You almost forget how to lose’ – Martina Navratilova remembers her record win streak, 40 years on
Let’s start with 27 shirts sitting next to an empty suitcase, on the bed of the world’s best tennis player. When World No.1 Iga Świątek arrives at Wimbledon to begin her quest for a first title on grass, her wardrobe will land ahead of her and every aspect of her preparation – from travel, and practice schedules, to recovery and diet – will be planned by a key support team.
In 1984, when Martina Navratilova was in the midst of the greatest winning streak in tennis history, things were very different. She packed her own stuff. Often, she travelled alone. And always, she travelled as light as possible, given the equation that, by June of that year, she could rely upon with all but a mathematical certainty.
“There were 32 players in the draw. So, I’m playing five singles matches, four doubles,” she recalls. “If I was on the road for three tournaments, I would pack 27 shirts. Because I was gonna play 27 matches. And I didn’t have time to do laundry on the road.”
The 1984 season didn’t start as Navratilova had hoped. The 27-year-old lost the final of the Silicon Valley Classic in Oakland, in three sets to Hana Mandlíková, snapping a 55-match winning streak.
“I still remember that match,” says the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion. “I had been two wins from beating Chris Evert’s record. And I’m like, ‘Okay I’ll have to start another streak’. And then I didn’t lose until the last tournament of the year.”
