"There's tarnishing your legacy and then there's giving unsolicited opinion about woman of color's choices" - Tennis fans criticize Navratilova over Naomi Osaka comments

Martina Navratilova recently landed in hot water with tennis fans for her comments on Naomi Osaka's participation in the upcoming Wimbledon Championships. With the tournament not awarding ranking points this year, the Japanese had hinted that she might skip the event during her press conference at the French Open.

Osaka pointed out that she was more concerned about her ranking at the moment, meaning that her primary focus is on events where she stands to gain points. The four-time Grand Slam champion is not the only player with that view, as many players have echoed a similar sentiment.

But appearing in a recent interview with the ever-controversial Piers Morgan, Martina Navratilova criticized the former World No. 1's statements. Waxing lyrical about the history of Wimbledon, the 18-time Major winner claimed that she did not understand how players could ponder skipping such a prestigious tournament.

Furthermore, the American remarked that she would love to sit down with Osaka and explain what Wimbledon means to the majority of the tennis world, a statement that did not sit well with fans on social media.

Many users saw it as condescending for Navratilova to talk down to the 24-year-old, while others denounced the 65-year-old for trying to control the personal decisions of a "woman of color".

"There's tarnishing your legacy and then there's going on Piers Morgan to give your unsolicited opinion about a woman of color's choices," one account wrote.

"This isn't a surprise to anyone that has followed Martina. Going on Piers Morgan to criticize Naomi Osaka? Hmmmmmm," another fan posted.

"Why are white people in a black woman's business like... get hobby or something..." one user tweeted.

"We all know Naomi Osaka is trying to build her ranking back up from top 50, so clearly in this part of her career points matter. Literally anyone in tennis knows this?! Especially if she wants to be seeded for USO," another user posted.

Naomi Osaka has never been past the third round at Wimbledon

Naomi Osaka's best result at Wimbledon has been reaching the third round

Naomi Osaka has made only three main-draw appearances at Wimbledon to date, with her best result being third-round finishes in 2017 and 2018. In 2017, Osaka fell to 10th seed Venus Williams, while she lost to 11th seed Angeligue Kerber in 2018.

In 2019, the four-time Grand Slam champion was seeded second but exited in the very first round, losing to Yulia Putintseva. The Japanese's decision to skip the tournament therefore makes a lot of sense, since she can focus her entire attention on the US Open instead.

Osaka is much more successful at Flushing Meadows, where she has won the title twice -- in 2018 and 2020. With enough ranking points, the 24-year-old might even be seeded at the tournament this year, thus increasing her chances of a fairly easy draw.