Former World No. 1 Martina Navratilova recently echoed WNBA star Angel Reese’s call for the protection of young women in sports.

The Czech-American tennis icon has, over the years, been a strong advocate for women’s rights in sports and has consistently spoken out against transgender athletes participating in the women’s category. The tennis great has also been vocal about political issues and is a Democrat.

On Monday, 21-year-old Reese advocated on X (formerly Twitter) that young women should be protected in sports.“protect young women in sports!!!” Angel Reese tweeted.

Hours after the post, Navratilova, in support, reposted Reese’s post. “Right on Angel!!!” she quoted.

Reese didn’t elaborate beyond the five-word post. However, this comes after Reese and other WNBA players such as Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers earlier this year were allegedly victims of explicit pictures created with AI.

Her post gained widespread attention as it coincided with an ongoing debate regarding the rising participation of transgender women in women’s sports. This discussion escalated following the Joe Biden administration’s introduction of new rules designed to protect LGBTQ+ students, notably eliminating policies permitting schools to prohibit transgender women from competing against biological females.

Martina Navratilova backs Angel Reese – “When you say a guy is competitive – it’s a plus. When you say a woman is competitive, it’s said with a sneer”

Martina Navratilova – Laureus World Sports Awards Madrid 2024

Earlier in April, Martina Navratilova supported Angel Reese amidst the intense criticism she faced following her contribution to her team, the LSU Tigers, winning the 2023 NCAA Championships.

After a video was posted on X featuring a tearful Reese speaking out against the backlash and threats she had received, a fan reposted the video and argued that society’s discomfort with women in masculine roles stems from a historical association between masculinity and warrior traits, traditionally linked with the protection of women, which now conflicts with women’s participation in sports.

“The issue is that we’re evaluating women as “women,” for their femininity even when they’re embodying a masculine role (men and women both possess a masculine and feminine aspect). Why is society uncomfortable with women acting out masculine roles?” the fan wrote.

“The answer is actually quite simple: the masculine pattern of an athletic competitor is as a warrior and warriors die. Thousands of years of human history have been geared towards men dying to protect women. For a woman to “recklessly” compete upends that, even in a proxy form of competitive athletics. Deep in our subconscious, we correctly recognize that women shouldn’t be warriors,” the fan added.

Replying to the tweet, Navratilova expressed support for the fan’s point and added that she has also experienced criticism for being competitive.

“It’s normal. When you say a guy is competitive- it’s a plus. When you say a woman is competitive, it’s said with a sneer. Been there, experienced it. And for black women it’s even worse. My heart goes out to Angel Reese,” Martina Navratilova said.