The year 1986 was one of the most important and memorable years for Martina Navratilova. In that season, she managed to win the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open titles. Additionally, she also reached the final of the French Open. Further, in an emotional moment for her, she returned to her native country with the likes of Chris Evert to participate in the Fed Cup.

Despite being away from her native country for several years, the tennis legend received a warm reception during her return to Czechoslovakia. Recently, her Fed Cup teammate, Evert talked about the emotions flowing through them.

Chris Evert on Martina Navratilova’s homecoming

During the recent episode of the Fantastic Tennis podcast, Evert talked about the events during their visit to Czechoslovakia. She said, “The USA team led by Chris Evert, you know, I was Number 2, she was Number 1 and they didn’t mention her, and the first match, they put me on center court and they put Martina on the side court. But on the side court, people were hanging, were climbing the fences and hanging on the fences trying to watch her.” 

Further, she added, “It’s like, she had all the people, she was the people’s princess, you know but she didn’t have obviously the government.”

DIVE DEEPER: ‘We Had Roasted Chicken and Mashed Potatoes’ – Chris Evert Fondly Remembers a Martina Navratilova Memory Ahead of a Crucial Grand Slam Final

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Talking about the emotional moment, Evert said, “So, when our team was introduced, I remember, she got a standing ovation, none of the players on the Czechoslovakian team got a standing ovation but she did and girls were crying and Martina was crying, we all were crying.”

Navratilova’s new venture

Earlier this year, the tennis legend entered into a partnership with Sense Arena. It is a virtual reality training platform in sports. Partnering with International Tennis Hall of Famer, Navratilova, Sense Arena launched a new tennis training platform.

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Recently, she also tried this platform and enjoyed her time with it. The Czech-based company had earlier raised around $5.2 Million to develop its tennis training platform.