Martina Navratilova slams Neil Armstrong for NASA's lack of female astronauts in the '60s 

Martina Navratilova has lashed out at late astronaut Neil Armstrong over NASA's failure in the 1960s to send women out into space. Known for her commentary on tennis and social issues, the tennis legend's opinion on Armstrong, who became the first person to walk on the surface of the Moon in 1969, comes across as critical, to say the least.

Navratilova enjoyed more than three decades at the highest echelon of tennis in her playing days. She won 18 Major titles in singles, 31 in women's doubles, and 10 in mixed doubles to cement herself as one of the most complete tennis players in the game's history.

Since her retirement in 2006, Martina Navratilova has kept her fans updated with her social media posts. The 68-year-old offered her two cents on NASA's previous lack of female astronauts in the 1960s on X on Wednesday, May 7, directly attributing it to the celebrated Neil Armstrong's say-so.

"They would have been women astronauts in the 60’s except Neil Armstrong said NO. Hate him for that," Martina Navratilova wrote on X.

For those unaware, Armstrong was an American astronaut, naval officer, and professor who joined Apollo 11's Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins in exploring Moon's surface in July 1969. He passed away due to the complications that arose from his bypass surgery to treat coronary artery disease in August 2012. Coincidentally, Navratilova had dropped a cheeky comment on the topic of a historical lack of female astronauts in December 2022.

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Martina Navratilova on Donald Trump's NASA nominee Jared Isaacman vying for Administrator spot: "The grift is getting bigger by the day"

Last December, Martina Navratilova expressed disappointment with American billionaire and private astronaut Jared Isaacman being the prime pick to spearhead NASA as Donald Trump was set to take office as the 47th president of the USA the following month. Fully aware of Isaacman's associations with not only Trump but SpaceX founder Elon Musk, as well, Navratilova didn't mince her words on social media in a repost of a report stating the above.

"And the grift is getting bigger by the day," Martina Navratilova wrote on X in December 2024 while referring to Trump's nomination of Jared Isaacman as next NASA Administrator.

Navratilova's reaction didn't come off as a surprise, as she has been a staunch critic of Trump and his associated since some time now. Last month, the tennis legend implied that the US President was shielding himself from accountability for the recent negative developments in the country's economy.