Navratilova: Court’s Attack Was Unjustified

Martina Navratilova, who won a record ninth Wimbledon title only to be criticized by Margaret Court as a poor role model because she is gay, said Friday that the three-time former Wimbledon champion was out of line.

“Her timing was atrocious,” Navratilova said. “Who is she to judge me? I don’t judge her. I don’t judge anybody else. Why judge? She’s not perfect. Nobody’s perfect.”

Navratilova, 33, defeated Zina Garrison in the Wimbledon final to break a tie with Helen Wills Moody, whose eighth All England Club victory occurred in 1938. At a news conference before playing Garrison, Navratilova listed Court and Suzanne Lenglen as her favorite players. Court won her Wimbledon titles in 1963, 1965 and 1970.

“She was my tennis hero, but she’s certainly not my personal hero,” Navratilova said.

Court, 47, criticized Navratilova in Perth, Australia, four days after Navratilova’s victory at Wimbledon.

“(Navratilova) is a great player, but I’d like to see somebody at the top to whom the younger players can look up to,” said Court, a born-again Christian. “It is very sad for children to be exposed to (homosexuality).”

Navratilova arrived in Los Angeles Thursday night from Aspen and is staying with friends in Sherman Oaks before driving to San Diego for next week’s Great American Bank tournament. The following week, Navratilova will play in the Virginia Slims of Los Angeles at Manhattan Country Club, her final hard-court warmup for the U.S. Open.

After vacationing in Antigua, catching flu and recovering at home in Aspen, Navratilova was buoyed by the support she received as a result of Court’s criticism.

“The response has been just so phenomenally positive that I’ve been overwhelmed,” Navratilova said. “People (have been) writing me letters (and) sending me copies of letters that they sent to Margaret Court or to newspapers.”

Navratilova said she hopes the incident will soon be forgotten.

“I was just so disappointed that she did it and never said anything to me,” Navratilova said. “She never came up to me and said something if it bothered her. Why would she do it in the press and not in person? I thought she was my friend. Opinion is one thing, but judging somebody is another.”