On September 25, 1992, Jimmy Connors and Martina Navratilova contested a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match almost 20 years on from the famous 1973 contest between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
King defeated Riggs in 1973, marking a monumental moment in the fight for equal prize money in tennis.
Connors and Navratilova’s meeting 19 years later remains the last time two elite male and female tennis players contested a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match.
Connors, a five-time US Open champion, won the contest 7-5, 6-2, against the 18-time major winner.
Ahead of their contest, both players revealed how they were feeling, with Connors claiming he considered the match to be a form of work, rather than being ‘fun.’
Jimmy Connors said it was his ‘job’ playing Martina Navratilova
Ahead of the ‘Battle of Champions,’ Connors said: “To a lot of people, this is a fun match. “You consider it fun. I consider it my job playing against Martina. And it’s not as easy as you think.
But I’ve been the best in men’s tennis. It’s something I really enjoyed. It’ll be good to be the unofficial women’s champion now.”
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Navratilova, a multiple-time Slam winner in singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles, was asked whether she would look to attack the Connors serve.
“I hope so,” she replied.
“He’s a man with steel will and nerves. How well I’ll be able to attack, I don’t know. But I have to go for the shots. I can’t go easy.”
The latest ‘Battle of the Sexes’ installment is set to take place on December 28 in Dubai.
World number one Aryna Sabalenka and 2022 Wimbledon Men’s Singles finalist Nick Kyrgios will compete for bragging rights in the United Arab Emirates.
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How many people watched the first Battle of the Sexes?
In 1973, an estimated 90 million people tuned in to watch the Battle of the Sexes contest between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.
The event, held in the Houston Astrodome in Texas, saw 30,472 people attend. This total remains the highest for a women’s tennis match in the United States.
Billie Jean King won the $100,000 prize pot with victory against Riggs.
The first match under the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ label took place 85 years earlier in 1888. Britain’s Ernest Renshaw beat compatriot Lottie Dod 2-6, 7-5, 7-5.
