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18-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 Martina Navratilova is one of the most celebrated tennis players in history. She has won multiple 59 Grand Slams in her illustrious career, including 31 majors in women's doubles and 10 in mixed doubles.
The 66-year-old recently shared a fan's tweet which included her incredible achievement at the WTA Finals, winning both singles and doubles titles on the trot from 1983 to 1986. Navratilova cheekily praised herself for the accomplishment, claiming that the record wasn't so bad after all.
"Not bad at all," mentioned Navratilova.
It should be noted that the WTA Finals took place twice in 1986 -- once in March and once in November. Although Navratilova won the singles title on both occasions, she won the doubles event only in November, losing in the semifinals of the March edition.
"She played great, she’s grown so much" - Martina Navratilova on Jessica Pegula's chances at the 2022 WTA Finals
In her interview via WTA Insider, the former World No. 1 weighed in on the chances of the American contingent at the ongoing WTA Finals in Fort Worth, Texas. Navratilova claimed that she was happy with the progress of World No. 3 Jessica Pegula throughout the year and mentioned that she had grown so much.
"She played great last week, obviously. She’s grown so much. [Coach] David [Witt] has been working with her, and everything’s gotten better. She was a passive player and now she’s not your basic baseliner at all. She’s adept at the net -- I think doubles has helped her."
"And she’s totally a student of the game. You can see her brain working. She’s been steady mentally; she doesn’t get too upset one way or another. She’s been consistent in every way. And she’s added the firepower when the opportunity’s there," said Martina Navratilova.
Unfortunately, Pegula has lost both of her first two matches, against Maria Sakkari and Ons Jabeur. She will need a miracle to get through to the knockouts, and has to beat Aryna Sabalenka by a huge margin to keep her chances alive.
When it came to picking her favorite for the event, however, Martina Navratilova could not look past current World No. 1 Iga Swiatek, praising her adaptability and stellar strokeplay.
"You have to go with Swiatek. How can you go against her? She would probably adapt the best to whatever the speed of the court is going to be. She’s got pretty compact strokes, even though she puts a lot of topspin on that forehand," Martina Navratilova said.
"It’s not a massive swing, so she can deal with the faster court. And growing up in Poland, she probably would have practiced a lot on faster courts so she can adapt to that. If it’s slow, great, the topspin will pay off for her. I can’t go against her because she’s never going to beat herself," she added.
True to prediction, Swiatek has qualified for the semifinals already, beating Daria Kasatkina and Caroline Garcia in straight sets in her opening two matches.
