Biography
She set an all-time record with 59 Grand Slam titles (18 singles, 31 doubles) over a career that spanned four decades. Sports Illustrated declared Martina Navratilova as one of the “Top 40 Athletes of All-Time” and Tennis Magazine selected her as the greatest female tennis player for the 1965 – 2005 era. Navratilova reached the Wimbledon singles final 12 times, including nine consecutive years (1982-90), and won the title a record nine times. She is one of three women to have accomplished a career Grand Slam in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. The 2000 International Hall of Fame inductee holds the Open era record for most singles (167) and doubles (177) titles, and was named the WTA’s “Tour Player of the Year” seven times. Following full-time retirement from tennis, Navratilova continued to play doubles in WTA events as well as the 2004 Olympic Games. She became the oldest player to win a Grand Slam title when she won a mixed doubles championship at the US Open with Bob Bryan at age 49. Navratilova has worked as an analyst on the Tennis Channel for the last 12 years, for the BBC at Wimbledon and for BT Sport, which televises WTA events. Born in Prague, Czech Republic, she lives in Miami with wife Julia Lemigova.