GUADALAJARA, Mexico – The WTA introduced Thursday that two of the sport’s all-time greats, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, will attend this month’s 2021 AKRON WTA Finals Guadalajara as legend ambassadors to the season-ending occasion that runs from November 10–17.
Throughout her profession, Evert, who received the primary version of the season finale in 1972, captured 4 WTA Finals singles titles. For her half, Navratilova holds the document for many singles titles (eight) and doubles titles (13) on the WTA’s crown-jewel occasion and the event’s doubles trophy is called in her honor.
The 2 former World No.1s every received 18 Grand Slam singles titles and put collectively a storied rivalry that ended 43-37 in Navratilova’s favor. As legend ambassadors, they may be a part of forces to share their love of the sport by means of a collection of neighborhood engagement, sponsor and media initiatives, with explicit emphasis on selling tennis within the Latin America area.
“It’s fantastic to replicate on the expansion and world nature of ladies’s tennis, and I’m thrilled to be a part of the AKRON WTA Finals Guadalajara as our championships are hosted in Latin America for the primary time,” Evert mentioned. “With an intriguing discipline – together with six singles gamers making their event debut – followers in Mexico and all over the world are in for a deal with.”
Stated Navratilova: “I’ve nice reminiscences of taking part in the WTA Finals and may’t wait to see our sport’s elite singles and doubles gamers in motion in Guadalajara. I’ll be cheering them on as they end the yr on a excessive, and it’s significantly thrilling that in Giuliana Olmos, Mexico may have its first consultant at this particular event.”
Evert’s feat of profitable a minimum of one main a season for 13 years operating (1974-1986) is unmatched throughout males’s and ladies’s tennis. Amongst different information, she nonetheless owns the perfect win-loss share of the Open Period (.900, profitable 1,309 matches) and boasts the longest win streak on a single floor wherein she received 125 matches in a row on clay between August 1973 and Might 1979.
The winner of 59 majors in complete, Navratilova received extra singles titles (167), doubles titles (177) and profession matches (1,442) than any participant in WTA historical past. Her 237 weeks as doubles No.1 stays the document, and her 332 weeks as singles No.1 ranks second solely to Stefanie Graf’s 377.
Gustavo Santoscoy, Co-Event Director of the 2021 AKRON WTA Finals Guadalajara, mentioned: “Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova are world sporting icons and it’s an honor to welcome them to Guadalajara. Like thousands and thousands of followers all over the world, Mexicans have lengthy been impressed by their instance and I do know they may have a memorable time right here.”
Fabrice Chouquet, the WTA’s Managing Director, Asia-Pacific and 2021 AKRON WTA Finals Guadalajara Co-Event Director, mentioned: “Between them, Chris and Martina received 12 of the primary 16 editions of the WTA Finals, they usually did a lot to construct the status of the occasion. They’re unbelievable champions who proceed to present again to the game, and we recognize their assist of what guarantees to be a tremendous showcase of the perfect in girls’s tennis.”
Guadalajara is taking part in host to the season-ending event for this yr solely, with the occasion returning to its residence in Shenzhen, China in 2022.
The 2021 WTA Finals options the High 8 singles gamers and doubles groups on the Porsche Race to the WTA Finals – which incorporates 50 WTA tournaments and 4 Grand Slams, competing in a round-robin format with the singles champion lifting the WTA Finals Billie Jean King Trophy and the doubles champions incomes the WTA Finals Martina Navratilova Trophy.
