"Take less money and do the right thing" - Chris Evert joins Martina Navratilova in urging WTA not to finalize potential Saudi Arabia deal

Chris Evert recently joined Martina Navratilova in opposing the possibility of the WTA Finals being held in Saudi Arabia in the future. This is after the organization stated that it had not ruled out the prospect.

WTA president Steve Simon previously stated that the country presented 'big issues' as a host for women's tour events. He cited Saudi Arabia's record on women's and LGBTQ rights as grounds for 'sports-washing'.

However, the tour declined to confirm or deny recent rumors that the WTA Finals could be held in Saudi Arabia in the future, stating that no decision had been made.

Martina Navratilova told sports journalist Jon Wertheim that if she were playing on the WTA Tour right at the moment, she would not have travelled to Saudi Arabia for the Finals.

"I can tell you 100 percent if I were still playing, I would not be going (to Saudi Arabia) for the Championships," Navratilova said.

Chris Evert later echoed her former rival and compatriot's sentiment, saying that the WTA is about equality and has been a trailblazer in women's empowerment. She urged the organization not to chase money but to do the right thing.

"The WTA is about equality. We have been leaders and role models in women’s sports. We have made decisions the last 50 years with integrity and dignity. We have empowered women…Take less money and do the right thing…," Evert wrote on Twitter.

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Chris Evert once revealed how Martina Navratilova was able to overcome her losing record against her

Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova pictured during a press conference.

Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert's rivalry is widely regarded as one of the best in tennis history. They faced each other a whopping 80 times, with Navratilova leading the head-to-head 43-37 overall and 36-24 in the finals. But in the early stages of their rivalry, the win-loss record was skewed in Evert's favor.

In a 1990 interview on Bob Costas' Later show, the two players discussed their rivalry. Evert disclosed that Navratilova's close friend and legendary American basketball player Nancy Lieberman had advised the nine-time Wimbledon winner to "hate" Evert and have a "killer instinct."

"Nancy pretty much drummed it in her, 'Hate Chris, hate Chris, and you'll play better'. Unfortunately, it worked. It was bad for our relationship, but she started to beat me once she got that killer instinct going," Chris Evert said.

The seven-time French Open champion added that in the majority of their matches at the start of their rivalry, Martina Navratilova was always nice and extremely respectful.

At that point, Lieberman intervened and strongly advised Navratilova to alter her perspective on her opponent - which later proved to be highly effective for the Czech-born American.

"She (Lieberman) had this theory that Martina was losing to me because she was too nice to me and she liked me too much," Chris Evert continued.

"She had this theory that you really have to dislike your opponent if you want to win. You have to get that killer instinct going. I can see what happened because Martina had no killer instinct a long time ago. She was just so happy to be in America from Czechoslovakia."