French Open: Julia Lemigova Joins Wife Martina Navratilova to Grab VIP Seats for Iga Swiatek vs Jasmine Paolini Showdown

No one wanted to miss the making of the Queen of Clay. Iga Swiatek is on a clay court rampage and just clinched her fourth French Open title at 23 years of age. Receiving comparisons to the American legend with the most titles at Roland Garros, Chris Evert, Swiatek is on her way to obliterate her career record of 7. Meanwhile, Evert’s sworn rival/ friend from the peak of her career, Martina Navratilova, was in the stands in Paris to watch the birth of the new WTA legend on clay with her wife.

Navratilova may have retired from professional tennis but the veteran is still active on the tennis circuit as a commentator. And as the French Open final reaches its climax, Navratilova is back at the commentary to enjoy the women’s final live. The 2024 women’s final at Roland Garros has an exclusive draw. The first-time finalist at the Grand Slam, Jasmine Paolini, is challenging the Polish defender for the French Open title. And the Czech-American tennis legend is not alone at the clay court showdown; her wife, Julia Lemigova, has also grabbed VIP seats.

Recently, Lemigova shared an Instagram story, confirming the couple’s presence at the finals. Though she is on the stand, the veteran tennis star is back in the box, ready to narrate every shot and volley of the finalists. The couple certainly doesn’t want to miss any shots!

Swiatek took just 68 minutes to dominate the Italian, who’s in her first Slam final at 28. Understandably calling the fight against the World No. 1 the “most challenging match” of her career, Jasmine Paolini was overwhelmed. But almsot everyone was rooting for Swiatek, including Evert’s old rival.

Navratilova supported World No. 1 Iga Swiatek in her request for all-day draws. Hence, we did not get any night schedule matches, but Zverev and Coco had 3. The tennis legend said, “Top players make requests (preferences) for whatever the reasons might be. They are not always filled. Request doesn’t equal demand.”.

It’s not uncommon to see Martina Navratilova in the box. She has been quite vocal throughout Roland Garros. From the drawing moment itself, calling Danielle Collins the underdog. And she said that had she been active, she wouldn’t want the dark horse of the season in her draw. However, Collins had a bad start and bid adieu in the second round itself. Moreover, Navratilova has also been vocal about late-night scheduling at the Major.

Other than tennis, the Czech-American tennis legend is also known for one thing: speaking the harsh truth and sharing her brutally honest opinions. And the latest person on the receiving end was World No. 4 Elena Rybakina.

The 67-year-old veteran recently took a dig at one of the tournament’s favorites, Elena Rybakina, for her dismal performance against the current challenger, Jasmine Paolini, during the quarterfinals.

Martina Navratilova’s ‘Pancakes and Crepes’ reference for Rybakina

Despite the Kazhak’s strong performance at the French Open before her quarterfinal match, she faltered in presenting a strong challenge against the first-time quarterfinal player, Paolini. Consequently, World No. 4 suffered an upset at the hands of the Italians, who proceeded to take up the Igra Swiatek challenge at the finals.

However, this didn’t sit right with Navratilova, as she said, “Rybakina is as flat as a pancake… or a crepe.” Certainly, no one anticipated this upset and was holding high hopes for Rybakina to break the duopoly of Swiatek and Sabalenka.

The Italian is now on her way to creating history, either in the singles category, the doubles category, or maybe both. She would certainly want to leverage the first-time lucky happenings.