Martina Navratilova takes a fresh new dig at controversial swimmer Lia Thomas as the tennis icon continues to oppose the inclusion of trans athletes in women’s sports

Martina Navratilova takes a dig at swimmer Lia Thomas


Martina Navratilova takes a fresh new dig at controversial swimmer Lia Thomas as the tennis icon continues to oppose the inclusion of trans athletes in women’s sports

Martina Navratilova (L) and Lia Thomas (R) ( Credits: People Magazine and The Guardian)

Martina Navratilova is known for her outspoken nature and honest political opinions. She has been one of the few people who has insistently raised her voice against the inclusion of trans athletes in sports.

She recently published an opinion piece called “Five Years Later: What I’ve Learned about Women and Men in Sports. The article mentions trans women competing in the women’s category. For instance, Lia Thomas, who was once William Thomas, was ranked 462 in the men’s swimming category but is ranked No. 1 in the women’s swimming category.

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Stating the example of Lia Thomas, who is a transgender woman competing in the women’s category, Navratilova speaks about how it is unfair to the other biological females in the same category. The former No. 1 had also protested against the USTA’s inclusion policy. 

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She also recently got into an altercation on X (formerly known as Twitter) over her views. The former Wimbledon champion had quoted Republican Riley Gaines, who had competed against Thomas. Gaines tweeted that Lia Thomas is not a brave, courageous woman who earned a national title but an arrogant cheat who stole a national title from a hardworking, deserving woman. 

When questioned about giving voice to a person who had campaigned for Herschel Walker and Donald Trump, the 66-year-old replied, “I will fix the last sentence for you. Lia Thomas used the really bad NCAA rules to take a national title from a female athlete.”

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Martina Navratilova’s criticism of the WTA Finals being played in Saudi Arabia

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Martina Navratilova (Credits: NY Post)

The American tennis legend voiced her opinion and said that she would personally never fly to Saudi Arabia for a tournament as the country still treats women as second-class citizens. While most people agreed with her sentiment, some fans pointed out her hypocrisy, as she had previously flown down to other Middle Eastern countries for promotional activities.

She wrote on X, “Women essentially have no rights there. Let them change a lot more, and then we can interact more. Now is way too soon.” 

The WTA’s higher-ups were first reported to be eyeing Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, as a prospective host for their year-end tournament in 2024. The tennis community on social media bashed the concept in unison.

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