29 Years After Narrowly Escaping Humiliation at a Los Angeles Event, Martina Navratilova Takes a Trip Down Memory Lane to Acknowledge a Heartfelt Letter

Martina Navratilova was one of women’s tennis’ most dominant forces across the 1970s and 1980s. While her powers had started to fade during the early 1990s, she was still a force to be reckoned with. At the 1994 Virginia Slims of Los Angeles, Navratilova faced Alexia Dechaume-Balleret in the second round. The Czech-American went into the tournament as the second seed and, unsurprisingly, everyone expected Navratilova to cruise to victory. However, tennis is a sport where expectations can often go for a toss, especially if the underdog rises to the occasion. That’s exactly what happened during the match between Navratilova and Dechaume-Balleret.

Even though Navratilova ultimately got the better of Dechaume-Balleret, the match left Navratilova exhausted. In a recent interview, Dechaume-Balleret revealed that following the conclusion of the tournament, Navratilova sent a heartfelt letter to her.

Martina Navratilova expressed her admiration for Dechaume-Balleret’s efforts in her letter

Ahead of Navratilova and Dechaume-Balleret’s encounter in 1994, Dechaume-Balleret’s rank was a lowly World No. 84. Even though 1994 would eventually prove to be Navratilova’s final season as a singles player, she still was the overwhelming favorite. As the first set finished 6-3 in favor of Navratilova, the match looked like a foregone conclusion. To everyone’s amazement, Dechaume-Balleret fought back and emerged victorious in the second set. The third and final set went all the way to a tiebreaker, which Navratilova narrowly won.

Recently, Dechaume-Balleret revealed Navratilova’s kind gesture towards her after the tournament’s end. “At the end of the tournament, someone with the WTA handed me a letter from Martina in which she congratulated me for my match and told me that if she was beaten after that by Ann Grossman, it was because of our tough match the night before.”

Navratilova responded to Dechaume-Balleret’s revelation on Twitter. In her response, the legend wrote, “Ha! And I did lose to Anne after having had two match points… go figure!” Navratilova’s response proves that she still remembers the tough time that Dechaume-Balleret gave her all those years ago.

Read More: ‘Idiots’ – Martina Navratilova Shuts Down French Open Audience for Booing Alize Cornet

What’s Martina Navratilova up to these days?

Navratilova got off to a torrid start in 2023. After all, her breast cancer had returned, and to make things worse, she was also diagnosed with throat cancer. However, Navratilova, being the fighter she is, underwent months of treatment. Earlier this month, she revealed that she’s cancer-free and feeling okay.

Recently, Navratilova announced her return to tennis commentary with The Tennis Channel. The 59-time Grand Slam champion will be covering the entirety of the 2023 French Open and is currently in Paris with her wife Julia Lemigova. While Navratilova is busy with her commentating duties, Lemigova is taking her time in Paris to enjoy herself with the couple’s beloved dog Loulou.

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