'Dancing With The Stars' Elimination: Martina Navratilova Sent Packing

After her jive, tennis superstar is first to get the boot from season 14.
By Kelley L. Carter

Martina Navratilova on "Dancing With the Stars"
Photo: ABC

One down, 11 more to go.

There wasn't much shock on Tuesday night's "Dancing With the Stars" elimination show. No one wanted to be the first celebrity sent packing, and after the first nine couples were told they were safe, it came down to an unsurprising pair of duos: Landing in the bottom two were tennis superstar Martina Navratilova and her professional partner Tony Dovolani and pop singer Gavin DeGraw and his partner Karina Smirnoff.

Before it was revealed who would be going home during the first elimination show of the series' 14th season, the tennis pro said that much like when she had a bad tennis match, she was hoping that she could come back next week a victor.

Turns out, she won't have the chance. In her Monday night performance of the jive, she messed up from the start of her routine, and her score suffered for it.

"That was sad because I love your approach to the routine," judge Carrie Ann Inaba told her. Head judge Len Goodman said during the first week of the show that he thought Navratilova was elegant and refined, but didn't think her foxtrot from that first performance was "too careful."

The 55-year-old's poor performance landed her at the bottom of the leaderboard.

"It was an amazing experience. I wish it had lasted longer. I gave it everything I had, I just blew it yesterday. I wish everybody great luck," Navratilova said after being told she was going home.

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