Martina Navratilova is the most successful player in the history of the Wimbledon Championships.
The tennis legend has a combined 20 singles, women’s and mixed doubles titles at the All-England Club, and she still plays in the legends competition to this day.
There is very little that Navratilova does not know about competing at Wimbledon and achieving plenty of success there.
However, Navratilova enjoyed her success during the 1970s and 1980s, but the game has changed significantly in the decades since.
Martina Navratilova wants to emulate Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz if she played at Wimbledon now
Martina Navratilova made her name in the 1970s and 1980s, and won her ninth and final singles title at Wimbledon in 1990.
At the time serve and volley was the common way to play on grass, with plenty of low slices and drop shots being key ways to win points on the slick and low-bouncing surface.
Since her playing days tennis has transitioned to a predominantly baseline game with more aggressive and powerful hitting.
Navratilova knows she would have to change her game if she played at Wimbledon in the current era, and she would look to emulate Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz, who have 10 titles between them.
“I would probably have to stay back on some first serves,” Navratilova said. “The chip and charge would still work … because my slice was outstanding. It stayed low, even on clay and lower on the grass. And the volley would still hold up.
“I’d just be coming in on more picky shots. Kind of a combination of Roger [Federer] and myself, coming in on the forehand, mixing it up. Probably closer to what [Carlos] Alcaraz is doing. I think I would be OK.”
Martina Navratilova says she had the ‘perfect game’ for grass during her career
Navratilova was the best grass court player of her era and arguably of all time.
She won 307 matches on grass and lost just 39, giving her a win percentage of 88.72%. Overall, Navratilova claimed 32 titles on grass.
The former world number one has also won 120 singles matches at Wimbledon, more than any other player. When commenting on success on grass, Navratilova was always confident in her game to do well on the surface.
“My game was perfect for grass. I just didn’t know that it was perfect until I started playing on it. I just knew that I knew how to play on grass, that my game was better suited to it than anybody,” Navratilova said.
“So if I just played up to my capability, no one was going to beat me. I was going to have to have a really bad day — but I was too consistent for that. Even my bad days were pretty good. The feeling is amazing. You’re saying, ‘I got this. I got this.’”
