Martina Navratilova lauds Serena Williams for setting an example of being a successful tennis player even after a pregnancy break

23-time major winner Serena Williams is enjoying her retirement for almost a month but the tributes for her continue to come in. With a stellar career that spanned over 27 years, Williams won titles across all disciplines and all tiers of the Tour going out as one of the most successful players ever.

Williams won her 23rd major at the 2017 Australian Open and took a maternal break owing to her pregnancy. Upon her return, she managed to reach four more Grand Slam finals but was unfortunate to end as the runner-up on all occasions being deprived of a 24th major that would have tied her with Margaret Court.

“For women it was either-or, but now Serena proved you can have both. There are plenty of other mothers on the tour who have done really well. The biggest reason we didn’t see it – there are a couple – the care wasn’t there, the money wasn’t there, and also women just chose to have babies and then they didn’t come back

“But now I think Serena kind of paved the way for motherhood and to still be an athlete. I think you will see more and more women playing well into their 30s, maybe into their 40s. With the money that’s in tennis, people can take better care of themselves,” said Martina Navratilova speaking with CNN.

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“We cannot replace a Roger Federer or a Serena Williams,”: Martina Navratilova

Navratilova herself played into the late 40s with her last official match coming in 2006, at the age of 49 years being weeks shy of her 50th birthday. Having turned Pro in 1974, Navratilova’s glorious career lasted for 32 years making her career one of the longest and most successful.

Navratilova stressed on the point that players now have better accessiblity to healthcare facilities for both mental and physical health which enables them to prolong their careers. She compared the situation to her own playing days and how it has changed over the years.

“Most of all, with the knowledge that we have about how to take care of our bodies much better – that will prolong players’ careers. Maybe (players will) not play as much every year but play longer and better quality as well. The care is there, the mental health, all of that is being addressed now much better than it was in my day,” added Navratilova.

With Roger Federer also saying his goodbye to professional tennis last month, the sport lost two of its biggest icons within a month. Navratilova however addressed that while legends like Federer and Williams can’t be recreated, the fans can give a chance to the newcomers surely.

“The electricity that she(Williams) brought to the stadium was amazing. We cannot replace a Roger Federer or a Serena Williams but we can bring in new faces that will make us feel better about ourselves and keep us entertained hopefully for decades to come,” concluded Navratilova naming Iga Swiatek as one of the flag bearers of sport going ahead.

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