Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova, who each won 18 Grand Slam titles, were the most successful women's tennis champions of their generation. They first played in 1973 in Akron, Ohio, when Evert was 18 and Navratilova was 16. Two years later, Navratilova defecteddefected/dɪˈfɛktɪd/L2叛逃，脱离（原属国家或组织）to leave your own country or group to join an opposing one, often for political reasons to the United States. They were fierce rivalsrivals/ˈraɪvəlz/L1竞争对手people who try to be better than each other in a game or sport but later became close friends. Now they have teamed up against cancer: Evert was diagnoseddiagnosed/ˈdaɪəɡnoʊzd/L2诊断（疾病）to identify an illness or medical condition after examining someone with ovarian cancer in 2021, and Navratilova with throat and breast cancer in 2022.
However, their friendship cooled as their rivalry grew, but they re-established their bond in retirement. A new documentary, "Chris & Martina: The Final Set," tells their story and includes old footage of their matches. Navratilova defected on the day that she lost a semifinal to Evert at the U.S. Open. Evert was from Florida, and Navratilova from Czechoslovakia. "Playing Chris was difficult because how can you not like Chris? What's not to admire?" Navratilova says.
Both women supported each other during treatment: Evert gave Navratilova jewelry, and Navratilova gave Evert food. "I can't get away from her," Evert jokes. "We had a 15-year career, and then we got cancer at the same time." At the time of the interview, both were in remissionremission/rɪˈmɪʃən/L2（疾病症状的）缓解，减轻a period when the signs of a serious disease become less or disappear, but Evert later announced a recurrence. Navratilova's treatment was physically harder, but Evert's diagnosis was more life-threatening.
