"What off season???" - Martina Navratilova takes sarcastic jab at grueling tennis schedule as 2024 United Cup approaches

Martina Navratilova recently took a sarcastic swipe at the sport’s hectic schedule, as players prepare for the second edition of the United Cup, starting on December 29.

The United Cup is a relatively new addition to the tennis calendar, featuring 18 country teams of six players each, competing in a round-robin format across two cities: Sydney and Perth. It will feature top players such as Novak Djokovic, Iga Swiatek, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Taylor Fritz, Jessica Pegula and others.

The United Cup will serve as the opener for the 2024 ATP tour and the WTA tour. It offers both ATP rankings and WTA rankings points to its players, who can win a maximum of 500 points.

The players have barely finished the 2023 season, which ended with the ATP Finals and the WTA Finals in November. Now, they have to prepare for another grueling competition that involves traveling across different time zones. The United Cup also leaves the players with little time to prepare for the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, which begins on January 14, 2024.

Navratilova shared a tweet that announced the countdown to the new team event and added her sarcastic remark.

"Exactly- what off-season??? Merry Merry to all the players!!!" Navratilova wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

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Martina Navratilova dives deep into her political activism on social media

Martina Navratilova at the 2023 WTA Finals

Martina Navratilova recently explained her active involvement on social media, particularly in addressing political matters. Navratilova, who has consistently advocated for women's rights in sports, has openly opposed the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports in recent times.

Regarding her activism, prominently observed on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Navratilova expressed her belief in the importance of freedom of speech, a right she lacked in her country of birth. Despite this commitment, Navratilova acknowledged the frequent criticism she encountered for taking a stance.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion, who was born in what is now the Czech Republic, became an American citizen in 1975 after leaving her homeland to avoid the communist regime that ruled then.

“Well, I left my country because I couldn't speak my mind. That was one of the reasons I wanted to be free to say what I want. And then I get here and then I say what I want, and then I get excoriated for it for different reasons,” Navratilova said on the ‘On with Kara Swisher’ podcast.

Martina Navratilova further mentioned that she can freely articulate her unedited viewpoints on X, unlike in numerous interviews where her statements are censored.

“Twitter [X] gives you the opportunity to speak your mind, without being censored. Because all the interviews that I've ever done, it was through the lens of that writer. And then they cut out half the stuff that I say. This is a chance to have no filter and no censorship,” she added.