I'd like to see faster courts, smaller racquets: Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova, who has won 59 Grand Slam titles (18 singles, 31 women’s doubles and 10 mixed doubles), is one of the greatest players in the history of tennis. More so because her sphere of influence has extended well beyond the tennis courts.

Born in Prague, Navratilova lost her Czech citizenship when she sought political asylum in the US at the age of 18, in 1975. She has fought for prejudice against homosexuality since disclosing in 1981 that she was gay. Having survived cancer, she is also an activist for children’s and animal rights.

The 58-year-old Navratilova, who is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, returned to the game late last year as a coach for women’s world No. 8 Agnieszka Radwanska. She discussed coaching, activism and Leander Paes in a telephone interview. Edited excerpts:

How is it returning to tennis as a coach?

It’s so different. There is a lot more to it than just hitting a tennis ball and telling you how to hit it better.

Everybody is working, should be working on all aspects of their game: strengths and weaknesses, physical, mental, emotional, it’s all connected. It’s about trying to figure out what the targets are, what you need to work on the most, whether it’s technique or physical fitness, certain kind of movements, tactical aspects of the sport, shot selection, all that stuff. The job of the coach is to figure out what is most important at the moment and concentrate on that.

How much have powerful modern tennis racquets and slower courts changed the game?

I would like to see faster courts and smaller racquets. Limit the size of the head above the racquet where you can just take any kind of a swing and the ball will still go in; where it would put a little more emphasis on technique and ability.

By making the racquet head smaller, you are making the sweet spot smaller. So there’s more premium on proper technique and not just raw power. By making the courts a little bit faster, you would be rewarding people for coming forward. So you would need more variety. Make the courts faster, it would just bring more variety and more skill. The skill would be a bigger premium.

Andy Murray last year hired Amelie Mauresmo as his coach. Since then, you and Lindsay Davenport have also taken up coaching. Why do you think it’s taken so long for women coaches to arrive on the scene?

I always find it interesting that it was okay in all the sports for men to be coaching women, for men to be the umpires of women’s matches, but not vice versa, I never understood that.

When I hired my coach, gender never came into my mind. I just thought, ‘okay, who is the best person; who do I know that can do the job, who do I respect; who do I want to listen to’. It’s never about gender. So I find it peculiar that it has not happened before and that it’s such a big deal now.

Celebrity coaches seem to be the trend at the moment...

Well, first of all, I hate the term celebrity coaches. It’s a former champion.

I think the reason that we are there now more is because the players are making so much more money, they can afford to pay people like us. It’s a matter of economics.

And also I think another reason is that the former champions, other than the obvious knowledge they have and experiences, maybe the player is more likely to listen to them and respect them because they don’t really need that job. Some coaches in order to keep their job, they don’t say everything they want to say to the player.

It takes a good man to learn a lesson; it takes a great man to pass it on. And that’s what we are doing.

When you came out over 30 years ago, it resulted in the loss of many sponsorships.

The fact that I came out affected me in the fact that I was able to play better tennis and become the person that I am.

No, I think times have changed and it doesn’t make any difference financially anymore. I don’t think players will have to go through anything like what I went through 30 years ago.

How do you think the perception of gay athletes has changed over time?

I think it’s gone beyond sport, the perception of gay people. I would have liked to have seen more athletes come out. But it’s more difficult when you play team sports than when you play individual sports. As a tennis player, I could always play tennis. Nobody could tell me, no, you can’t play.

And of course it depends what country you’re in, because we still have countries where homosexuality is punishable by death, so we are talking about different situations here. In America, we are fighting for equal rights and for the right to marry. In other countries, people are fighting for the right to stay alive. So it’s a different situation and it’s very individual. But on the tennis court, I would certainly like to see more players come out. I can’t believe that there is never been a male player that has taken that step. But with each passing celebrity or athlete coming out, it becomes less of a big deal and that’s eventually what we want it to be. Right now, it still matters, and one day, it won’t.

In what way does tennis define you and was it important to fight these battles?

Tennis does not define me, but it gives me a platform to speak out on various issues, which I have done over the course of my life, and be able to lend a helping hand. As athletes, we don’t have a duty to do stuff, but we have a great opportunity and most players take that step of trying to make a difference outside of just tennis. It’s just nice to be able to make that kind of a difference, and I think athletes, because they travel so much with our work, we really become aware of everything that’s going on around the world and are open to it.

Serena Williams has now got 19 Grand Slams. Do you think she can overtake Steffi Graf (who holds the record for most singles Grand Slams at 22)?

That’s still a long way away, and all these Slams get more difficult as you get older; but Serena’s very motivated, she’s healthy and the competition hasn’t been able to catch up to her. So, yes, it’s possible. It’s a tall mountain to climb, but you can only take it one match at a time, one Slam at a time. But if she hits 20, it’s within reach. If she stays healthy, it’s possible.

You’ve won two mixed doubles Grand Slams with Leander Paes and are known to be great friends with him. How do you see his longevity and success?

It’s a little bit easier, obviously, to play doubles than to play singles, but tennis is such a dynamic sport that it’s really hard to keep those skills going, and so you have to have a lot of talent and Leander Paes certainly has that. He’s got one of the best hands ever to play the sport. He could play in a wheelchair and still he will be competing out there because his hands are just so amazing.

And obviously Leander just knows where to put the ball. In doubles, it’s not just about power. It’s about exactly where you hit the ball, how you position yourself, not just the direction that he hits it, but also where the ball bounces. Leander, after so many years, knows exactly what to do with the ball.

It’s just fun to watch him play, and there were no challenges with us when we played. The first time we played with each other, it was as if we had always played with each other because we both knew what to do on the court, we both knew where to be. It was just magic.