"I call it like I see it" - Martina Navratilova defends her opinion after calling Novak Djokovic a 'class act'
On Saturday, former World No. 1 Martina Navratilova shut down a fan who criticized her for her take on the abrupt end of the Novak Djokovic-Daniil Medvedev semi-final match at the Astana Open.
Navratilova took to Twitter to label Djokovic a "class act" for how he handled Medvedev's retirement after the second set. But that led to a fan calling her "desperate."
The 18-time Grand Slam champion responded by clarifying that she was watching the match on TV without sound and that people were "reading way too much" into the matter.
"You guys are really reading way too much into this either way. I was doing the dishes this morning and had the match on without sound. Just watched the face expressions and body language. And this was my takeaway. I call it like I see it and that’s all there is to this:)," Navratilova tweeted.
@RafaMaxVirat You guys are really reading way too much into this either way. I was doing the dishes this morning and had the match on without sound. Just watched the face expressions and body language. And this was my takeaway. I call it like I see it and that’s all there is to this:).
“I really hope that his injury is nothing too serious" - Novak Djokovic on Daniil Medvedev's retirement
Novak Djokovic advanced to the final of the Astana Open after Daniil Medvedev was forced to retire from their semi-final encounter at the end of the second set.
In an interview after the match Djokovic expressed hope that the injury wasn't too serious, before lauding the Russian for being a "fighter" and a "big competitor."
“I really hope that his injury is nothing too serious," Djokovic said. “I know Daniil, he’s a great guy, he’s a fighter, he’s a big competitor. He wouldn’t retire a match if he didn’t feel that he [could] continue or [if it wouldn't] worsen his injury. He told me that he pulled an adductor muscle in his leg."
Djokovic went on to analyze the match, opining that Medvedev was the better player in both sets. The Serb added that he was sad for the crowd that it ended the way it did.
"It was such a close match, particularly in the second set," Djokovic said. "I would probably say he was a better player on the court in both sets. I was fighting and trying to find a way. I found a way to win the second, but I’m just sad for the tournament and for these people who were enjoying the battle, and for Daniil that it had to end this way."
“We played a lot of drop shots once the balls got really big and fluffy and I couldn’t really penetrate through him. The tie-break was super exciting and the house was on fire here in the stadium,” he concluded.
Novak Djokovic will square off against Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final of the Astana Open on Sunday.