What did Martina Navratilova say? Tennis legend's comments about Katie Boulter draws backlash

Martina Navratilova, 68, has come under fire for her allegedly harsh remarks on Great Britain's tennis player Katie Boulter. On August 26, 2025, Marta Kostyuk defeated Katie Boulter, 6-4, 6-4, in Round 1 of the US Open.

While she commenced the tournament as one of the players in the Top 25, her recent performance reflected a contrast. Following her defeat against Kostyuk, veteran tennis player Martina Navratilova advised her to leave the sport.

Seemingly taking a dig at Katie after her loss, Martina further suggested she get married, have kids, and start building a family, according to a report by Us Weekly. 

"Maybe just get married, have babies, and be done with it."

Everything we know about Martina Navratilova's remarks about Katie Boulter

Though Katie entered the top 25 with her exemplary talent, she has been seen finding it difficult to rediscover her calibre and most proficient performance. According to a report by Express, her physical issues caused a major obstacle in replicating her earlier form. Amid the struggles, she suffered another setback after losing her US Open 2025 match to Marta Kostyuk.

While she has been facing challenges in rediscovering her potential and form, Martina Navratilova slammed her with some criticism. In a chat with Sky Sports co-host Ryan Harrison, as Us Weekly reported, the duo was heard discussing Katie's defeat. Looking back at her performance and the tussle on the field, Ryan commented,

"If you’re Katie Boulter, you’ve got to try and do everything you can to finish the season strong."

He further noted,

"As [Navratilova] said, she’s been struggling for form a little bit, she’s going to have to get some matches in, she’s going to have to get that match count up as we look at the last third of the season."

While Ryan kept his views concise and focused solely on her tennis form, Martina voiced her opinions about the player's personal life.

Laughing while reacting, she further expressed:

"No more stress."

Ryan further responded to Martina, reminding her about her kids and conveying,

"You said no more stress. That’s no more tennis stress, right? Because you have a little baby running around, it’s a different sort of stress."

Martina Navratilova triggered negative reactions on the internet. According to the Us Weekly report, she received flak from a netizen commenting, 

"It is easy to kick someone when [they’re] down and every player goes through times like this."

X user @robert_legge called the incident a "shame" and praised Katie for being "a fantastic player and an amazing ambassador for British 🇬🇧 Women’s Tennis"

Martina Navratilova's comment comes months after Katie Boulter's engagement with Alex de Minaur. The couple announced the news to the world in December last year.

On December 23, the lovebirds shared the exciting life update on social media with a fun caption reading,

"We’ve been keeping a small secret… 🤭"

From knowing each other from the tennis circuit to building a life together, the two are now partners for life.