"I would like to sit down with her and tell her about the history of Wimbledon" - Martina Navratilova on Naomi Osaka potentially skipping grasscourt Slam
Tennis great Martina Navratilova joined the debate on Wimbledon being stripped of ranking points by the ATP and WTA. Navratilova stated that she failed to understand why players would want to skip a tournament like Wimbledon only due to a lack of points.
The American added that she played the tournament to win the trophy and that she'd like to sit Naomi Osaka down and tell her the history of the tournament. Osaka recently stated that she was unsure of playing at Wimbledon and that she was motivated by seeing her ranking climb.
"I dont understand that view that players wouldnt play because there were no points. So, are you playing for a computer ranking? I just wanted to hold that trophy - the Venus Rosewater Dish. I would like to sit down with her and tell her about the history of Wimbledon," Navratilova told journalist Piers Morgan on his chat show.
Tennis champ Martina Navratilova says she "doesn't understand the mentality" of Naomi Osaka saying she may not compete in Wimbledon.
"It's kind of nice if you can walk away from a potential £2m pay day. Most people don't have the luxury."
@martina | @piersmorgan | #wimbledon https://t.co/yrFgYnWUj4
Naomi Osaka has said she's 'not sure' if she will play at Wimbledon this year because no ranking points will be available, following the decision to ban Russian players. https://t.co/ZhOvobZUYe
Navratilova said that not many people had the luxury of walking away from the kind of prize money Wimbledon offers.
"It's kind of nice if you can walk away from a potential 2 million pounds pay day. Not many people have that luxury," Navratilova added.
When I won Wimbledon I didn't even know I had become No. 1: Martina Navratilova
Martina Navratilova, who won the Wimbledon title a record nine times during her career, asserted that she never played for ranking points or for money. She stated that she didn't even know she had clinched the No. 1 spot in the rankings after winning Wimbledon.
"When I won Wimbleden I didn't even know that I became the No. 1. I learned about that in the press conference when they told me that you are No. 1 now. So, I said, that's great. That's the cherry on the cake now. I couldn't care less that there were no points given because I always play for the trophies and not the points and not the money," she said.
Martina Navratilova opined that Wimbledon was special and everything else came second, insisting that the event was not an exhibition.
"So, for me, it was Wimbledon and nothing else and everything came second. This is not an exhibition," she added.