History of a Legend
Martina Navratilova was born on October 18, 1956, in Prague, Czechoslovakia. Stifled by an oppressive communist system that controlled the Czech Tennis Federation, Navratilova emigrated to the United States in 1975 to pursue her tennis career in an atmosphere of freedom. She had already won her first professional singles title a year earlier in Florida and by the time she left Czechoslovakia, everyone saw that it would only be a matter of years, if not months, before she would become a force to be reckoned with on the courts. And how right they were. By the end of the 70s, Navratilova had already cemented her place in tennis history, crowned the WTA Tour Player of the Year twice, acquiring her first two Wimbledon singles championships, and attaining her first (of many) number one rankings.
But Martina Navratilova had only started. By the early 1980s, Martina was without exception the most dominant player in tennis. In ‘81, she won the Australian Open while 1982 saw her take both the singles and doubles championships at Wimbledon and the French Open. And while she dropped a match in the fourth round of the 1983 French Open, she went on to claim the other three Grand Slam titles that year, bringing her record for 1983 to a remarkable 86-1, a year-long winning percentage that has never been matched. 1984 saw her extend her record to six Grand Slam singles titles in a row before her 74 game winning streak was snapped in the semi-finals of the Australian Open. Navratilova’s success continued through the decade as she reached the semi-finals in all 11 Grand Slams held in the years 1985 – 1987 and in 1990 she hoisted the Wimbledon dish one last time, bringing her to an all-time record of 9 Wimbledon singles titles.
Navratilova continued to win in both singles and doubles through the early 90s and after a brief retirement, returned to the tour to play doubles. She was named one of Sports Illustrated’s “Top 40 Athletes of All-time” for her overall contributions to the world of athletics, and in 2000 she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In 2003, she won the mixed-doubles titles at both the Australian Open and Wimbledon, making her the oldest player to win a Grand Slam title and also giving her a Grand Slam “boxed set” (winning all four Grand Slams playing singles, doubles, and mixed doubles). Navratilova continued to win right up to her final tour match, where she, along with partner Bob Bryan, walked away as the U.S. Open mixed doubles champions, giving Navratilova her 59th Grand Slam title and a place in tennis history.
Martina Navratilova may have retired from the professional tour but that does not mean she has even thought about slowing down. Navratilova currently resides in Aspen, Colorado and Nokomis, Florida but spends most of her time traveling the world, speaking at different events, playing in numerous exhibition matches, and tirelessly promoting all of the issues that are close to her heart.
INTERESTING FACTS
Ranked No. 1 in the world for seven years
Won 18 singles and 41 doubles Grand Slam titles
Holds 167 singles titles, more than any other player, male or female and 178 doubles titles
Holds a record nine Wimbledon singles championships
Has won more singles matches than anyone in tennis history with a 1,440-213 win-loss record
Won singles and doubles titles at the same event a record 84 times
In 1984, set the record for the longest consecutive match win streak at 74
Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2000
#19 on ESPN's list of 100 Greatest Athletes of the Century
Won Australian Open Mixed Doubles title in 2003, the only Grand Slam title that had eluded her during her career, and became the oldest player ever to win a Grand Slam event and only the second player ever to have won all grand slam titles.
Won 2003 Wimbledon Mixed Doubles title, tying Billie Jean King's record 20 Wimbledon titles
Won 20 grand slam doubles titles with Pam Shriver, tying Louise Brough and Doris Hart
Also with Pam has a record 110 match win streak spanning over a two year period
Won seven WTA Tour doubles titles in 2003, beating women less than half her age, and becoming the oldest woman to ever win a WTA event
In addition to tennis, Martina enjoys ice hockey, mountain biking, scuba diving, skiing, snow boarding, basketball, golf, and horseback riding and doing anything involving a ball
Finished her professional career with a final Grand Slam title at the 2006 US Open winning the Mixed Doubles with Bob Bryan
Supports numerous non-profit organizations and charities, including environmental organizations, animal rights, under-privileged children and gay rights