Navratilova Aggressive In Broadcast Booth, Too

Martina Navratilova, blessed with a gift for gab throughout her long tennis career, has moved smoothly from Centre Court to the broadcast booth at Wimbledon.

On opening day, the nine-time Wimbledon singles winner joined HBO’s broadcasting team of Jim Lampley, John Lloyd, Barry MacKay and Billie Jean King as the cable network began its 21st consecutive year covering the tournament.

And, keeping with her usual outspoken style, Navratilova was noticeably forthright in analyzing matches.

“It was fun being able to talk and being able to be more candid than when you play,” Navratilova said Tuesday. “On TV you can speak your mind a lot more. Still, I can’t say everything that’s on my mind. You have to be mindful of peoples’ emotions and reactions. But, it still gave me the opportunity to say a lot more than I normally would.”

Navratilova, 38, retired from singles competition last November. She was scheduled to open the doubles competition with Steffi Graf today, but Graf withdrew late Tuesday after apparently aggravating her chronic sore back in a singles match earlier in the day.

For someone who was looking forward to leaving full-time tennis and having an open and non-demanding schedule, Navratilova appears busier than ever.

She also playing World Team Tennis and participating in the Virginia Slims “Legends” Tour.

“My schedule’s really a killer for the rest of the year,” she said.

Drug testing starts

Players at Wimbledon are being drug-tested in the first program conducted cooperatively by the world governing body of tennis and both the men’s and women’s associations.

Although some players have been tested at the past two French Opens and the ATP and WTA have independently carried out their own tests at Wimbledon, this is the first time the two organizations have joined with International Tennis Federation on a testing program.

The ITF said Tuesday that players at Wimbledon are being tested at random during the first week. The program will test all players from the quarterfinals on.ITF president Brian Tobin said the drug-testing program could have been introduced only after consultation with the ATP and WTA.

Miscellany

As usual at Wimbledon, players are disgusted by the withdrawal of clay-court specialists. This year’s list includes the last two French Open champions, Thomas Muster and Sergi Bruguera. Even soft-spoken Stefan Edberg chimed in, saying, “It’s a bit of a pity, if you ask me. I believe you should show your face at the big tournaments. I mean, it’s not easy for a guy like me to play on clay courts, either.” … One of the tabloid writers asked Mary Pierce if she has a boyfriend. “I know everybody’s dying to know,” she said, “but I never answer that question because that’s part of my life that I try to keep private. Everything else, my tennis and my family and all that stuff, is public. My other life is something special.”