"They reap the benefits & try to get away with doing as little as possible" - When Martina Navratilova lambasted players over their uncaring attitudes

Martina Navratilova once lashed out at her fellow players for their lack of professionalism and apathetic attitude on tour. The 18-time Grand Slam champion made the remarks in light of declining viewership and an increase in players withdrawing from tournaments.

With Chris Evert having retired and Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe nearing the end of their careers, Navratilova stood out as one of the most experienced players on the circuit. As such, the Czech-American was frustrated by the seemingly indifferent attitude displayed by the younger players, particularly since the sport was struggling.

The 1994 Australian Open saw a drop in attendance of over 31,000 spectators, and the previous year's US Open recorded a 12% drop in television ratings, with the sales of tennis equipment also on the downturn. This coincided with a rise in players withdrawing from tournaments at the last minute.

In a 1994 interview with Sports Illustrated, Martina Navratilova addressed the growing concerns about the state of tennis and lambasted the players for their uncaring attitudes. The former World No. 1 accused the players of enjoying the perks of the sport while doing little to contribute to its growth or sustainability.

"They don't care. They reap all the benefits and try to get away with doing as little as possible," Navratilova said.

Andre Agassi echoed Navratilova's sentiments, blaming the players for failing to take responsibility for improving the sport, despite holding the power to bring about necessary change.

"It's all take, take, take. There's nobody to blame except the people who can make it better, and that's the players," Agassi said.

"I'm not saying that the players are cheating on purpose but it is cheating" - Martina Navratilova on players grunting

Martina Navratilova (Source: Getty)

Martina Navratilova, who had been outspoken in her criticism of Monica Seles' grunt, once labeled grunting as "cheating." In a 2009 interview with Wimbledon, the 18-time Grand Slam champion asserted that regardless of the intention, grunting disrupted the opponents' focus and urged umpires to step in and put a stop to it.

"I'm not saying that the players are cheating on purpose but it is cheating in that if you don't hear the ball hitting the racket, you depend on that and whether the player is doing it on purpose or not is irrelevant. They should not be doing it and the umpire needs to take care of that," Martina Navratilova said.

Navratilova also argued that it was "counterproductive" to grunt that loudly, as it required unnecessary effort.

"We're not lifting 200 pounds over our head and quite frankly, I think it's counterproductive because it takes a lot of effort and energy to make that kind of noise," she said.

Martina Navratilova further emphasized that as a coach, she would discourage her player from grunting, not just because it was "against the rules" but because it drained energy and negatively impacted performance.