Martina Navratilova LAMBASTS fan for mocking the Muslim community after Ons Jabeur’s Wimbledon Finals loss
Martina Navratilova raises her voice against bigotry.
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Tennis legend Martina Navratilova lashed out at a Twitter user who posted a derogatory remark on the microblogging platform. The 18-time Grand Slam winner, an outspoken voice for liberal values, was visibly peeved at the insensitive comments made by a Twitter user, who needlessly dragged Ons Jabeur’s religion into the conversation while talking about her recent Wimbledon final loss.
Martina, who holds an astounding 59 Grand Slam titles to her name, across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles formats, didn’t mince any words while responding to the Twitter user, who goes by the Twitter handle @Just2Tennis.
Labeling the user an “a**hole,” Navratilova called for the account to be blocked.
The disgusting tweet depicts an image of former World No.1 Dinara Safina, and Wimbledon 2023 runner-up, Ons Jabeur. Pointing out the religion of the two tennis athletes in the picture, the user derisively captioned it, “Muslim women are now 0-6 in Grand Slam finals.”
In fact, Martina was the first one to react and express strong disapproval over the post.
Dinara Safina and Ons Jabeur – Two inspiring athletes of women’s tennis
Dinara Safina, a former world No. 1 and Beijing 2008 Olympics silver medalist, was a very talented tennis player whose tennis career was cut short at a young age due to persistent back injuries. The Russian, who won the 2007 US Open doubles title partnering Natalie Dechy, was a three-time Grand Slam singles finalist. She finished runner-up in consecutive editions of the French Open in 2008 and 2009, as well as the 2009 Australian Open. To this date, she remains only the second Russian woman, after Maria Sharapova, to top the WTA ranking charts.
Safina and her brother Marat Safin, a two-time Grand Slam winner, are the first brother-sister pair to both reach world No. 1 in their respective tennis careers. Marat Safin was ranked world No. 1 by the ATP in 2000, while Dinara Safina reached world No. 1 in 2009.
Ons Jabeur, on the other hand, hails from Tunisia and is the driving force behind the popularity of women’s tennis in the African continent. The crafty 28-year-old, with her slick drop shots that always seemed to draw an element of surprise, has been a consistent performer on the WTA Tour over the past few years.
The World No. 6 has become a fan favorite at the Wimbledon Championships over the last couple of years. Not just known to entertain fans with her precise drop shots, the football fan in her doesn’t seem to miss out on an opportunity to exhibit her love for the sport on the tennis court too, much to the delight of the watching fans.
It is quite unfortunate that Ons stumbled in the final frontier of the Wimbledon Championships in successive years, in 2022 as well as in 2023. In both matches, she was expected to emerge the victor but ended up facing defeat in both finals. Jabeur, who was ranked a career-high world No. 2 last year, also faced a painful defeat at the hands of world No. 1 Iga Swiatek at the final of the US Open in 2022.
The Tunisian publicly made a promise to her team after her painful Wimbledon final defeat that she would one day lift a Grand Slam trophy. With the wide array of shots that she possesses in her arsenal, coupled with her tenacity, one wouldn’t count against Ons Jabeur emerging victorious in Grand Slam events in the near future.
Both Dinara Safina and Ons Jabeur’s career journeys have been inspiring, and their achievements, with or without a Grand Slam title, are by no means worthy of mockery. It is immaterial what faith a player professes and whether or not he or she wins Grand Slam titles; what matters in the truest sense is if players are able to be a good example for the next generation of tennis players. One cannot argue that Dinara Safina and Ons Jabeur have been a beacon of light for many young tennis enthusiasts all over the globe.
It is no secret that Martina Navratilova is a powerful voice for liberal causes, especially on the microblogging platform Twitter. Some may support the 66-year-old for her political comments, while others may condemn them. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with Martina, it is impossible to ignore the tennis legend’s views.
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