Over the years, women’s tennis has seen some iconic players take center stage. From the likes of Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova to the likes of Venus and Serena Williams, women’s tennis has come a long way. While these legends have retired or nearing retirement, the debate about the greatest player of all time hasn’t settled in yet.

Recently, one such poll went viral on social media inquiring about the greatest player in women’s tennis. However, it angered tennis legend, Martina Navratilova. Here’s why the 66-year-old fumed at the poll.

Martina Navratilova didn’t like Maria Sharapova’s inclusion

Hours ago, World of Statistics shared a poll on their official Twitter handle, asking fans about who is the best female tennis player of all time. Fans had to choose one among Serena Williams, Steffi Graf, Maria Sharapova, and Martina Navratilova.

However, Sharapova’s inclusion in the list didn’t go down well with Navratilova. She replied to the tweet, saying, “What a joke- I mean Maria? Really? Don’t even bother voting…”

Further, the list saw the omission of some icons of the tennis world like Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, and Venus Williams. On the other hand, Sharapova’s inclusion seriously put off Navratilova and she didn’t give her vote.

Sharapova has received mixed responses from the 66-year-old. While her life-changing advice was crucial in Sharapova moving out of Russia and pursuing her tennis ambition in the United States, Navratilova has criticized Sharapova on a few occasions. Here’s another such instance.

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Navratilova didn’t like Maria Sharapova and Serena Williams’ loud grunting

During an interview once, the former World Number 1 talked about how players making loud grunting sounds while playing gave them an unfair advantage over their opponents. Talking about it, she said, “There’s no reason to be making that noise when you are hitting a ball. We are not lifting 200 pounds over our head.”

On this front, players have also received strict warnings from umpires about the noises and frequency of it. The 66-year-old felt that it was a form of indirect cheating as the noise would create disturbance for the opponent. As a result, chair umpires have limited and controlled the noise at the tournaments.

Coming to the poll, the debate for the GOAT in women’s tennis is heating up. Who is your pick for it? Let us know in the comments below.

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