"They killed me in the 1970s, they ripped me up" - When Martina Navratilova lamented how the media treated her during her early days in tennis
Martina Navratilova once voiced her frustration with the media's treatment of her early in her tennis career. However, she overcame these obstacles and emerged as one of the greatest players in tennis history, securing 18 Grand Slam titles and numerous other achievements.
Navratilova's journey was far from easy. In 1975, she fled her birth country, the Czech Republic (then known as Czechoslovakia), due to issues with the communist regime. She settled in the USA for better opportunities and became an American citizen in 1981.
She was initially overwhelmed by the sudden freedom in America, leading to a lavish lifestyle with spending on expensive cars and gaining 20lbs, for which she was mocked. However, she soon began training under former professional golfer Sandra Haynie and basketball player Nancy Lieberman to regain shape.
In a 2006 interview with The Guardian, Martina Navratilova recounted her struggles, describing how the media "ripped her apart" during the 1970s and forced her to "edit and censor" herself.
"They killed me, in the 1970s. They ripped me up....(I learned) to edit myself, to censor myself," she said.
On top of that, Navratilova was publicly outed as bisexual (later gay) by The Daily News in 1981 after an interview, which alienated many tennis fans. Consequently, she was often booed during matches, a challenge her greatest rival, Chris Evert, never had to endure.
"Chris [Evert] never had to hear that," Navratilova said.
Martina Navratilova: "I can't say how much money I lost by being out, but it's in millions"
In a 2023 conversation with American journalist Kara Swisher, Martina Navratilova recalled the discrimination she endured after coming out as gay. She stated that her sexuality cost her millions in lost endorsements and opportunities.
"Nobody said no, but nobody said yes either. I can't say how much money I lost by being out, but it's in millions, there's no doubt about that," she said.
The 18-time Grand Slam champion recalled how advertisers would go silent whenever her agent mentioned her name in commercial meetings—something that didn't happen with other players. Despite her dominance in the sport, she had no endorsement deals aside from racquets, shoes, and clothing, while lucrative opportunities went to others from Europe.
"I got deals in Japan, but not in America," Martina Navratilova said. "You didn't see any commercials. And my agent back then said, 'You know, when I'm in a meeting in Madison Avenue, there's always advertisers, you throw in different names. The people get excited... when I throw in your name, the room goes silent.'"
"So, I didn't have any deals except shoes, racquets, and clothing, but even though I was #1 in '78-'79 before I was out," she added. "And when I did start dominating the tour, I still didn't get any deals in the States outside of that... Any kind of endorsements were to somebody else in Europe."