Watch an exclusive clip from 'Chris & Martina: The Final Set'
When Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova met in the 1978 Wimbledon final, Evert held the firm upper hand in their rivalry.
Evert had won 20 of their first 25 matches over the past five years, and was a two-time Wimbledon champion already.
The clear favorite, Evert won the first set of the final 6-2, and appeared to be on her way to a seventh Grand Slam.
But in the eighth game of the second set, with Navratilova leading 4-3, she was hit square in the head by an Evert forehand at the net.
Both players shared a laugh at the net, with Evert giving Navratilova a friendly pat on the head.
"It's a little patronizing," former Washington Post writer Sally Jenkins says in an exclusive clip of Chris & Martina: The Final Set. "It's a sweet gesture, but it's also very unthreatened. And something about that shot hitting her in the head seems to shake something loose in Martina."
"It sure did," Evert adds, reliving the final alongside Navratilova nearly 50 years later. "You were a different player after that."
That moment was a turning point in the match, as Navratilova closed out the set and took the decider to claim her first Grand Slam title. It was also arguably the turning point of Navratilova's career, and her storied rivalry with Evert, as Navratilova would go on to win 17 more singles majors -- her 18 are tied with Evert's -- and would end up leading their career head-to-head 43-37.
Chris & Martina: The Final Set examines the evolution of the WTA Tour Driven by Mercedes-Benz legends' storied rivalry, highlighting their contrast in personalities and styles -- the All-American Evert, from Florida, and Navratilova, who defected from communist Czechoslovakia.
Featuring never-before-seen footage and rare interviews, and commentary from such tennis luminaries as Mary Carillo and John McEnroe, it expertly and powerfully juxtaposes the tennis narrative with their current-day cancer treatments, and their unyielding support for each other in the face of darkness.
Chris & Martina: The Final Set had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10, and will premiere on Netflix on Friday, June 26.