Interesting: Everything’s been done for Steffi Graf … I couldn’t do that because I didn’t have the……….see more

Everything’s been done for Steffi Graf … I couldn’t do that because I didn’t have the facilities” – When Martina Navratilova proclaimed German was ‘molded’ into being World No. 1

Martina Navratilova once shared her thoughts about being replaced by Steffi Graf as the World No. 1. Although she expressed her admiration for Graf’s skills, Navratilova also contended that the German had benefited from resources and facilities she hadn’t been able to access, which contributed to her rival’s rise to the top.

Their dominance continued until an 18-year-old Graf ascended to the top spot just before the 1987 US Open. It marked the first instance since 1980 that neither Navratilova nor Evert would be the top seed at the New York Major.

 

In an interview with the New York Times before the US Open that year, Martina Navratilova opened up about being replaced by Steffi Graf as the World No. 1, hailing the German as a “champion.” Despite her unfamiliarity with the then-18-year-old, the Czech-American remarked that Graf seemed like a good person.

 

”She’s a champion. She’s a very good player and person, even though at this point I don’t know her well. I like her determination. That doesn’t happen with too many people,” Navratilova said

In contrast, the Czech-American admitted that she hadn’t been able to devote multiple hours a day to practicing like Steffi Graf because she didn’t have access to the same high-quality facilities.

 

“Besides her talent and her head, I think she’s been molded into being number one. Everything’s been done for her. She had top coaching, health care, training and athletic facilities since day one. At 18, she’s practicing three and four hours a day, every day. I couldn’t do that because I didn’t have the facilities,” she said.tina Navratilova threw down the gauntlet over World No. 1 ranking ahead of US Open 1987

During the same interview, Martina Navratilova described relinquishing the World No. 1 ranking to Steffi Graf as a “temporary setback,” asserting that she simply needed

to defeat the German.