Martina Navratilova, the 18 times Grand Slam champion, suffered some rough patches in her early days. After moving to America, she faced unbearable bugging related to her defection from Czechoslovakia and hatred from the fan’s end.

Navratilova went through hell in the initial year as she felt unwelcomed in the nation and her game kept on mounting unsatisfactory results. However, the veteran slowly got the hang of how the west functions. Further, with the help of a few changes in the curriculum, she started flourishing in the sport as well. And then came the time when the taste of defeat was also sweet.

Martina Navratilova about getting the acceptance of US fans

In the year 1981, Navratilova finally received the kind of treatment a player of her caliber deserved. The 25-year-old after winning her first ever Grand Slam on the hard courts of Australia was ready to win the hearts of American fans. She made up the finals of the US Open and locked horns with Tracy Austin for the title.

Although she fell shot and couldn’t get the better of Austin, the crowd’s tremendous support washed away her agony. As Navratilova wrote, “They weren’t cheering Martina the Complainer or Martina the Czech, Martina the Loser, Martina the Bisexual Defector.”

Thereafter, she admitted, “They were cheering me. I had never felt anything like it in my life. Acceptance, respect, maybe even love.” The support was humongous as the spectators payed no heed to even her acceptance of in-match faults.

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When the nine times Wimbledon champion in the post-match presentation pointed out, “I froze on some volleys that might have won me the match.” Fans didn’t care, and they never stopped cheering. They cheered when her name was announced as the runner-up as well as when she cried on the sidelines.

Navratilova’s achievements

The tennis veteran is considered one of the best tennis players ever. She claimed 157 singles titles and held the crown of World no.1 for a record 332 weeks during her playing days. Also, the Czech-American has 177 doubles and 15 mixed doubles trophies under her name.

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Further, Navratilova ruled the grass courts. Her on-court aggression gelled very nicely with the fastest surface of tennis. Therefore, she achieved the milestone of 100 victories in the Wimbledon championships, which is still to be matched by any active WTA player.