Martina Navratilova

Moments ago, I asked Martina Navratilova for her opinion on the Serena Williams-Justine Henin match tomorrow. She seemed stunned and said, "See that lady? You can ask her if you can talk to me."

I directed my request to the lady in question, a pleasant WTA press official who said she'd call me back. Two minutes later, she did. The interview request had been declined.

The difference between this match and the last was striking for Serena Williams. In the last, Williams entered the women’s locker room on the verge of tears. Today, she came in smiling and gave a big thumbs up.  read more »

Marion Bartoli begs to differ -- strongly -- with tennis legend Martina Navratilova's assessment of her game.

Bartoli told me yesterday that she didn't care for Navratilova's criticism when the 5759-time Grand Slam champion told the The New York Times, "[Bartoli] can beat a top-10 player here and there, but not day in and day out. For that, you need better movement."

Bartoli, who made a surprise run to the Wimbledon Finals, has been teased for her conditioning and her physical appearance. She's had enough.

"This really makes me nuts," she said. "You can't be in the final of Wimbledon if you can't move. I mean how impossible to beat the number one in the world [Justine Henin] in the semifinal if not moving great.

"And I beat Jelena Jankvoic, the number three in the world, and she moves so well. If you don't move well you cannot beat her, there is no way. So you cannot throw this kind of thing in the air and say 'she is a bad mover, she is not a great athlete.' You cannot say that, there is no way. So maybe Martina Navratilova is not right every time."