American Tennis Player-Turned-Nun Made an Open Confession Once About Letting Martina Navratilova Soak in the Glory at Wimbledon
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In a ravishing career of 3 decades, Martina Navratilova won a total of 59 Grand Slam titles. Out of which, 9 came in as the Ladies Singles champion at Wimbledon. Going back in time, Navratilova’s wins at Wimbledon remain one of the most celebrated wins of her career. However, a few years ago, a confession by a former American player, Andrea Jaeger, made the headlines.
In a rivalry lasting three years, Andrea Jaeger and Martina Navratilova played each other a total of 15 times. Ending their on-court rivalry, the two last played in the finals of the 1983 Wimbledon. As anticipated by the tennis world, Martina won the clash in straight sets. However, 25 years after the finals, in 2008, Andrea asserted that she let Navratilova win the finals.
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Jaeger’s confession concerning the Wimbledon win of Martina Navratilova
Going back to the 1983 finals, Navratilova won her 4th women’s singles Wimbledon title in straight sets of 6-0, 6-3. Following the win, the entire tennis world including Andrea, congratulated the Czech-American player on the win.
However, in 2008, while interacting with a media house, Jaeger said, “I went on court in complete peace knowing that giving the match away was the right thing to do.”
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The words of Jaeger in no time became a question of Martina’s win. Needless to say, being a former World No. 2, Jaeger’s words also carried weight. Elaborating further on how things turned out during the first set, she admitted, “During the match missed balls on purpose. I hit right to Martina and when was getting whipped in the first set 6-0, I tried to look upset about it.”
As mentioned earlier, Navratilova won the first set 6-0. On the contrary, the second set had Jaeger take three games to end the set 6-3. Watching the match, the spectators felt that the American player had made a slight comeback in the game. However, things looked majorly different in the words of Jaeger.
Opening up about the second set, she asserted, “I needed to make the second set closer and did, but not close enough to worry Martina.”
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The email sent three years ago
Even since Jaeger made the confession in 2008, it remains one of the most bizarre and shocking revelations in the history of the sport. While one may think that the claims made were huge in itself, the now 57-year-old Jaeger had more in the bag. She further opened up about an email she sent to Martina three years before 2008, i.e. 2005.
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‘God knows the truth. I knew the truth. I emailed Martina three years ago to say it doesn’t take away from her win, but she never replied…,” she ended.
14 years since then, the majority of the tennis world has forgotten the case. However, it does remain on the list of the most controversial revelations in the game.
Edited by:
Tony Thomas