‘The Umpire Was Instructed Not to Say My Name’ – Martina Navratilova on the Insane Crowd Support When She Visited Home Country Alongside Chris Evert

The sport of tennis has seen many heroics and fairy tales. From Billie Jean King’s victory in the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ to the Williams sisters’ rise to the top, many dreams have come true on the tennis court. Further, amongst them is the story of the tennis legend, Martina Navratilova.

She is one of the most successful players to have played the sport of tennis. As a justification, Navratilova has won an incredible 59 Grand Slam titles overall. It is the most Grand Slam title victories by an individual in the Open Era.

Recently, the 65-year-old shared a bitter-sweet moment of her homecoming during the 1986 Fed Cup. The tournament took place at the Czech Lawn Tennis Club in Prague.

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In 1975, Martina Navratilova had moved to the United States from Prague. The unstable political situation in her home country was the reason behind her move.

Martina Navratilova opens up on the crowd behavior in Prague

The legendary icon was in conversation with another legend and her former teammate, Chris Evert. The two played a significant role during the United States’ title-winning run in the 1986 Fed Cup.

During their conversation, Navratilova said, “Before I played my first match on center court, they announced on my right Raffaella Reggi and on my left presented from the United States and the crowd started booing and Raffaella said what’s going on there?”

“She thought they were booing her, and I had to call her to the net. I said no no they just want him to say my name because he, the umpire, was instructed not to say my name and so people are yelling like they do these days – say her name.”

Further, she added, “So, finally, he said on my left, the representative of the United States, Martina Navratilova, and they went nuts. So it made it actually a bigger deal than it would have been had he announced it the first time. So it was just so many different moments and I was just so happy to share it with you and Pam and Zina Garrison, Marty Riessen, our coach.”

Martina Navratilova was in a must-win match after Chris Evert had lost her opening match. However, with the crowd behind her, she won her match in straight sets. Subsequently, she teamed up with Pam Shriver to win their doubles encounter.

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Later, the United States went on to defeat West Germany and Czechoslovakia to win their 12th Fed Cup title.