Martina Navratilova picks sides as fuming Aryna Sabalenka wants Wimbledon ace to apologise

Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has stepped up to defend Amanda Anisimova after the Wimbledon finalist found herself in hot water with Aryna Sabalenka. The American caused a stir when she defeated the World No. 1 in a nail-biting semi-final at SW19, clinching victory 6-4, 4-6, 6-4.

The match's controversy centred around a moment in the final set's seventh game, where Anisimova's forehand grazed the net cord and threw Sabalenka off balance, securing the point for the American. While it is an unwritten rule, it is customary for tennis players to acknowledge such luck with an apologetic gesture, typically a racket raise. Anisimova, however, opted to pump her fist in celebration instead.

This move didn't sit well with Sabalenka, who later said she was "p***ed off" by her celebration. On the court, the Belarusian was also heard confronting Anisimova, demanding to know if she was going to say sorry for that point, before admitting in her press conference that she was expecting her to make the usual gesture at the least.

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Furthermore, Sabalenka also accused the 13th seed of prematurely celebrating during another rally, a claim Anisimova has refuted. Reflecting on the incident, Navratilova has come out in support of Anisimova.

During the BBC's coverage, Navratilova, who boasts an impressive 18 Grand Slam titles, including nine Wimbledon crowns, shared her thoughts with Clare Balding and Anne Keothavong. She said: "Most of the time, you're not even looking at your opponent when you lose the point. I don't think Amanda was doing anything on purpose.

"I think she was just so concentrated on being on her side of the court and being right there to not get distracted or anything like that. Even when any other distractions were happening, she was right there. You could see she was really trying hard to concentrate and really didn't want to break it. I think it was more that than anything else."

Balding concurred with Navratilova's assessment, replying: "Obviously, players do quite often make an apology if they feel that in winning a point, they got lucky. But, I'm not sure in that particular point, Anisimova was lucky. I think she would have won the point, whether it touched the net or not."

Keothavong then weighed in on the conversation, acknowledging the customary practice of apologising for a net cord but also recognising how easy it is to overlook such gestures amidst the intensity of a match. The former British No. 1 said: "Yeah, it's a difficult one.

"The etiquette is to put your hand up and apologise if your ball touches the top of the net and goes over. But, equally, this is the semi-final of Wimbledon and you have got two fierce competitors out there desperate to win, throwing everything they have got at this match.

"In the heat of competition, you do not care how you win the point, you just win the point one way or the other. If a bit of luck goes your way, so be it, you've got to take it."

Anisimova will square off against Iga Swiatek in the championship match on Centre Court on Saturday, July 12. This marks her maiden Grand Slam final and represents her finest showing since 2019, when she advanced to the French Open semi-final.

Despite her clash with Sabalenka, Anisimova heaped praise on her rival's tenacity throughout their encounter. The American said: "She's such a tough player. I knew that I had to really dig deep and make as few mistakes as possible.

"So yeah, it's really hard trying to have to play perfect tennis because that's the only way to really get the win, but I feel like we really fought out there today. The conditions weren't easy."