Tennis legend Martina Navratilova's freedom of speech was ground to dust on Twitter yesterday by us Indians. But the 59-year-old Czech and American star retained her poise and confronted India's right wing with grace before being forced to throw in the towel.

India is currently in the grip of a raging debate over the extent to which a citizen can be allowed to exercise his freedom of speech. After students at the prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University were booked on charges of sedition after raising anti-India slogans, the whole world has watched with horror the developments which included a massive police crackdown inside the premises of the reputed campus.

Navratilova shares a special Indian connection. She and Leander Paes formed one of the most potent mixed-doubles pairs in their time and together won two Grand Slam mixed doubles titles (2003 Australian Open and 2003 Wimbledon) while finishing runners-up twice (2004 Australian Open and 2005 French Open).

She has also gone on record to say that Paes is her favourite mixed-doubles partner.

Navratilova, who won 18 single Grand Slams, maybe thought she had the right to comment on a burning issue in India after receiving plenty of love and adulation from the country during an illustrious career.

But all hell broke lose when she tweeted out a link to a New York Times opinion piece written by Indian columnist Nilanjana S Roy.

What Passes for Sedition in India, -ultra nationalism easily turns into violence at worst, bullying at best. https://t.co/U5V6nvENFn Martina Navratilova (@Martina) February 22, 2016

See for youselves how your countrymen tore apart a legend because she had a different point-of-view.

@meonsky123 not lecturing anyone- but you are just nasty- bye. Martina Navratilova (@Martina) February 22, 2016

@Un_Spin you are just making stuff up now- sorry- blocked. Martina Navratilova (@Martina) February 22, 2016

@Martina you seem to be more worried about India than Indians themselves. Pls don't advice unsolicited. Deepak (@dvji) February 22, 2016

@Martina who r you to interfere in my country's internal affair n less said about NYT d better. We beleive in..1/2 @SeemaSapraLaw @nytimes Vivekanand Gupta (@vivekanandg) February 22, 2016

Diyar @martina! Only Yummerikans have the right to be patriotic & nationalist? No wonder, America - land of the stoopid & the ignorant! Marut (@Marut_) February 22, 2016

@Dyslexicon @sanjayausta but how is disagreeing anti nationalist? Nobody is talking sedition, are they? Martina Navratilova (@Martina) February 22, 2016

@Aravind8 once again- it is not anti indian to disagree with a particular party. You just proved the point of that article? Martina Navratilova (@Martina) February 22, 2016