"Freedom shouldn’t cost this much" - Martina Navratilova reacts to Andriy Shevchenko returning to a war-torn Ukraine

Former professional tennis player Martina Navratilova took to Twitter to react to a video of former Ukrainian footballer Andriy Shevchenko returning to his country that's been locked in a war with Russia for the last few months.

Shevchenko, a Ballon d'Or winner in 2014, is a former professional footballer who has played for notable clubs like AC Milan and Chelsea in his career. He also managed the Ukrainian national football team to a quarterfinal finish at the 2020 UEFA Euro Championships.

On October 4, Players' Tribune Football tweeted a video of Shevchenko's return to post-war Ukraine.

"Black. Flat. Destroyed. It’s not a movie, it's real life.' 🇺🇦 This is @jksheva7's (Andriy Shevchenko) experience of returning to Ukraine", they captioned the video.

Martina Navratilova retweeted the video and was appalled to learn of the conditions in the war-torn country. The multiple Grand Slam winner was dejected as she commented on the dire state of the country.

"Just brutal. Freedom shouldn’t cost this much!" Navratilova tweeted.

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"For women it was either-or, now Serena proved you can have both" - Martina Navratilova heaps praise on Serena Williams for her contribution to the sport

Serena Williams at the 2020 Women's ASB Classic.

Serena Williams has dominated the sport for over two decades. In her illustrious career, she has been the proud recipient of numerous accolades and achievements. She has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, the most in the Open Era of tennis. Williams has not only won hearts by being one of the greatest in the game but also by fighting all odds on her way to the zenith of the game.

Former American tennis player Martina Navratilova has showered praise on the former World No. 1 for playing and winning a Grand Slam title despite being pregnant.

In a conversation with CNN en Español, Navratilova credited Williams for proving that female athletes can now take up both tennis and motherhood simultaneously. Martina Navratilova also hoped for more players to continue playing in their 40s, like Williams.

“For women it was either-or, but now Serena proved you can have both. There are plenty of other mothers on the tour who have done really well. The biggest reason we didn’t see it – there are a couple – the care wasn’t there, the money wasn’t there, and also women just chose to have babies and then they didn’t come back," she said.

"But now I think Serena kind of paved the way for motherhood and to still be an athlete. I think you will see more and more women playing well into their 30s, maybe into their 40s,” she added.