"Tell me what I should've done so I could've beaten men in my prime" - Martina Navratilova questions controversial take on trans swimmer Lia Thomas

Martina Navratilova has raised her voice against an author for a controversial take on transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in an article published by Forbes.

The article, titled 'Transgender Swimmer Lia Thomas' Body Is Not The Problem' first irked Navratilova when Forbes promoted it on social media. Navratilova slammed its author for suggesting that gender-segregated sports in itself is an issue. According to the 67-year-old, the take was 'ignorant'.

In the article, the author looks at gender-segregated sports through a critical lens. According to the views presented in the article, the nature of such a structure ensures that men maintain a position of dominance over women.

The author also suggests that transgender swimmer Lia Thomas' ongoing legal challenge to overturn World Aquatics' June 2022 ban on her from competing in women's swimming events is indicative of inherent problems in gender-segregated sports.

Navratilova has long been of the opinion that transgender women should not be allowed to compete in women's sports. The 67-year-old former tennis player once again took a swipe at the article, responding to the author's post sharing a link to the piece on X.

"I am a tennis player. Can you please tell me what I should have done differently so I could have beaten men when in my prime? Because I don't have a clue," wrote Navratilova.

Why does Martina Navratilova disapprove of transgender women competing in women's sports?

Martina Navratilova at the 2021 WTA Finals - Previews

Martina Navratilova has been quite vocal in her criticism of transgender women competing alongside biological women in women's sporting events.

In November 2023, Navratilova featured in an episode of the On With Kara Swisher podcast where she spoke about the issue.

The Czech-American discussed a wide range of issues during the episode, including how coming out as gay affected her. The 67-year-old also came clean on her feelings about the issue of women's sports opening their doors to transgender women.

"You cannot make it fair. Male bodies, once they go through puberty, are five inches taller on average. You just can't take that away. And if you put your arm up, that's about seven inches, reach advantage. It's just not possible to level the playing field," Navratilova said.

The 18-time singles Grand Slam winner also recalled her playing days during the episode to make her point. She revisited how being a biological female made competing difficult for her.

"I am a biological female. Let me tell you something. I lost many matches because I got my period. And I got it every single month, every 28 days," she said.

Navratilova added that she had to take desperate measures to compete at Grand Slams even when she would be on her period.

"At one point I was trying to take a birth-control pill so I would know when my period would come, so that it wouldn't get in the way of playing Wimbledon or the US Open. But then it made me sick to my stomach, so I stopped," Martina Navratilova added.