Martina Navratilova refused entry into The Ivy because of her dog
Martina Navratilova was refused entry into The Ivy because of her dog.
Martina Navratilova was refused entry into The Ivy because of her dog.
The 68-year-old tennis legend has been covering Wimbledon for the BBC and had decided to have dinner at the upmarket London cafe but their rules did not allow her to bring her pet pooch in with her.
She wrote on X: "Well — tried to have dinner at the Ivy at Wimbledon, but they won’t allow Lulu into the restaurant — so plan B."
The sports star then clarified to her followers that her alternative plan actually worked out better as she dined in an Italian restaurant called Cent Anni.
Alongside a photo of herself and Cent Anni's manager, she said: "Plan B was actually better - always a nice quiet and quick meal, great pasta and Lulu is welcome:), here with the big boss:)"
One fan wrote to Martina to commend the restaurant for enforcing the rules despite the "tremendous pressure" they were under given her celebrity status.
They wrote: "Well done to the staff that must have had tremendous pressure on them to make the rules apply to everyone, knowing full well who you are."
But Martina quickly insisted that none of the staff had any idea who she was anyway.
She replied: "They had no idea. I could have sat outside but then I couldn’t eat because of all the people walking by. So sweet of you anyway."
Before beginning her work on coverage for the annual tennis tournament, Martina had implored Emma Raducanu - who exited Wimbledon after a 7-6 6-4 defeat earlier this week - to find a resolution to her coaching situation amid her run to the quarter-finals at the Miami Open.
In March, Martina told Sky Sports News: "If she stays healthy and plays this well, then she'll be seeded at Roland Garros. I think she'll move up the ranking well enough into the top 30. The biggest question mark is her health.
"Hopefully she can sort out her coaching situation because she's been in a state of flux, but I think she needs to commit to somebody and stay with them for a little bit, see how that works.
"If she played like she did against (Jessica) Pegula, then the sky's the limit."
