Martina Navratilova, who is often regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time retired in 2006. She has been known for being vocal on her Twitter account about various topics. But one issue she has weighed again and again is the rights of female athletes.
She has constantly mentioned her displeasure against transgender athletes playing in the women’s category in tennis. The 18-time Grand Slam winner recently in a podcast with Kara Swisher, discussed about her health concerns and spoke why she has been firm in her stance against transgender athletes.
“We are not against trans athletes. We are for women athletes to compete on as level a playing field as possible, which means the males who now identify as women, should compete in a male category and women who identify as men but don’t take testosterone can compete as women because there is still no advantage physically over other women athletes.”
– Martina Navratilova
She herself came out as a lesbian in 1981 and received discrimination and backlash. She is not against the trans athletes but her main concern is about male athletes competing as women in tennis.
“I’m all for trans rights on a civil level, a hundred percent. And this is not against trans athletes. This is against male bodies competing as women if they identify as women. Many sports don’t even have any mitigation, any allowance for lowering the testosterone level.”
-Martina Navratilova in the podcast
Come on @USTA– women’s tennis is not for failed male athletes- whatever age. This is not right and it is not fair. Would this be allowed at the US Open this month? Just with self ID? I don’t think so… https://t.co/UkBzhaL6b6
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) August 6, 2023
She also mentioned the reason why the male bodies have an advantage over the female bodies. While providing scientific facts about the difference in the bodies of men and women, Martina highlights why this is a major concern.
“It has been proven even when you do take those testosterone blockers or hormone therapy, even after 15 years, male bodies still retain physical advantage over women athletes. They are taller, and their bone density, their lung capacity, their skeletal structure, even their airways are larger than women.”
-Martina Navratilova in the podcast
“Julia wouldn’t mind having another kid” – Martina Navratilova reveals the possibility of adopting a child with her wife
Martina Navratilova is having thoughts about having another child with her wife after she defeated cancer earlier this year.
Martina Navratilova and Julia Lemigova started dating in 2006 and the 18-time Grand Slam winner proposed to her during the 2014 US Open which was followed by a wedding. They have been in a relationship for more than 17 years now.
Following that, Navratilova became a mother to Julia’s two daughters, Victoria and Emma from her previous relationship with Edouard Stern.
Navratilova announced in January this year, that she had been suffering from throat and breast cancer. This was the second time she had suffered from breast cancer after 2010.
In a recent interview, Martina expressed her feelings about being a parent and also fighting cancer at the same time. She reveals about the possibility of adopting another child now that she is cancer-free again.
“Well, our girls, we ave an empty nest just recently. Sp, you know, I was busy raising a family. Now I’m not really sure. Again, with the cancer bout, you know I really want to guard my time and try to figure out where best to put my energies.”
-Martina Navratilova in the interview
