Playing tennis, I didn't tie in my self-worth into winning or losing matches.
Martina NavratilovaRead
Tennis is the purest form of democracy. There was a symbiotic, chicken-and-egg relationship for me between democracy and tennis.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Tennis exemplifies democracy through its fair competition and equality among players.
In this quote, Martina Navratilova suggests that tennis serves as a representation of democratic principles, where every player has an equal opportunity to succeed based on their skill and effort. This relationship illustrates how the values of democracy—such as fairness, equal access, and personal responsibility—are mirrored in the sport of tennis, creating a compelling analogy between the two.
Themes
TennisDemocracyEqualityCompetitionFairness
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used during a speech to highlight the values of fairness and equality in sports.
More from Martina Navratilova
All quotes →I just wanted to play tennis. It wasn't a job. It was an ambition. I knew I could make money at it. I was 18 - old enough to think I could do it, young enough not to consider the consequences.
Martina NavratilovaRead
To those people doubting Serena Williams, writing her off - do not do that to a champion.
Martina NavratilovaRead
I can teach many sports, but obviously, tennis is the one. When you do other sports, you see things from different perspectives: different footwork drills, body positions, angles and geometry. All that stuff is helpful, and so when I do other sports, I can see things, because once you know one sport, then the other sport becomes more clear.
Martina NavratilovaRead
So many athletes are afraid to use their platform to do the right thing and speak what they feel, and that's very depressing. Sure, they are afraid of insulting people and losing money because of it, and everyone wants to make the maximum amount of money in their lifetime. But at the expense of who you are? I don't know. That just wasn't in my DNA.
Martina NavratilovaRead
I am just sorry my own mother had to live under that regime for most of her life. I was lucky. I got out and, 14 years later, Czechoslovakia became a free country. So I feel anger, even fury, at this bloody system that ruined so many people's lives for no reason whatsoever.
Martina NavratilovaRead
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