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Martina Navratilova is one of the most successful tennis players of all time and one of the most celebrated athletes across all sports. However, in addition to her on-court success, Navratilova has often been in the limelight for her off-court opinions and views.
Whether it's her socio-political views or her remarks about fellow athletes, the Czech-American legend has often found herself at the center of controversies. These stem from her disagreements with specific players and her critical opinions on their decisions, frequently igniting debates within the sports fraternity.
Let's take a look at the five times Martina Navratilova got into controversies after slamming other athletes.
#5 Martina Navratilova slamming trans swimmer Lia Thomas for calling out feminists
Martina Navratilova is well known as a feminist and advocate for women's rights who is vocal about her opinions and does not shy away from slamming people who take jabs at feminists.
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On a podcast last year, swimmer Lia Thomas claimed that those who do not fully support her right to swim competitively in events for women, as “transphobic.”
Not pleased by this statement, Navratilova addressed Thomas in a tweet and said (via New York Post):
“NEWSFLASH Lia- it’s not fair. We shouldn’t have to explain it to you over and over. Also- stop explaining feminism to feminists….”
While some sports fans supported Navratilova, many others were and continue to be against her views.
#4 Navratilova's controversial take on Imane Khelif at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Martina Navratilova was recently involved in a controversy following her statement with regard to Algerian boxer, Imane Khelif's participation at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
As a boxer competing in the 66 kg category, Khelif failed a gender test and as a supporter of the exclusion of transgender people from women's sports, Navratilova took a stand against the Algerian's participation following the test.
The tennis star shared a post on Twitter about an instance from the past about a runner having 'cheated women out of medals', with a caption that said:
"Sounds familiar?"'
As Twitter users tried to defend Khelif and referred to her as 'masculine of all tennis players', Martina Navratilova responded by saying:
"Are you jealous? I worked my a** off- always a female. Imane not so much…"
#3 Martina Navratilova sending a warning to Novak Djokovic
After Novak Djokovic's exit from the 2024 US Open, Martina Navratilova sent him a warning claiming that Father Time was starting to catch up to him and if she was in her place, she would have retired.
As the defending champion, Djokovic was aiming for his 25th Grand Slam victory which would have placed him even ahead of Margaret Court. Therefore, while the Serb is clearly hungry for more, Navratilova had different views with regard to the Olympic gold medalist.
She said (via Tennis 365):
“He got the one he really wanted, which was the Olympic gold medal, but he also still wants that 25th, because then he has one more than Margaret Court.Father Time will catch up to him… and maybe it already is a little bit, because he really wasn’t himself in that last match.
She added, “It depends how much the fire is still burning. If it’s still burning, I’m never going to say ‘you shouldn’t play’, because he’s never going to tarnish his legacy – it’s ridiculously good.....“I’m sure his wife is saying: ‘it’s time to hang it up, how many more of these do you need?'" Navratilova added.
#2 Martina Navratilova slamming Riley Gaines for backing Kansas City Chief's Harrison Butker’s
Earlier this year, American swimmer, Riley Gaines praised Kansas City Chief's Harrison Butker who made some controversial remarks on women and the LGBTQIA community.
Butker's speech at a college in Kansas was deemed to be extremely sexist as not only did he label Pride Month as a 'deadly sin' but also claimed that women should embrace their natural roles as homemakers and mothers.
Amongst the many people who criticized Butker, was Martina Navratilova who said in her tweet:
"Another entitled male who thinks he knows what’s best for women and gays. Shame on you, Harrison Butker. You are not a role model, you are a bigot."
Gailes on the other hand, spoke in praise of Bulter claiming him to be a "rare passion-filled truth speaker."
While Navratilova and Gailes had been allies in the past as both of them supported the exclusion of trans athletes in women's sports, the latter's statement did not sit well with the 18-time Grand Slam champion who slammed the American by saying:
"Really Riley? You're ok with "women just need to be mothers and gays are awful" speech? You want more homophobia?"
#1 Navratilova Slamming Serena Williams after the American's 2018 US Open outburst
At the 2018 US Open, Serena Williams received three code violations by chair umpire Ramos, the first for receiving coaching, the second for racket abuse, and the third for verbal abuse of the umpire. The last two cost Williams a point and a game penalty that went to her opponent, Naomi Osaka who ended up winning the match.
Williams later demanded an apology from Ramos and claimed the punishment to be sexist. However, the American was severely criticized by many tennis players for her behavior, including Martina Navratilova who said (via Fox Sports):
“We cannot measure ourselves by what we think we should also be able to get away with. In fact, this is the sort of behaviour that no one should be engaging in on the court.”
"Serena Williams has part of it right. There is a huge double standard for women when it comes to how bad behaviour is punished — and not just in tennis. But in her protests … she also got part of it wrong. "
She added, "I don’t believe it’s a good idea to apply a standard of, “If men can get away with it, women should be able to, too. Rather, I think the question we have to ask ourselves is this: What is the right way to behave to honour our sport and to respect our opponents?”
Navratilova also once criticized Richard Williams for his celebratory dance after Venus' victory at the 2000 US Open.
