So, today on Tennis Channel before the day’s action got started, Martina Navratilova and crew looked at the Aga/Venus highlights. Then Navratilova, Aga’s coach of about a month, had some things to say:
(Thanks to Steph for documenting!)
It’s so strange watching TC recap Aga/Venus…with Martina!
— Steph (@StephintheUS) January 26, 2015
Martina on Aga: “needless to say that volley is not what we’ve been working on. Aga just didn’t show up last night."
— Steph (@StephintheUS) January 26, 2015
Martina on Venus: “Bottom line, Venus just wanted it more.”
— Steph (@StephintheUS) January 26, 2015
Martina also said Aga "looked like she wasn’t in it emotionally. She was playing very passive tennis."
— Steph (@StephintheUS) January 26, 2015
One more Martina on Aga: "Yesterday, 1 out of 10, it was 1.” So, yeah.
— Steph (@StephintheUS) January 26, 2015
Martina said Aga didn’t do anything in their game plan. She hit to Venus’ backhand too much. Didn’t hit as hard as she was in practice.
— Steph (@StephintheUS) January 26, 2015
Martina said Aga never looked at the player box in that third set. “I could have just watched it from a hotel room for all the good I did"
— Steph (@StephintheUS) January 26, 2015
It’s very rare for coaches to be this candid in public, but if you’ve ever heard Martina Navratilova commentate a match, it’s not at all surprising that she’s being this candid.
Plus, it seems like this might be what Radwanska–who is not exactly an emotionally delicate flower–needs to hear. (Whether the rest of us needed to hear it, well, I don’t really know, but I do find it refreshing.)
@StephintheUS I remember Wiktorowski was also very critical after last year's Wimbledon. He didn't hide his disappointment in polish media.
— J. (@LazyGoldfish) January 27, 2015
@StephintheUS plus, he said that they wanted Martina, because she is a strong character. And only that kind of person can "deal" with Aga.
— J. (@LazyGoldfish) January 27, 2015
If I were Radwanska, I’d fire Navratilova in a heartbeat. It’s one thing for a coach to level with a player in private, but to go out of her way to badmouth Aga on a channel from whom she’s also getting paid?
It’s one thing to say, “Well, Aga didn’t have her best stuff last night.” It’s another to humiliate her in public.
Whether she’s right or wrong is immaterial.
It’s disloyal and it’s impolite not to mention symptomatic of a gigantic conflict of interest.
Do your coaching before the match, Martina.
Not after.
Very, very unprofessional
Aga knew what she was getting when she hired Navratilova. Martina speaks her mind and that is Martina, she’s too old to change now. Anybody who doesn’t like it can just GTFO.
Well, of course, in this particular case — since Radwanska is the one who hired Navratilova, it’s more a situation of her telling Martina to GTFO than the other way around.
To me this raises yet another vexing question about the mixed motives of many tennis commentators. I can’t think of many other sports in which the commentators are so frequently also coaches, or leaders in the USTA, or married to high profile sports agents, etc. Usually the problems this leads to are the opposite (Pat McEnroe defending the USTA, commentators going easy on their friends or potential clients, etc.) whereas here the opposite as occurred, where the coach has behaved in a way that the player is unlikely to appreciate — delicate flower or not. Obviously, she hired a commentator as her coach and she can’t exactly be surprised, but that doesn’t mean she won’t be angry at having it displayed in public.
Perhaps Martina felt that she had to be harsher on Aga to avoid looking like she’s going soft on the player she’s coaching.
I love this. Navratilova has never been one to mince words. If I were in Aga’s position I might be a little upset but there’s no denying the truth of Martina’s statements. This could be a strategic bit of tough love from Martina. It’s been great to see Navratilova in the coaching box.
Aga was playing very well in the 2nd set against Venus, winning 6/2. Just wonder, why she went for a break and came back, losing 1/6 in the final set,like a lame duck.
Aga was playing very well in the 2nd set against Venus, winning 6/2. Just wonder, why she went for a break and came back, losing 1/6 in the final set, like a lame duck.