Martina Navratilova has penned down her name in the history of the sport as one of the best ever. The player rose from a country engaged in turmoil and found solace in a sport that made her an inspiration for many. She won 18 grand slam singles titles in her career, out of which nine of them came at Wimbledon.

The player, however, could not be present at the recently concluded centenary celebration of Centre Court. She cleared the assumptions fans and pundits made about her absence on the occasion via Twitter.

Assumptions behind the absence of Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova has never backed away from expressing her opinions, both during her playing years and after her retirement. After the legendary Czech-American’s absence during the centenary celebrations, a discussion centered around the possible reason for Navratilova’s absence started on Twitter.

One of the comments stated that it was because they were just celebrations were focused on one particular player, Roger Federer. Then there were questions about the presence of Rod Laver and Chris Evert.

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Amidst all this, Martina Navratilova took it upon herself to clear the misunderstanding.

She commented, “I was on-site putting on makeup two hours before the ceremony but felt like I had a cold and so tested and when it came positive 15 min later, I left the courts immediately and watched it all on tv 300 yards from the Centre court. Monica is just making stuff up. Gutted I missed it.”

Navratilova’s love for Wimbledon

The player expressed her regret over not being present at the celebration. The 18-time grand slam champion was doing a television commentary during Wimbledon 2022.

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Then she tested positive for COVID-19 and had to leave the premises to quarantine herself for everyone’s safety.

The player has a deep love for the grass-court major. Out of all her singles Grand Slam successes, she won the most at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. She also vouched for the participation of players, despite WTA and ATP’s sanctions.