"Martina Navratilova resents chances she never had that have come Steffi Graf's way" - When Navratilova's ex-partner spoke about the iconic rivalry

Martina Navratilova's former partner Judy Nelson once claimed that the American legend resented not having the chances that came Steffi Graf's way.

Navratilova established herself as one of the greatest tennis players of all time through her performances in the 1970s and early to mid-1980s. Her dominance on the WTA Tour, however, ended with the emergence of Steffi Graf.

1988 was when Graf well and truly cemented her status as the best player in the world. She completed the Golden Slam that year, winning all four Majors and the Olympic gold.

Graf defeated Navratilova in the Wimbledon final, thus ending the latter's run of six successive titles at the grasscourt Major.

Navratilova's then-partner, Judy Nelson, said that while the American admired Graf's excellence, the German needed to show more "maturity." She also said Navratilova believed that youngsters like Graf had it easier than her.

"Martina just doesn't think that playing tennis successfully is just a question of taking the money. Martina admires excellence and great athletes, and Steffi is certainly that. But she needs to show a little maturity. The young girls like Steffi have had it easier. Martina feels that very strongly and wishes they would realize it more," Nelson said, as quoted by Deseret News.

Nelson added that Navratilova "resented" not having the chances that Steffi Graf had. She said that while the American didn't always have the best diet and coaches, Graf had the "best guidance" right from the start.

"The one thing Martina resents is the chances that she never had that have come Steffi's way. Steffi started when she was four and has always had the best guidance. She was professional before her 14th birthday, for heaven's sake," Nelson said.

"When Martina started she had a supportive family and that's it. there were no special diets or coaching. It wasn't available to her and it bothers her a lot that she'll never know how much better she might have been," she added.

Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf faced each other in 6 Grand Slam finals

Steffi Graf with husband Andre Agassi in Las Vegas in 2023

Steffi Graf and Martina Navratilova had a fierce rivalry, with their head-to-head tied at 9-9.

The two locked horns in six Grand Slam finals, with the German winning four and the American two. All of their meetings in Major finals came in the 1980s.

Both of Navratilova's Slam final wins over Graf came in 1987; she beat her at Wimbledon and US Open that year. Graf did win that year's French Open though, triumphing over the American in the final.

The German also defeated Navratilova in the 1988 and 1989 Wimbledon finals, as well as the 1989 US Open final.