Some were not expected, but most of them have won multiple Grand Slams," Navratilova shares her thoughts on the streak of first-time winners at Wimbledon
For the ninth year in a row, the Wimbledon tournament yesterday added a new name to its list of champions.
Iga Swiatek, after crushing Amanda Anisimova in the final (6-0, 6-0), became the first Polish player to claim the prestigious title. Even before the Round of 16 began, none of the remaining players in the draw had ever reached the final of the event—a scenario not seen since 1986.
Martina Navratilova, who holds the record for most Wimbledon wins (9) at the All England Club, was asked to weigh in on the topic for the BBC:
"I think this shows that there are still plenty of great players, and when they’re in top form, they can win here. Some of them weren’t expected, but most have won multiple Grand Slams. So this isn’t a one-off, it’s not a fluke.
By the Round of 16, no one had played a final here. That hadn’t happened since I was playing. We have more parity now, but we also have more champions because they’re able to rise to the occasion.
Wimbledon