"It’s not like I got arrested for drunken driving and beat up a dog" - When Martina Navratilova broke down in tears after she felt 'rejected' by fans

Martina Navratilova once expressed disappointment over the way the crowd treated her, despite feeling accepted in the past. The incident occurred during the 1984 US Open.

Navratilova went head-to-head with her arch-rival and America's sweetheart, Chris Evert, in the final at Flushing Meadows. The Czech-born American emerged victorious with a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 scoreline, securing her sixth consecutive Major title and completing the prestigious Surface Slam.

In a 2014 interview with the New York Times, Martina Navratilova opened up about feeling "rejected" by the crowd after defeating Evert. She shared that the experience hurt even more because it contrasted sharply with 1981 when she lost to Tracy Austin in the title bout.

"Ironically, when I lost in ’81 to Tracy [Austin], I was crying after the match because I felt I was accepted by the crowd, and then three years later, I was crying after I won the match because I felt I was rejected by the crowd," the 18-time Major champion said.

"When I hugged Mike Estep [her coach], I remember saying to him: “Why were they so against me? This is so hard, this is so hard.” Not to take anything away from Chris, but it was really disheartening because I thought, It’s not like I got arrested for drunken driving and did something really bad, beat up a dog or something," she added.

Navratilova continued:

"I was the same human being. Yet, I felt completely rejected. For me, it was so important to be accepted by the crowd, and it was really very difficult. It’s probably the saddest I’ve ever been after winning a Grand Slam title."