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Tennis pundit and former player Pam Shriver recently recalled Martina Navratilova's journey in the tennis world and pointed out that the Czech legend had to sacrifice a lot to achieve greatness in the sport.
Shriver spoke on the latest episode of Tennis Worthy ahead of the Billie Jean King Cup and reminisced on Navratilova's decision to defect from her homeland in order to accomplish her dreams.
"Martina sacrificed a lot more than other champions. She felt that she had to leave her homeland inorder to have the freedon and the opportunity to be the best player she could be," Pam Shriver said.
Martina Navratilova is widely considered among the greatest tennis players of all time. She won 59 Major titles — 18 in singles, 31 in doubles, and 10 in mixed doubles. The 66-year-old was the World No. 1 in singles for a total of 332 weeks and a record 237 weeks in doubles.
Navratilova was forced to leave her own country at the age of eighteen in order to pursue her tennis dreams. She returned home 11 years later to play in the Fed Cup in 1986 and recalled the moment as "bittersweet."
"It was a bittersweet moment for me and a bitter sweetmoment I think for the people also because they would have liked if I had stayed and got more glory for Czechoslovakia (now Czech Republic) but at the same time, they were happy that I got out and still succeeded," Navratilova said.
Pam Shriver described the moment Navratilova stepped onto the court in the Fed Cup.
"The moment she stepped out on the court, the crowd was over the moon, excited," Shriver recalled.
"Here is hoping" - Martina Navratilova on the rise of Democrats in the US
Nine-time Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova has expressed hope for a better future in America with the rise of the Democrats over the past few years. The former World No. 1 has always supported the Democratic Party and has contributed to a number of their campaigns.
The 66-year-old shared a post on Twitter regarding documentary filmmaker Michael Moore's analysis of the rising number of Democrats in the country.
"Here is hoping," Navratilova tweeted in response.
Navratilova has always been against the ideology of the Republican party, especially former President Donald Trump, against whom she often launches fiery rants on Twitter.
