and over again. Chris's mastery of shot placement is undisputed in this match, IMHO.
As I have said before and was spamed, being name player of the year is an award, it does not mean you have been named to top player of the year. There is a panel of experts that decide the year end rankings.
Chris is just the best! I would love to see these girls today play with a wooden racket, and accomplish everything Chris and Martina did
Graphite and composite frames should have been banned.
Oh how I love those matches I used to watch living in Fort Lauderdale it was easy to go and watch them
I love the reference to "look it up", I find it amusing,especially when the people using it don't seem to know what they are talking about. It was said before, but was marked as spam (grafgirl27),Chris was ranked the top player for the years 74-78,80-81, and again it is a well know fact that she was ranked #1, in the world 7 times.
Chris was downright mean and nasty here, and I LOVE IT! 8:22 point was brutal.
Yes I loved when she put miss pigtails in her place
@heninwarrior Computer rankings never had anything to do with the year-end rankings. The computer which is controlled by the wta, didn't come into existance until Nov 1975, which is why from that point they year 1975, the wta would have a vote in the yearly rankings. When Chris took over from Tracy's 21 weeks at number 1 in 1980, she stayed there until May of 1982. Anymore questions ?
The mere suggestion that a Grand Slam was given less credit, than a year end championship or a series final, at any point in time, in regards to rankings, is just a ridiculous statement.
These points were beautifully constructed by both players. One could easily see what the next shot was going to be unless one of these ladies wrong footed the other one. It was such a great time to watch and play tennis. What a match this was. Chrissy wanted this one. Badly.
Please stop spamming each other's comments. Diversity of viewpoint is not something to shut down - Freedom of thought and opinion is welcome here. Thanks.
I never saw Chris Evert sweat before
Welcome to NYC Summer sweat and humidity !
The point that starts at 3:58, does Tracy win that point with a cross-court backhand? It's hard to tell.
No, she flubs it into the bottom of the net.
@bmarch You know nothing, Borg never skipped the French Open he won 6 of 7 74-81, he lost in the quaters in 76, the eventual Champion Panatta. Chris skipped because all the other top women and herself were playing team tennis, and she want to beat the best players, she was also not motivated to win and be tops in the record books, like Martina. And the attendance at the Australian Open changed when they changed the tournament from Dec to end of January, to fit the playing shedule better !
It always helps to have WONDER WOMAN on your side. If Chris was losing this match, Lynda Carter was gonna break out the Wonder Woman outfit at any moment.
Cameo appearance from Wonder Woman in the crowd!
she was her best friend, and she was the Maybeline Queen then.
Chris details in her first biography she and Wonder Woman Lynda Carter had a close and often times---very funny---friendship. Wonder Woman was very instrumental in helping Chris beat Tracy in her comeback.
So sad that these matches arent appreciated anymore cause their not @ the baseline pounding away with their oversized raquets. Do any women players know what a volley is? And does anyone under 30 realize that Austin & Evert were playing with wooden raquets so their play was based on natural ability.
and the difference between a wood racket even a 80's graphite racket is like comparing a wet paper towel to titanium steel?! not only in the HUGE MONUMENTAL power difference, but the lighter weight.. and that back then, the racket head was also way smaller and a player had to hit in the CENTER OF THE RACKET EVERY SINGLE TIME!... not to mention the way advanced strings technology too! i've always said that players back then were better "TENNIS" players, because they HAD to be...i also have no doubt in my mind, put a evert born a couple of or 3 decades later, learning the game from the start with today's technology, she would still be a champion
Up until this time Tracy was giving Chris a ton of trouble on the court and this HUGE win over Austin let Evert get back into the rivalry - you can see from the look of joy on Evert's face at the end how much this win meant to her. Austin is one of only 3 players to have a winning H2H over Evert - ended up 9-8 in Austin's favor but the last time they played was a 6-0, 6-0 demolition of injured Austin by Chris. If Austin hadn't succumbed to injuries the 80s would have been very different.
Chris was super aggressive in this match but not in a careless way. She ran Tracy corner to corner and angled her off. Chris never gets credit for how good of an athlete she worked hard to become because of Martina.
To me her best match ever because people were starting to wonder if Tracy Austin was going to surpass Chris at the time.
Watching these two I struggle to see how Austin had any advantage over Evert in any department, ever. Yet Tracy did give Chris a lot of trouble in the 79-81 period.
Chris hits harder, changes direction more easily, is taller and stronger, and has far more variety in the way of drop shots and volleys.
Arguably Tracy had a better forehand down the line, but even that's pushing it.
I'd be interesting to see a match where Tracy outplays Chris to see how it happened.
@- Anthony Nice synopsis, but it's important to remember this match was not the end of the road in the Evert-Austin rivalry.
They had three more rematches in 81 with Austin winning 2-1 H2H before Evert finally closed out the rivalry with that famous double bagel in year-end 82.
In year-end 81 they had what was their greatest match at an indoor tournament in New Jersey with Evert barely winning 4-6 6-4 7-6 (7-5).
The match unfortunately was not televised.
Chris had lost in straight set since the open final against Austin in 79!Till January 80 . ( 5 times ) Chris was burned out, got married in April 79 and was not focused on practicing enjoying her honeymoon lost to Austin in Italirrr open 7-6 in third set tie break on clay . She barely got thru Madruga Fed cup .6-4 in the third set . This ended her 125 match streak on clay then winning 64 more till French 81 sf loss to Hana . Tournament before W at Eastbourne Chris beat Martina 13-11 in third only to lose W final 6-4,6-4 ( being down 5-2,in both sets . Everts pride took her to 4-5 serving to Martina not fully believing she’d win off of Martina’s excellent serving and movement . Then again at bergin , the tournament before the Open beat tracy 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 . At the open in her hotel room after winning Her Sf she hesrdctracy best Martina 7-57-5 “ nerved she said , Tracy is nerveless . Walking slowly to her side of the court before facing Tracy In the final you could tell Chris was dreading the match . A war of attrition Chris was up 4-3?-and missed a bad drop shot overhead inches wide and lost 6 straight games some of which she led 40-9 sand 40-15 . Chris made the mistake of hitting deep right in to Tracy’s strike zone . Chris had taken 4 months off to find her eagerness . She won French , beat Martina at W sf only to lose to Evonne who played her career finest match . Then the open the first 4?Games lost playing way she did in 79 final - steady but feeding Tracy the perfect ball to tee off on without having to move forward or generate her own pace . At 4-0
Down Chris spent a 20’second re evaluation of the match . She remembered how Evonne had beaten Tracy in sf at W by mixing it up . Don candy shriver coach told Chris she’d lose if she didn’t play aggressively. She then decided to give it s try Chris came back to 4-5 duece and barely lost 6-4 . from there she won 6-1,6-1 by becoming unpredictable by hitting droppers , lobs , mixing ace and wore Tracy out by exposing Tracy’s lack of monvement and in ability to construct points . Austin never again threatened Evers ranking . Evert won against Hana in final and became number one for 1980 & 1981 - 7 years number one . Last time they played at meadowlands Tracy lostvto chris 6-0, 6-0 but lost to Martina in final which was start of a 13 match win streak . Every time they played in 83 & 84 Martina won wth evert sinning only 2 sets . The 84 open hurt the most because she had chances rtby Jan 85 Chris won then won French if 85&86 . Ummm remaing 19 matches Chris won 7 and Martina 12,x . At the slams chis was 3-5. This match against Austin prepared Chris for the Martina challenge . If Chris had lost this match there may never hadcbeennacfrench z85&86 or AO sf 88 . These two were so competitive that one had to go when one realized the other was better . I’m not doubting Tracy’s injuries but mentally by 82 and certainly by 85 Tracy knew she’d never beat everts . Funny how Tracy re entered the game only a after evert retired .
Austin’s burnout in the early 1980s was physical but also mental. Her stiff game helped contribute to lower back issues; her body was not built for the rigors of her style of play. But when she became a young woman on her own, she also lost a mental edge, too. People forget that she returned fully healed from back injuries a number of times after 1981.
In late 1983, after a poor season, Austin spent the off-season training heavily in Australia with Fred Stolle, I think. Fully fit and wielding her own new graphite racquet, she returned to the tour on indoor carpet in early 1984 and got her click cleaned a number of times by journeywomen. It was said that her groundies “lacked bite” and, after losing her first match to Bettina Bunge in a Spring exhibition event, Austin withdrew from the tour. At the time, Billie Jean King said (in TENNIS magazine) that Tracy was “afraid to play” and that she had to go out and “take her lumps”.
Austin made a couple more abortive attempts to return: in 1987-88 she played some doubles but lost both the singles matches she played to journeywomen. There was a terrible car accident that set her back in late ‘88, but her chances of making a splash once again were already slim, regardless.
She did, curiously, launch a comeback in 1993, after entering the Hall of Fame, and won a big three-set match against Katerina Maleeva that raised some brows, but promptly lost her next two matches to the same journeywoman 6-0 6-3 and 6-3 6-1. She won a few grinding contests against lesser players, but on clay in Paris lost 6-1 6-0 in R1 to someone named Marketa Kochta. The rest of her season was similar. She was waxed by Steffi Graf 6-0 6-0 and never climbed higher that No. 72 in the rankings.
She finally called it quits for good after losing an exhibition match in 1994 and admitting that she just didn’t “have the same spark” she once employed to such benefit on the court in earlier days. Though a look at her entire career’s results shows that she was not nearly as consistent, week to week, as Evert or Navratilova (Austin had some lumpy, random losses to lesser players even at during her best years) she still finished with a stellar career. Two US Opens, some time at No. 1, and 29 singles titles in total. Outstanding by any stretch, but she could not (and did not) sustain her gritty game physically or mentally beyond her 1978-1981 heyday. She had the sort of career Petra Kvitova has had. Both are All Time Greats, nevertheless.
Great classic match
well, for the 6-1 6-1 it covers, she did win almost every major rally. but yeah the videos are for chris' facebook page...still nice that they're here too.
Tracy hit 3 winners in last 2 sets - that’s it . And 54 unforced errors which were really forced by Evert . Chris finally realized tracy didn’t move well forward snd back . When she was down 4-0 in first set she decided to change her strategy band make the kid move - from this point Chris won 16 of remaining 20 games . Last time they played Chris won 6-0,6-0.
US Open and Jets taking off. Nice location choice for move from Forrest Hills. Who were the UTSA Knuckleheads behind this. Crazy!
I wonder what was the actual speed of Tracy's fastest serve here; my guess is around 60 mph max?
Though Chris was a counterpuncher, she employed some power player tactics throughout this highlight clip. From what I read, Tracy was the one with the power, however, I don't see that in this match. Not only did Tracy look like a counterpuncher, but Chris had her completely out of sorts. Damn...she ain't know WHAT to do!*
@shottut I am not sure if it is, I have looked at pics on the net, and it seems that the guy smoking looks like Landsdorp.. but I am not sure what Tracy's brother looks like either.
It is Landsorp.
Finesse, thought and variety
A golden era....
This match kept Evert in the game. She had lost to Austin in previous Open final and 4 straight times after that . Following her loss in Jan 80 Evert announced she wasn’t going to play until her hunger returned. She came back in the spring , won the French , beat Martina at W lost final to Evonne . Then her return all came down to this match losing the first 4 games but then decided to play her differently . Mixing up the pace , she stopped grooving Austin’s strokes . She won 16 of the next.20 games . She won the final against Hana to secure her number one ranking for the year.
Never mind showing us the crowd, how about a look at the score board, I have no idea what is going on.
I skipped right to that point after reading your comment and I must say, I agree. Wow Chrissy was ready to show Tracy Austiin who was boss that day. She needed that win!
@yescanto You are right, thank you !
I wouldn't compare the head-to-head with Graf/Durie. An improving Austin led Evert in her prime, and she recorded decisive victories after this match. Were it not for the injuries, I think Austin would have been involved in a fascinating three way struggle with Evert and Navratilova for years.
Chris princess of tennis.. beautiful play..was that Jimmy Connors in frame?
Very interesting match. Austin was ahead 4:0 very quickly, you could tell where they had been coming from: Austin beat Evert before that match 5 times in a row, over the period of 1 year. That alone go her a quick lead in that match here. Evert hang in and fought back into the set whereas Austin committed a few more errors, which held on in the 2nd set. At the beginning of the third set they were even, Austin had great opportunities to even it out to 2:2, but couldn't convert it. From 3:1 and especially 4:1 Evert played lose and free and finished the match confidently. In the third set I had the impression that Austin thought: 'I should beat her, I'm better, but damn, somehow I don't.'
But you cannot deny the Williams sisters, esp Serena, changed the face and game of tennis for the 21st century.
Every ball came back with "In your face !" written all over it.
BEFORE THIS MATCH MRS. EVERT TOLD HERSELF THAT SHE WAS GOING TO AVENGE HER PRIOR LOSS TO MRS. AUSTEN. SHE DID BEAUTIFULLY. LOVED IT. BEST WISHES TO MRS. EVERT ON HER CANCER PREDICAMENT (DIFFICULT) SITUATION.
@heninwarrior Yes the wta did give there vote to Martina, World tennis Magazine,Tennis Magazine (Aus),Tennis Magazine (US),International Tennis Federation,John Barret, Joe Macauley all gave their vote to Chris which is why she was give the #1, ranking for 78, that is how it works in case you didn't know, which obviously you didn't. In 1980 Chris was unanimously the world #1, and in 74 Bud was the only one to vote Billie Jean, Chris got all other votes.
Haha look at Jimmy Conors with the facial hair. The people in charge of the cameras need to stop switching views to the person on the far side of the court. That was about to give me a headache. Thanks for posting this match
its ballet and tennis .. pretty cool
Shame that Tracy’s career was so short. Incredible she had a 9-7 advantage in the head to head with Chris. Austin and Seles are the two biggest what ifs in tennis.
Awesomeness
@etienne818 Lets not forget that most of Tracy's injury problems came as a result of her training practices or lack of them, Billie Jean constantly warned Tracy that she needed to strech and warm down after a matches... something that Tracy ignored.
Brilliant
It took until 6:11 in this video for Austin to win a point. You might conclude it was a rout when it really wasn’t.
Jon Berg it was a route . In last two sets Tracy only won 12 points . So many games Chris won at 40-0 , and 40-15 . In the games that Chris won only once did Tracy get to 30-30 . Tracy did not reach deuce in any game Chris won in last two sets . I have the complete match and Chris slaughtered her in last two sets
who was the guy rolling his eyes in the stands, was that Robert Lansdorp?
Yesiree....Landsdorp and Austin had a huge falling out a few months after this match over money. Tracy acquired Marty Riessen to coach her afterwards.