"I don’t think transphobes deserve statues" - Fans debate Chris Evert's suggestion of honoring Martina Navratilova over Roger Federer at Wimbledon

Chris Evert’s suggestion to honor Martina Navratilova with a statue at Wimbledon alongside Roger Federer has sparked a heated debate among tennis fans. While some support Navratilova for her unparalleled achievements, others oppose the idea due to her controversial stance on trans athletes in women’s sports.

An X account asked if Federer, a record-eight-time men's singles winner at Wimbledon, deserves a statue at the Grasscourt Slam. Evert, in turn, asked about Navratilova, a record-nine-time women's singles winner at the event.

The suggestions made their way to Reddit where fans were left questioning if Navratilova’s legacy should be overshadowed by her political views. The American tennis icon has been a vocal advocate of the exclusion of trans athletes from women's sports as her views have often stirred controversies.

Chris Evert think Martina Navratilova deserve Statue at Wimbledon byu/Marcoo1994 intennis

Several fans called the 68-year-old "transphobic" and claimed she does not deserve a statue.

"Undeserving cause she’s a transphobic POS," one fan wrote.

"No statues of TERFs IMO," another fan wrote.

"I don't think transphobes deserve statues so let's start there chrissie," a third fan wrote.

Comment byu/Marcoo1994 from discussion intennis

Some fans had other ideas with one suggesting how everyone can be kept happy. They wrote:

"Maybe just paint a nice mural with anyone who’s won the thing then everyone will be happy. You can add onto it every year."

Another fan argued that Navratilova's political views should not tarnish her playing career, writing:

"Sure, but this is about celebrating her tennis career right? Do we have to always intertwine politics and sports? She influenced a generation or two of young girls to pick up tennis. That's all null and void if she's gone nuts in her later years?"

"The problem is that Martina doesn’t have the common sense or decency to keep her retrograde opinions to herself nowadays, and I don’t know if any modern org wants that kind of heat, even when dealing with a legend," yet another fan argued.

---

When Martina Navratilova addressed allegations of being a transphobe

Martina Navratilova (Image: Getty)

In 2019, Martina Navratilova faced backlash after questioning the inclusion of transgenders in female sports teams in a newspaper column. Her comments were criticized as "transphobic" by Athlete Ally, an LGBTQ advocacy group she co-founded, leading to her removal from its advisory board.

"Martina Navratilova’s recent comments on trans athletes are transphobic, based on a false understanding of science and data, and perpetuate dangerous myths that lead to the ongoing targeting of trans people through discriminatory laws, hateful stereotypes and disproportionate violence," Athlete Ally had said in a statement.

Navratilova later defended herself in an interview with The Guardian. She expressed frustration at being labeled a "transphobic" without regard for her long-standing support of trans individuals, including her former coach Renee Richards.

"I had a transgender coach [Renee Richards] for f**k's sake," Martina Navaratilova told the Guardian. "But I am supposed to be transphobic!"

In the past few years, Navratilova has consistently called for the exclusion of transgender athletes from women's sports and claims to be a "female inclusionary feminist" while advocating 'sex-based spaces' for women.