The first time Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova stepped onto a tennis court together, the world scarcely noticed. Only a few hundred spectators saw the pert 18-year-old beat the scrappy 16-year-old Czech in 1973. “I remember that she was fat,” Evert recalled. “She was very emotional on the court, whining if she didn't feel she was playing well. But I remember thinking, if she loses weight, we’re all in trouble.” Said Navratilova, “My goal was for her to remember my name.” Eighty matches later – amid the extraordinary growth of women’s tennis – Evert not only remembered, but became a tried and true friend and confidante, remarkable considering the two appeared to be polar opposites in upbringing, life styles and personal relationships. Through a series of personal conversations, filmmakers Nancy Stern Winters and Lisa Lax, along with producer Hannah Storm, will tell the story of one of the greatest one-on-one sports rivalries and capture these two extraordinary athletes’ views on tennis and an ever-changing world.

Personal Statement

No two athletes have met in as many matches or world championships as Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. While Ali fought Frazier all of 3 times and Borg faced McEnroe a total of 14 times, Evert and Navratilova met on the tennis court 80 times over the course of 16 years. The individual narratives of these two star athletes who carried women’s tennis through the 1970s and 1980s could stand on their own as significant sports stories in the past 30 years. However, what is truly amazing is how two fierce competitors who provided fans with some of the most memorable moments in the history of tennis could simultaneously forge such a strong and lasting friendship, bonding them to this day.

Their performance standards and personal convictions influenced female athletes for years to come, especially us. For 12 consecutive years, from 1975 to 1986, either Evert or Navratilova finished the season ranked number one in the world. We first picked up tennis rackets in 1975 and continued playing competitively through college in 1986; Nancy emulating Martina in her aggressive style, and Lisa inspired by Chrissie’s quiet persistent determination. Since our childhood we have been intrigued and fascinated by these two women, and we cherish the opportunity to explore their historic impact on the world of sports through the scope of their rivalry.

The story will be told through their eyes only as never told before. Chris and Martina will share details of the intense experiences they shared while playing with and against each other for so many years. On the court their battles were fought hard, but the even more remarkable story is about what happened off the court as they formed an unlikely friendship. As Martina once said in the midst of her storied tennis career; she looks forward to the time when she can reminisce over a glass of wine with her dear friend about the good old days. That day has come.

Lisa Lax & Nancy Stern Winters, Hannah Storm Bio

Lookalike Productions represents the diverse collaborative efforts of twin sister filmmakers Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern Winters, whose television and film productions have earned them a combined 16 Emmy Awards. Lookalike is a full-service production company that produces short and long form documentary films; television specials and series; live events; award shows; commercials; and films for schools, corporations and not-for-profit organizations. In addition, Lookalike offers expertise in marketing, creative design, music composition and script writing. But perhaps this says it best:

"What does a Lisa Lax production have in common with me? Original, unexpected, sassy, colorful, layered, complex, inspiring, complete. She's simply the GREATEST!"

— Muhammad Ali

Telling stories on film is Lookalike’s specialty:

During her twelve year tenure as former Producer / Director at NBC Sports and Olympics, Lisa Lax became one of the most respected production talents in the business. In her role as head of NBC’s Olympic profiles unit, Lax supervised the production of more than 500 feature stories on the world’s best Olympians. Lax also produced and directed several documentary films that were highlights of NBC’s Olympic coverage during the Atlanta, Sydney and Salt Lake City Games, including Emmy Award winning “The Wonders of Rome”, critically acclaimed “Twice Born - Muhammad Ali” and “Peggy & Dorothy”.

Nancy Stern Winters' remarkable talents include a vast expertise in producing live events, network television specials and scripted dramas. Her credits are notable for their variety, quantity and quality in sports, entertainment and news. Stern was the first woman to produce the world’s most famous bicycle race, The Tour de France, and the American classic, ABC’s Wide World of Sports. Displaying her versatility, Stern segued into Daytime television and created a new look in Daytime Drama as consulting producer and director for the two-time Emmy Award winning soap opera “The City”. She served as the co-executive producer for the primetime broadcast of the 1997 Daytime Emmy Awards. Stern also served as executive producer and director of NBC’s critically acclaimed and highly rated Special “The Cosby Show... A Look Back”.

In 2002, Nancy and Lisa became partners in Lookalike Productions, where their first collaboration was the award-winning documentary “Emmanuel’s Gift”. The film highlighted the courageous efforts of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah as he fought for the rights of his 2,000,000 fellow disabled in Ghana, West Africa. “Emmanuel’s Gift” sparked a call to action. In July, 2006, Ghana’s Parliament passed a Disability Bill that had been ignored for decades, guaranteeing unparalleled rights for this long-overlooked community.

In 2008, Lisa and Nancy Directed and Produced “Let It Out: The Movie”, a documentary film presented by Kleenex where Olympic legends, Olympic hopefuls and fans share their most emotion-filled memories of the Games, as never been told before.

In conjunction with Sesame Workshop and Worldwide Pants, Lookalike Productions has just completed production on two prime time specials for PBS, “Coming Home: Military Families Cope with Change”, featuring Queen Latifah, Elmo and John Mayer and “Families Stand Together: Feeling Secure in Tough Times” hosted by Al Roker and Deborah Roberts.

Lisa and Nancy reside in New Jersey with their husbands and children.
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Hannah Storm – a trailblazing and award winning sports and newscaster for the last 20 years with CNN, NBC and CBS – joined ESPN in 2008 as a host for the new live weekday “SportsCenter,” which debuted in August.

In addition to her hosting duties, ESPN has tapped into Storm’s ability to interview high profile personalities. Her recent work with political leaders and celebrities now turns to the superstars and greatest characters of the sports world. Since her arrival at ESPN, Hannah’s subjects have included the NFL’s Manning family; Archie, Peyton and Eli, Olympians Michael Phelps and Dara Torres, University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow, legendary collegiate basketball Coach Bobby Knight, professional soccer’s David Beckham and baseball manager, Joe Torre. In addition, Storm has anchored a documentary special on women’s sports entiltled, “HERstory.” She has also reported for the network on Alex Rodriguez’ steroid admission and the opening of the new Yankee Stadium. Stepping outside of sports, Hannah hosted the 120th Tournament of Roses Parade for ABC, along with her co-anchor, Josh Elliott.

In 2008, Storm created the Hannah Storm Foundation, which raises awareness and provides treatment for children suffering from debilitating and disfiguring vascular birthmarks. She also sits on the board of the “Tribeca Sports Film Festival,” “Colgate Women’s Sports Awards,” “21st Century Kids 1st Foundation” and has done extensive work with the March of Dimes, Partnership for Drug-Free America, Boys and Girls Club, Special Olympics, the Women’s Sports Foundation, Vascular Birthmark Institute, University of Notre Dame and Diocese of Bridgeport. Storm also founded Brainstormin Productions for the creation of educational and inspirational programming.

Storm comes to ESPN from CBS News after five years (2002 – 2007) as a host of “The Early Show,” covering numerous major news events, including the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina, Superbowls XLI and XXXVIII, the 2004 Democratic National Convention, the Presidential campaigns of 2004 and 2008 and the London terror bombings. Storm interviewed major newsmakers, including President George W. Bush, First Lady Laura Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and Senators John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, as well as many sports and pop culture icons, including Elton John, Paul McCartney, Tiger Woods, Jamie Foxx, Halle Berry and Jennifer Aniston. Storm hosted shows for the award- winning CBS newsmagazine 48 Hours. She also served as co-host of the network’s “CBS Thanksgiving Day Parade” for five years.

Prior to CBS News, Storm worked for 10 years (1992 - 2002) at NBC Sports, where she hosted four Olympic Games: the late-night programs from Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996), and the daytime and weekend programs from Sydney (2000) and Salt Lake City (2002). Storm became the first woman in American television history to act as solo host of a broadcast network's sports series when she hosted NBC's Major League Baseball coverage from 1994 to 2000, including three World Series. Storm acted as part-time host and reporter for the "NBA on NBC" for 5 years, before becoming the show's full- time host from 1997 to 2002. Storm also anchored NBC Sports coverage of Wimbledon, Notre Dame football, NBC SportsDesk, Women's US Open and various college bowl games. Storm also made history as the first play-by play announcer for the WNBA in 1997.

Storm's national television experience began as the first female host of CNN Sports Tonight from 1989 - 1992. She also hosted Major League Baseball Preview and reported from spring training, the playoffs, and Daytona 500. In addition, Storm hosted the Goodwill Games for TBS in 1990.

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame with degrees in communications and political science, Storm began her career while still in school, working at WNDU-TV, the Notre Dame-owned NBC affiliate in South Bend, Indiana. After graduation, she took a job as a disc jockey at KNCN-FM in Corpus Christi, Texas. Six months later, she landed at Houston’s KSRR-FM as their drive-time sport anchor.

During her four-year tenure in Houston, Storm hosted the Rockets and Astros pre-and post-game shows on KTXH-TV. From 1988 – 1989, she was a sports anchor and reporter for WPQC-TV Charlotte, N.C where she also hosted NASCAR specials.

In 2004, Storm received the American Women in Radio and Television Gracie Award for Outstanding Anchor for News. In 1998, Storm won her first Gracie Award for her pioneering work as a female in the world of sports broadcasting. This year, Storm received The Paley Center for Media’s highest honor when she was named as a member of the “She Made It, Women Creating Television and Radio” Hall-of -Fame. Storm has also received The University of Notre Dame’ s Distinguished Alumni Award, the March of Dimes Sports Legends Award, the Kim Perrot Courage Award, the YWCA Brava Award and the Traditional Home Classic Woman Award.

Storm is the mother of three daughters with her husband, NBC golf host Dan Hicks. She has written two books, "Notre Dame Inspirations," (Doubleday, 2006) and "Go Girl!: Raising Healthy, Confident and Successful Daughters through Sports" (Sourcebooks, 2002), is in its second printing. Storm has also contributed to a variety of other books and written extensively for several magazines, including Cosmopolitan, Nick Jr., Family Circle, Child and Notre Dame Magazine.