Martina Navratilova‘s dislike for the 24-time Grand Slam champion, Margaret Court, isn’t unknown to many in the tennis world. From campaigning for changing the name of the iconic Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne to criticizing her conservative opinions, the Czech-American legend has showcased her strong opinions about the former Australian tennis star. However, there was a time when both Court and Navratilova were good friends. Their amicable relationship turned sour in 1990 when they both were engaged in a verbal war. Unaware that she was offending the tennis player, the Australian tennis icon pointed out what a poor role model Navratilova was. However, rather than feeling anxious, this comment from her good friend startled the 59-time Grand Slam champion.

Back when Navratilova opened up about her sexuality, she received mixed reactions from the tennis world. While many appreciated her candor, some tennis legends like Court felt differently about the same.

Martina Navratilova’s reaction to Court’s “poor role model” comment

In a 1990 interview with “Later on Bob Costas,” the 59-time Grand Slam champion discussed how she felt about being labeled a poor role model. And later, she also defined what it means to be a role model. The 66-year-old tennis legend focused on how she considered Court a dear friend, but the way she vented out was very upsetting for the legendary American player.

She said, “We all have our definitions of what a role model is, and hers is different from most people’s. But I was just disappointed that she I thought she was a friend and that she would if she had some strong ideas like that she would come up to me. And say something to me first before going on press conferences on you know talking about it.” 

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Not only that, but she also talked about how to achieve the greatest heights in one’s career. According to her, the first and foremost was that one should not pull the other person down. “I thought her timing was pretty poor. You can always find something wrong with somebody. Whether it’s the way your hair is cut or what you think about abortion rights or whatever,” she added. However, for the context, this all started when the 64-year-old tennis player slammed Navratilova for her sexuality.

When Court attacked Navratilova concerning her sexuality

The same year, the 80-year-old tennis star gave a statement about the 59-time Grand Slam champion and attacked her for her sexual orientation. Although she acknowledged that the Czech-American tennis player was a brilliant player, the younger tennis generation would not like to look up to her as a role model.

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She also discussed how the 59-time Grand Slam champion’s life has deteriorated due to her sexual orientation. By making such controversial remarks, Court felt that Navratilova’s revelations about her sexuality would make a bad impression on the younger generation players coming into the sport.