Tennis / Thomas Bonk : Evert and Navratilova to Take Long-Drawn Rivalry to Forum

The longest-playing act in tennis, Chris Evert vs. Martina Navratilova, have met 80 times in tournament play. They’ll meet again tonight, in an exhibition match at the Forum. For Evert, it will be her first appearance at the Forum in 4 years.

Navratilova holds a 43-37 edge in the long, long, long series with Evert that began in 1973. However, neither Evert nor Navratilova is coming in on a roll. Neither made it to the semifinals of last week’s Virginia Slims Championships, won by Gabriela Sabatini.

The Evert-Navratilova match is part of the Michelin Challenge. Before the match, there will be a mixed doubles exhibition with Tracy Austin and John Lloyd playing Stephanie Rehe and Pete Sampras.

Evert, who turns 34 next month, just finished her second straight year without having won a major title. She plans to play the women’s tour again next year, but isn’t saying for how long.

“I could play more tournaments than I played this year,” she told the Associated Press. “Or I could stop playing halfway through the year. It depends on how I feel.”

Evert’s 1988 championship season ended last week with a 7-5, 6-4 loss to Pam Shriver in the quarterfinals of the Virginia Slims Championships at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

The loss to a player Evert once beat 18 straight times was the latest sign that age is taking its toll on the winningest player in tennis history.

Evert, who won four tournaments but no major titles this year, said a nagging heel injury affected her play all year.

Shriver, who has won her last four matches against Evert, had this assessment: “She hasn’t been playing great, really. She’s been winning a lot of matches, but by just a little. She’s going to be up and down more and more because of how long she’s been around. But she’s still a tough cookie.”

Trivia quiz: According to the ATP computer, what player has the best match record this year? (Answer to follow.)

Mats Wilander, the world’s top-ranked player, withdrew recently from the Belgian Indoor Championships because of a lingering problem with shin splints but won’t miss the Nabisco Masters, which begins Wednesday at Madison Square Garden.

Wilander said his doctor told him that staying off his feet is the only way to get better.

So what got Mats back on his feet? He could win $1.15 million--$315,000 for finishing first and an additional $800,000 in the Nabisco Grand Prix bonus points series.

John McEnroe isn’t eligible for the Masters because he didn’t play in enough tournaments--just 11. Jimmy Connors, who was eligible, withdrew last week because of foot surgery. Meanwhile there are rumors that Wimbledon champion Stefan Edberg may pull out.

Water break: In case you were wondering, yes, it is safe to drink water from tennis ball containers, according to an article in The Physician and Sportsmedicine magazine. However, after a study for the journal, it is recommended that you rinse the containers first. That way, you won’t have to worry about drinking any trichloroethane or thiocyanic with your water.

Bjorn Borg took some well-placed shots at a couple of his former on-court sparring partners in the latest issue of Tennis magazine. Borg, who retired when he was 26 in 1983, offered some comments on two others who haven’t retired:

--On Connors: “Personally, I believe if he knew or could do a few other things in his life, maybe he would not play as much tennis as he did the last couple of years.”

--On McEnroe: “I never believed that he would continue to play. He’s getting older and he’s not getting faster.”

Trivia quiz answer: Kent Carlsson, 50-6 for .893. Wilander is third at 52-8 for .867, behind Andre Agassi, 62-9 for .873.

Is this graffiti? A man who quit his job to pursue his obsession for tennis star Steffi Graf was arrested in Boca Raton, Fla., last week after scrawling a love message to her on a light pole.

Gil Guillemette, 27, of Montreal, was arrested and charged with criminal mischief for defacing public property and with trespassing because he parked his van on private property before writing his message, police said. He spent a night in jail and was released, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s department said.

“Steffi G.: I like you. Meet me at the beach at 10 a.m. I am a young Montreal man,” said the message, in French, scrawled with a marker.

Several love letters, newspaper clippings and magazines about the 19-year-old Graf were found in his van, where he appeared to be living, police said.

Guillemette told police he tried to drop off the love letters to Graf at the Boca Raton home of Evert, but no one was there, authorities said.

The latest computer rankings show four Swedes among the top 20 players in the world. But in something of a surprise, the United States also has four, thanks to the resurgence of McEnroe.

The U.S. contingent is No. 3 Agassi, No. 7 Connors, No. 9 Tim Mayotte and No. 10 McEnroe. Wilander, the No. 1 player, leads the Swedes. The others are No. 5 Edberg, No. 6 Carlsson and No. 18 Mikael Pernfors.

Tennis Notes

This year’s top five men’s tennis players, led by Mats Wilander, who won the 1988 Australian, French and U.S. opens, have been nominated for player of the year. The winner will be announced at the 14th Assn. of Tennis Professionals awards event Tuesday. The ATP function benefits the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the official charity of the players’ union. Wilander, Wimbledon champion Stefan Edberg, Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl and Kent Carlsson are the nominees and the ATP players vote on the award.

Does tennis pay? Last summer’s Wimbledon tournament turned a record profit of $13.86 million. The net income from the 1988 tournament at the All England Lawn Tennis Club was 3.6% more than the previous-record $12.96 million reported last year. . . . John Kennedy favored boating and football, and Dwight Eisenhower loved golf. Now, tennis should get a boost from George Bush. Pam Shriver, who campaigned for Bush, said the president-elect is “pretty good, considering how little he plays.” Shriver added: “It’s exciting when the president plays your sport, and plays it well.”

Steffi Graf, who had 1988 earnings of $1,373,378, elected to play in only 8 “primary” Virginia Slims Championship Series events this year--three shy of the number that would have qualified her for a bonus pool payment of $400,000. Said her father and coach, Peter Graf: “That’s peanuts.”