The fact that she actually won a round, before losing a respectable match to Daniela Hantuchova was irrelevant. Navratilova had the media members precisely where she wanted them: as accessories to the stage's surroundings. On the stage, stood Navratilova, spotlights directed towards her. Resistance was futile!

Of course, did she ever milk it, talking on radio and television about what an "exception" she is, and that at her age, "you don't see any men still competing, let alone women."

Before the tournament, following the news of her receiving a wild card to the grass court event, Navratilova said, "I am very excited!" Then she dropped the bomb, "It should be a whole lot of fun!"

Forgive me if I have trouble believing that anytime Navratilova steps on the court it's about "fun." Forgive me if I believe that Navratilova is doing this, because her ego is not being fed properly on the sidelines, in the broadcasting booth, or as a color commentator. Forgive me if everything I observed for the last decade led me to think that Navratilova can't stand the mere fact that she is not considered "the best ever" by all media organizations and publications from this side of the earth to Timbuktu.

Yes, I am guilty!

Navratilova was a wonderful player to watch. Her athleticism and drive was second to none during her playing years. She introduced women's tennis to off-the-court physical training in order to win on the court. There is absolutely no doubt that her rivalry with Chris Evert was the single most important reason for women's tennis getting attention at a time where men's tennis thrived and occupied most of the spotlight. She is a fixture in the Tennis Hall of Fame.

And then, there are numerous titles, trophies, and records. She does hold the record for most singles career titles, most Wimbledon titles, and formed the greatest doubles team in the history of the game with Pam Shriver, winning 20 Grand Slam doubles championships.

Then again, this article is not about numbers and records. Nobody could dare to dispute Navratilova's greatness or accomplishments. Whether or not Navratilova herself can take those numbers and accomplishments to the bank, and live happily ever after with the interest, is another issue.

This is about a woman, who at one time back in her playing days, following a match, threw a fit at the TV studio during an after-match interview because she was not part of the generic chosen by the broadcasting channel for that particular tournament. The generic showed a few past champions with light music being played on the background. Navratilova warned the interviewer to "make sure they have her included" in the next edition of the generic.

This is about a legendary player who has trouble accepting that she is not the "only" legend. During her brief stint at HBO as a color commentator for Wimbledon, Navratilova was often criticized by her peers and players who claimed that all she did, was sit in the booth and "throw mud" at other great players, with the exception of Billie Jean King who happened to sit across from her in that same booth.

It is also common knowledge that she dislikes Steffi Graf who completed the Grand Slam in 1988, one accomplishment that has escaped Navratilova. This became crystal clear during the short years of HBO broadcasting Wimbledon, when she repeatedly mentioned how Steffi always has "phantom" injuries, and that she uses these injuries to throw her opponents off. Steffi never bothered to reply to those comments.

However, not everyone stays quiet and polite when faced with Navratilova's "mud." In the summer 2001, Navratilova fired a bitter attack toward Conchita Martinez. She openly admitted to Newsweek that losing to Martinez in the 1994 Wimbledon finals still bothers her deeply. Navratilova went on to accuse Martinez of "laziness" - claiming that Martinez never again played that well because, "she did not care," finishing her comments by stating that, "the girl just took the money and ran".

This time, Navratilova's "target" fired back with a straight shot. Martinez' response was simple and to the point, "The only person with a problem is her, maybe she is angry at losing the final. I've done a lot of things in my career that I'm happy about and proud of. These comments don't hurt me at all." Take that, Martina!

Navratilova is not likely to be considered "the best ever" in the history when one observes Margaret Court's and Steffi Graf's resumes. There is little doubt that this is eating Martina from deep down. It is widely speculated that she started playing doubles again to break the record for the oldest player to win a title and to break Billie Jean King's record of 20 doubles titles at Wimbledon.

For now, Navratilova is also playing singles. Don't be surprised if behind closed doors, her ultimate goal is to win a major again.

You can convince me that Michael Jordan or Mario Lemieux came back because they loved the games of basketball and hockey. You can convince me that Ernie Irvan came back because he loved racing. But don't try to convince me about Navratilova being back for the "love" of the game, or for "whole lot of fun."

Whether true or not, Jordan, Lemieux, and Irvan had legitimate excuses. Jordan and Lemieux wanted to help their franchises. Irvan wanted to defeat the demons of his horrible crash after which, doctors gave him a 10% chance of survival.

What was Navratilova's excuse? She stated that she decided to play singles again after losing an unspecified bet with her personal trainer. The loser had to do whatever the winner wished for, and her trainer's wish was for Navratilova to play singles again.

Come on, Martina. Come clean, and let it go!

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