"It is not direct cheating but it is cheating in a way" - When Martina Navratilova called for players to stop grunting
Martina Navratilova is not one to mince her words; she always speaks her mind on all kinds of topics.
Navratilova, a former World No. 1, has often stated that she dislikes on-court grunting. This, despite the fact that a number of top players - like Rafael Nadal, Maria Sharapova, Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Monica Seles and Novak Djokovic - have been known to grunt.
Navratilova spoke about grunting in detail during an interview with Wimbledon back in 2009. She stated that grunting was 'cheating' in the sense that players could not hear the ball hitting the racket. She also stated that the umpires should play their part in reducing grunting.
"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," Martina Navratilova said.
"They should not be doing it and the umpire needs to take care of that because if the player is saying to the umpire, 'Hey, the player is taking too much time, you need to watch the clock', same thing. They should be saying, 'Hey, she is making noise, the umpire needs to take care of that," she added.
Navratilova also claimed that grunting was counterproductive as players would get tired if they persisted with it.
"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," Martina Navratilova continued.
"When players get really tired, they are not making that noise anymore because they don't have the energy for it. So, I would actually suggest to my player, 'You're making it worse for yourselves'. I would be coaching my player not to do it, never mind the fact that it's against the rules, it is bad for my player," she added.
Navratilova further called grunting a hindrance and stated that the umpires should intervene and give players point deductions for doing so.
"But it is against the rules if it's a hndrance and it's a hindrance. When they are yelling that loud, it's a hindrance. So the umpire needs to step up to the player and say, 'You have to calm down and if you don't, it's a point penalty', and I guarantee you once they start giving point penalties, they are going to stop it," Navratilova said.
Martina Navratilova has also often spoken against transgender athletes competing in women's events
Martina Navratilova is against transgender athletes competing in women's sporting events, and has always been very vocal about her stance on it.
The Czech-American once wrote in an article for The Times that transgender women competing in women's sports was "cheating."
"It's insane and it's cheating. I am happy to address a transgender woman in whatever form she prefers, but I would not be happy to compete against her. It would not be fair," Navratilova wrote.
The former World No. 1 most recently, in an article for The Times, hailed World Athletics for banning transgender women from female events. She also urged other sports to follow suit.