Martina Navratilova isn`t thinking about retiring any time soon.
”I can`t figure out anything else that I can be doing as well or better than I`m doing this, which is playing tennis,” Navratilova said Wednesday night after polishing off Amy Frazier 6-0, 6-3 in the second round of the Virginia Slims of Chicago in the Illinois-Chicago Pavilion.
Navratilova has been dogged by questions about her retirement plans for the last year, when she was bothered by a series of injuries. They grew louder this year, when she didn`t win a Grand Slam tournament for the first time since 1980.
Navratilova is 32 and competing in a game made, it seems, for younger players. But don`t plan a retirement party yet for the Czech-born superstar, who has won eight Wimbledon titles.
”I`m not too old,” she said. ”That`s a bunch of baloney. My body has responded, and I see myself playing another three, four, five years. I mean, why not?
”I am just going to play the best tennis that I can and hopefully stay healthy. I have not been at my best physically a lot of times this year and last year.
”My biggest problem has been playing well in the Grand Slams, and I have not done that this year. I`ve won seven tournaments, but I didn`t do well in the Slams, and that`s what everyone seems to count the most, rightly or wrongly.”
Half of the night`s expected gate attraction didn`t get on the court. Chris Evert won on a forfeit over Stephanie Rehe, who withdrew from the tournament with a sprained right ankle.
Navratilova certainly didn`t look ready for retirement against Frazier, a schoolgirl from Rochester, Mich. Navratilova needed just 54 minutes to ice Frazier in their first meeting.
”It was fun,” said Frazier. ”It was a great experience.”
Navratilova clearly doesn`t have any trouble keeping the competitive fires burning.
”I`m having a good time hitting the ball. I`m thinking on the court. I feel I know a lot more about the game than I did five years ago, and I`m mature, just as fast, just as strong,” said Navratilova, who now lives in Ft. Worth. ”There`s no reason for me not to play as well as I did then, if not better.”
But she can`t control how her opponents play, namely West German Steffi Graf, who this year showed she may be in for a long reign at the top of the women`s circuit.
”I had a pretty good year this year, and if Steffi hadn`t had such a phenomenal year, or if she hadn`t come along, I`d still be No. 1 and you all would think I`m wonderful,” Navratilova told reporters. ”And now this girl comes along and she plays unbelievable tennis and I`m past my prime, I`m on my way down, I should be quitting playing tennis.”
Rehe must be wondering what else is coming. The 15th-ranked Californian suffered bruised ribs Monday night when a taxi in which she was riding was involved in an accident. Then she hurt her ankle during a doubles match Tuesday night, forcing her and Rosie Casals to forfeit to Larisa Savchenko and Natalia Zvereva in the first set.
All this since she turned 19 last week.
”It`s been a really frustrating week,” Rehe said Wednesday. ”I`m really sorry for the tournament, because I was really looking forward to playing Chris tonight. However, I`m not the type of person that would go out on the court and not give 100 percent. It just wouldn`t have been fair to the tournament or the crowds.”
