‘My academy will focus on good people, not winners’

At 48, Martina Navratilova has little left to prove. Not to us, anyway; not with all those titles, not with the number of years she’s b...

At 48, Martina Navratilova has little left to prove. Not to us, anyway; not with all those titles, not with the number of years she’s been on the court, not with her fight for gay rights. If there’s one point Martina — whose humility and willingness to do interviews is a lesson for much lesser sportsmen — wants to make, it’s about staying healthy. Through an exclusive interview with The Indian Express, she makes the point several times: How you play tennis is not as important as how healthy you are in life.

Excerpts:

• In your playing days about a decade or so ago, did you foresee the Russian challenge?

I don’t think anybody expected ever to have that many people from one country other than America to be in the Top 10. Nobody could have foreseen that. Yes, we’ve seen many players of a particular country in the Top 100 but not the Top 10. I knew they were good, but getting there that fast and that too all at the same time! That will not happen again I guess.

• Is China following along the same lines?

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China are going in that direction because of the Olympics, whether they can break through I don’t know. But you will definitely see more of them in the Top 50, rather than see five Chinese women in the Top-10. But four years from now who knows, it’s possible, though unlikely.

• Are you saddened by the dip in US tennis?

Not saddened. It always goes in cycles. And it’s not really dipping, you’ve got Andy Roddick at No 2, Serena Williams who was No 1 two years back. And Lindsay Davenport and Jennifer Capriati make up three women in the Top 10.

• But compare that to the Russian run so far…

So what, they had a good year. Can they do it again? Who knows, it could be Maria Sharapova winning everything or Serena Williams…All I want to see is everyone being healthy and I want to see the Belgian women (Kim Clijsters and Justin Henin Hardenne) back on court!

• Roger Federer played without a coach last season. That’s quite remarkable…

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Of course one can be without a coach. I didn’t have one till I was 26 and I know I needed one before that. It can be done, especially with the good base that Roger has. For him it was a matter of confidence and he got that by winning a few tournaments and then he just took off, and he can still get better. He knows that, which is why he’s got a part-time coach in Tony Roche. It will be fun to see how much Tony affects his game and what improvements are made. He (Roger) has lots of room for improvement.

• When you eventually retire, do you have any plans to start an academy?

Sure thing, and mine would be to teach kids how to become better tennis players. I am hoping to get very some good sponsors so that money would not be a problem for those kids who have the ability and want to work hard.

• Does it mean producing future Navratilovas?

Not at all. It means producing better tennis players with balance. I don’t want to help players with their forehand; instead I want to help them become good humans. The objective is to prepare athletes who can make an impression for who they are and not for how they hit the tennis ball. It will be more of a preparation for life rather than for a career in tennis.

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• You’re writing a book on fitness. What’s that all about?

It’s titled The Shape of Your Life. It is on fitness but it’s not about diet, exercising or looking better but about how you live your life and how to become healthier for life. The book emphasises the importance of a better quality of the life left in oneself, rather than guidelines on how to lose 10 pounds or 15 kilos. Life is not just the next year but all the years left.

• What would you like to be remembered for — your longevity in tennis or the titles you have won?

For the body of my work, the way I have played the game, the fun that I had doing it…that’s just about it.