"Been screaming that for 20 years" - Martina Navratilova joins commentator Steve Weissman’s campaign to abolish the let rule in tennis

Martina Navratilova recently expressed her strong agreement with sports commentator Steve Weissman’s proposal to eliminate the let rule on serves in tennis.

Weissman made his case for the rule change during a recent podcast. Navratilova, who has won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and 31 doubles titles, echoed his sentiments, saying that she has been advocating for the same idea for more than two decades.

The let rule in tennis is when the serve hits the net and lands in the service box, resulting in a replay of the point. Weissman believes that the rule is unnecessary and inconsistent, as it does not apply to any other shots in the game.

"I'm saying no more lets on serves. It happens in every other part of the game other than serve. No more lets," Weissman said on the Tennis Channel podcast.

Navratilova shared Weissman’s podcast clip on her X (formerly Twitter) account on Thursday, October 26, and wrote.

"Been screaming that for about 20 years!!! NO MORE LETS."

According to the New York Times, The International Tennis Federation (ITF) conducted a two-year research across 715 matches in the 1990s when they were thinking about the rule change. They found out that each match has about 4.1 lets on average, and most of the time (65%), the let did not give any advantage to either player.

Most of the balls that touched the net and still landed in the service box kept going almost the same way and speed; it was rare for them to slow down or change direction.

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"Fantastic advocate for saving women's sports" - Riley Gaines on Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova at the 2023 Internazionali BNL D'Italia

Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines recently extended birthday wishes to Martina Navratilova on her 67th birthday and lauded her for championing women's sports.

Former top-ranked WTA player Navratilova has been a fervent supporter of women's sports. She has consistently expressed concerns about trans women participating in women's competitions, which Gaines also campaigns against.

Navratilova didn't hold back her opinions on the presence of transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in the women's category, in which Gaines also participated.

On October 18, as the Czech-American turned 67, many, including Gaines, took to social media to commend her for her contributions and extend their warm wishes.

"And a fantastic advocate for saving women's sports. Happy birthday to you @Martina!!! #SaveWomensSports," Riley Gaines posted on X.