38 Years Not Enough to Mend the Heart as Martina Navratilova Gets Real About Her Infamous US Open Agony in a Candid Confession

It was the 1985 US Open. After a thumping win over Steffi Graf, Martina Navratilova breezed through to the final and was one of the favorites to lift the title. In the summit clash, she was up against the third seed, Hana Mandlikova, who had defeated Chris Evert in the other semifinal. After losing a close first set in the final, Navratilova made a strong comeback in the second set to level the match 1-1. However, what followed was a heartbreak for her as she lost the deciding set in the tiebreaker. Recently, she vented her feelings on remembering that match.

Navratilova, who is active on social media platforms like Twitter, took to this platform to express her feelings. Here’s what she said about that match.

Martina Navratilova gets dejected after remembering a close defeat

On Twitter, an account named ‘olly ‘posted four pictures of players who had heartbreaking losses. It comprised stars like Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and Ons Jabeur. The caption said, “If you could reverse ANY loss, and make it a win, what would it be?”

Reacting to this post, one fan remembered Navratilova’s heart-breaking 1985 US Open final defeat. The Martina fan was left gut-wrenched while sharing a clip of highlights from that match.

Navratilova, who was tagged in that comment, also reacted to her defeat as painful memories of the past continued to sting her. She said, “Thanks . That one hurt…”

Given that Navratilova was then at the peak of her career, this loss was tough to digest for her. Additionally, it was a major turning point in the race for most Grand Slam titles against her best friend and rival, Chris Evert.

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Navratilova and Evert ended on the same number of Grand Slam titles

Despite being strong rivals on the court, the two legends finished on the same number of Grand Slam singles titles, i.e. 18. If Navratilova could have won the close 1985 US Open final match, it would have made her overtake her friend Evert in the race. However, there are no ifs and buts in sports and Navratilova had to be content with 18 major titles and tied with Evert.

Nonetheless, Navratilova has had a stellar tennis career, something which she’s proud of. The heartbreaking loss is just one part of her career and it doesn’t overshadow the glorious achievements she has had during her illustrious career.

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