Martina Navratilova, a Czech-American former professional tennis player, is considered one of the greatest of all time. She held the world No. 1 ranking in singles for 332 weeks and in doubles for a record 237 weeks. Navratilova amassed an Open Era record of 59 major titles: 18 in singles, 31 in women's doubles, and 10 in mixed doubles, along with 167 top-level singles titles and 177 doubles titles. Her nine Wimbledon singles titles remain an all-time record. She, alongside Chris Evert, dominated women's tennis during the 1980s.
In 2007, Martina Navratilova made reference to the 1948 coup d'état in Czechoslovakia when discussing her feelings about the U.S. under George W. Bush.
On October 18, 1956, Martina Navratilova, née Šubertová, was born in Czechoslovakia. She would become a Czech-American professional tennis player.
In 1962, Martina Navratilova's mother married Miroslav Navrátil, who became her first tennis coach. Martina then took the name of her stepfather (adding the feminine suffix -ová), thus becoming Martina Navrátilová.
In 2005, Tennis magazine recognized Martina Navratilova as the greatest female tennis player from 1965 through 2005.
In 1983, Martina Navratilova had the best winning percentage ever for a post-1968 professional tennis player.
In 1972, at the age of 15, Martina Navratilova won the Czechoslovakia national tennis championship.
In 1973, at the age of 16, Martina Navratilova made her debut on the United States Lawn Tennis Association professional tour.
In 1974, Martina Navratilova won her first major title. It was 32 years before she won her last one in 2006.
In 1974, Martina Navratilova won her first professional singles title in Orlando, Florida, at the age of 17.
In 1975, Martina Navratilova was the runner-up at the Australian Open and the French Open. After losing to Chris Evert in the US Open semifinals in September 1975, she defected from communist Czechoslovakia. Also, in 1975, Navratilova teamed with world number one Evert to win the French Open women's doubles title.
In 1975, at the age of 18, Martina Navratilova, originally from Czechoslovakia, sought political asylum in the United States and was granted temporary residence.
Martina Navratilova turned professional in 1975.
In 1976, Martina Navratilova teamed with Chris Evert to win the Wimbledon women's doubles title over Billie Jean King and Bette Stove.
From 1977 to 1993, Martina Navratilova was ranked in the world's top 3 in singles for 15 years.
In 1978, Martina Navratilova won her first major singles title at Wimbledon, defeating Chris Evert in three sets in the final and capturing the world No. 1 ranking.
In January 1979, Chris Evert took back the World No. 1 ranking from Martina Navratilova.
In 1979, Martina Navratilova successfully defended her Wimbledon title, again beating Chris Evert in the final, and earned the World No. 1 ranking at the end of the year for the first time.
In 1980, Martina Navratilova defeated previous six-time Wimbledon champion Billie Jean King in a two-day epic in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon, with a scoreline of 7–6, 1–6, 10–8.
In April 1981, Chris Evert defeated Martina Navratilova in the finals of the Women's Tennis Association championships, held on clay at Amelia Island, 6–0, 6–0.
On July 30, 1981, the New York Daily News published an article where Martina Navratilova came out as bisexual, revealing a relationship with Rita Mae Brown. The article was published despite Navratilova's request to wait until she was ready to come out publicly.
In 1981, Martina Navratilova became a U.S. citizen.
In 1981, Martina Navratilova won her third major singles title by defeating Chris Evert in the final of the Australian Open.
In 1981, Renée Richards became one of Martina Navratilova's coaches. Richards coached Navratilova from 1981 to 1983.
In September 1982, Martina Navratilova experienced an acute attack of toxoplasmosis which, according to The New York Times, contributed to her defeat during the US Open tournament against Pam Shriver.
From 1982 through 1990, Martina Navratilova reached the Wimbledon final nine consecutive times.
From 1982, Martina Navratilova began a period of dominance in women's tennis. From 1982, 1983, and 1984, Navratilova lost a total of only six singles matches.
In 1982, Martina Navratilova co-wrote a tennis instruction book with Mary Carillo titled "Tennis My Way".
In 1982, Martina Navratilova met Judy Nelson, whom she would begin a long-term relationship with, at a tournament in Fort Worth.
In 1982, Martina Navratilova won both Wimbledon and the French Open.
In 1982, Martina Navratilova won both Wimbledon and the French Open.
By winning the 1983 US Open title, Martina Navratilova completed the career Grand Slam, becoming only the seventh woman in history to achieve it.
From 1983, Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver achieved a record 109-match winning streak in doubles between 1983 and 1985.
In 1983, Martina Navratilova and Vijay Amritraj appeared as themselves in the Hart to Hart episode "Love Game."
In 1983, Martina Navratilova had a dominant professional season, achieving a winning percentage of 98.9% with a record of 86-1. Also, in 1983, she simultaneously won the Grand Slam in doubles.
In 1983, after losing in the fourth round of the French Open, Martina Navratilova captured the year's three remaining major titles. Her only singles defeat during that year, establishing an 86–1 record.
In 1983, both Renée Richards and Mike Estep coached Martina Navratilova. Richards coached Navratilova from 1981 to 1983, while Estep coached from 1983 to 1986.
Martina Navratilova was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1983.
From 1984, Martina Navratilova continued a period of dominance in women's tennis. From 1982, 1983, and 1984, Navratilova lost a total of only six singles matches.
In 1984, Martina Navratilova avenged her double bagel loss by crushing Chris Evert 6-2, 6-0 in the finals of the Amelia Island event.
In 1984, Martina Navratilova began a long term relationship with Judy Nelson, which lasted until 1991.
In 1984, Martina Navratilova completed a calendar grand slam in women's doubles, partnering with Pam Shriver.
In 1984, Martina Navratilova won a record six consecutive singles majors. Also, in 1984, she simultaneously won the Grand Slam in doubles.
In 1984, Martina Navratilova won the French Open, holding all four major singles titles simultaneously and being declared a "Grand Slam" winner. Also in 1984 she became the first player to win majors on clay, grass and hard court on the same year. In the semifinals of the 1984 Australian Open, Helena Suková ended Navratilova's 74-match winning streak.
In 1984, Martina Navratilova's vision began to deteriorate, leading her to start wearing glasses in 1985.
Martina Navratilova was named the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 1984.
From 1985, Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver achieved a record 109-match winning streak in doubles between 1983 and 1985.
In 1985, Martina Navratilova began wearing glasses, noting that her vision had started to deteriorate in 1984. Her glasses became iconic.
In 1985, Martina Navratilova played in what many consider to be perhaps the best woman's match of all time, the French Open final against Chris Evert, where Evert defeated Navratilova 6–3, 6–7, 7–5.
In 1985, Martina Navratilova released her autobiography, co-written with George Vecsey, titled "Martina" in the U.S. and "Being Myself" elsewhere.
In 1986 at the US Open, Martina Navratilova prevailed over Steffi Graf in the semifinals and won the final over Helena Suková. Navratilova and Pam Shriver also won the women's doubles title. With an 89–3 record, Martina earned the number-one ranking for the fifth consecutive year.
In 1986, Mike Estep was one of Martina Navratilova's coaches. Estep coached her from 1983 to 1986.
Martina Navratilova's reign from 1982 to 1986 is the most dominant unbroken spell in the professional era.
From 1985 through 1987, Martina Navratilova reached the women's singles final at all 11 major tournaments held during those three years, winning six of them.
In 1987, Martina Navratilova defeated Steffi Graf in the finals of both Wimbledon and the US Open. She reached all four Grand Slam finals in 1987, winning two of them.
In 1988, Craig Kardon became one of Martina Navratilova's coaches. Kardon coached her from 1988 to 1994.
In 1988, Steffi Graf won all four major singles titles, including beating Martina Navratilova in the Wimbledon final. Navratilova did not reach the finals of any of the other Grand Slam events but did win nine tournaments.
In 1989, Martina Navratilova faced Steffi Graf in the finals of Wimbledon and the US Open, losing both matches in three sets. Graf also won their match in the WTA Tour Championships finals. Despite not playing in the French Open, Navratilova won eight titles and was ranked No. 2 behind Graf for the third consecutive year.
From 1982 through 1990, Martina Navratilova reached the Wimbledon final nine consecutive times.
In 1990, Martina Navratilova won her final Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon, defeating Zina Garrison 6–4, 6–1 to secure her record-breaking ninth Wimbledon singles crown. She also won four other tournaments in 1990 and finished the year ranked No. 3 in the world.
In 1991, Martina Navratilova lost in the US Open final to Monica Seles.
In 1991, Martina Navratilova split from Judy Nelson, resulting in a televised palimony lawsuit that was settled out of court.
In 1991, at the age of 34, Martina Navratilova defeated Steffi Graf in the semifinals of the US Open with a score of 7–6, 6–7, 6–4. This victory ended their Grand Slam rivalry with Navratilova leading 5–4.
In September 1992, Martina Navratilova, aged 35, participated in the third Battle of the Sexes tennis match against 40-year-old Jimmy Connors at Caesars Palace in Paradise, Nevada. Connors, with adjusted rules, won the match 7–5, 6–2.
In 1992, Martina Navratilova participated in a lawsuit against Amendment 2, a ballot proposition in Colorado designed to prevent sexual orientation from being a protected class.
Though a homage rather than an appearance, in 1992 Martina Navratilova was mentioned by the titular character in episode 14 of the anime Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon.
From 1977 to 1993, Martina Navratilova was ranked in the world's top 3 in singles for 15 years.
In 1993, Martina Navratilova spoke before the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation.
In 1994, Craig Kardon was one of Martina Navratilova's coaches. Kardon coached her from 1988 to 1994.
In 1994, Martina Navratilova co-authored the mystery novel "The Total Zone" with Liz Nickles.
In 1994, at age 37, Martina Navratilova reached the Wimbledon final, losing to Conchita Martínez. In November 1994, after losing in the first round of the WTA Tour Championships, she retired from full-time singles competition.
In 1996, Martina Navratilova co-authored the mystery novel "Breaking Point" with Liz Nickles.
In 1996, Martina Navratilova was featured with American football player Art Monk in an endorsement for PowerBook in the ad series "What's on Your PowerBook?"
In 1997, Martina Navratilova co-authored the mystery novel "Killer Instinct" with Liz Nickles.
In 1999, tennis writer Steve Flink, in his book The Greatest Tennis Matches of the Twentieth Century, named Martina Navratilova as the second best female player of the 20th century, behind Steffi Graf.
In 2000 Martina Navratilova appeared as herself on Will & Grace "Lows in the Mid-Eighties" as one of Karen Walker's (Megan Mullally) paramours in a flashback sequence.
In 2000, Martina Navratilova became a member of the Laureus Sports Foundation's Academy.
In 2000, Martina Navratilova returned to the tour, primarily playing doubles events with occasional singles appearances.
In 2000, Martina Navratilova was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
In 2000, Martina Navratilova was the recipient of the National Equality Award from the Human Rights Campaign.
On July 17, 2002, Martina Navratilova appeared as a guest on CNN's Connie Chung Tonight show.
In 2002, Martina Navratilova played her first singles match in eight years at Eastbourne, defeating world No. 22 Tatiana Panova before losing to Daniela Hantuchová in the next round.
In 2003, Martina Navratilova, partnering with Leander Paes, won the mixed doubles titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon. At 46 years and 8 months, she became the oldest major champion. The Australian Open victory completed her "boxed set" of major titles.
In 2004, Martina Navratilova returned to singles at the French Open after a 10-year absence, losing in the first round. At Wimbledon in 2004, she won a singles match, becoming the oldest player to win a professional singles match in the open era, but lost in the second round.
In 2005, Tennis magazine selected Martina Navratilova as the greatest female tennis player for the years 1965 through 2005.
In April 2006, Martina Navratilova stated in an interview that she had started eating fish again as she found it difficult to obtain sufficient protein while traveling as a vegetarian.
On July 6, 2006, Martina Navratilova played her last matches at Wimbledon. She and partner Liezel Huber lost a quarterfinal match in women's doubles. Later that day, she and partner Mark Knowles lost in the third round of mixed doubles.
On August 21, 2006, Martina Navratilova secured her last title in women's doubles at the Tier I Rogers Cup in Montreal, Quebec, partnering with Nadia Petrova.
In 2006, Billie Jean King called Martina Navratilova "the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who's ever lived."
In 2006, Martina Navratilova was named by Equality Forum as one of their 31 Icons of the LGBT History Month.
In 2006, Martina Navratilova won her last major title, the mixed doubles crown at the US Open, shortly before her 50th birthday.
In 2007, Martina Navratilova was quoted as being ashamed of the U.S. under President George W. Bush due to his democratically elected status, contrasting it with the communist regime in Czechoslovakia.
On January 9, 2008, Martina Navratilova reacquired her Czech citizenship, becoming a dual citizen. She stated she has not renounced her U.S. citizenship nor does she plan to do so, and that reclaiming Czech nationality was not politically motivated.
In November 2008, Martina Navratilova appeared on the UK's ITV series Series 8 of I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!; she finished runner-up to Joe Swash.
In 2008, tennis historian Bud Collins called Martina Navratilova "arguably, the greatest player of all time."
In 2009, Martina Navratilova played for the Boston Lobsters in the World TeamTennis pro league, marking the end of her tenure with the team.
In 2009, Martina Navratilova was awarded the International Tennis Federation's (ITF) highest accolade, the Philippe Chatrier Award, for her contributions to tennis on and off the court.
In January 2010, a routine mammogram revealed that Martina Navratilova had a ductal carcinoma in situ in her left breast.
On April 7, 2010, Martina Navratilova announced that she was being treated for breast cancer, which was discovered during a routine mammogram in January 2010.
In December 2010, Martina Navratilova was hospitalized after developing high altitude pulmonary edema while attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.
In June 2011, Martina Navratilova was named one of the "30 Legends of Women's Tennis: Past, Present and Future" by Time.
In February 2012, Martina Navratilova was a cast member on the 14th season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She was partnered with Tony Dovolani, but they were the first pair eliminated.
In March 2012, The Tennis Channel named Martina Navratilova as the second greatest female tennis player of all times, behind Steffi Graf, in their list of 100 greatest tennis players of all times.
On August 2, 2013, Martina Navratilova was inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame as part of the first class of inductees.
On September 6, 2014, Martina Navratilova proposed to her long-time girlfriend Julia Lemigova at the US Open.
On December 15, 2014, Martina Navratilova married Julia Lemigova in New York.
In December 2014, Martina Navratilova joined Agnieszka Radwańska's coaching staff.
In April 2015, Martina Navratilova and Agnieszka Radwańska decided to part ways after Radwańska faced struggles in the first half of the season.
On May 12, 2016, Martina Navratilova was made an honorary fellow of Lucy Cavendish College of the University of Cambridge.
In 2018, it was reported that Glenn Greenwald was developing a feature-length documentary about Martina Navratilova with Reese Witherspoon's production company, Hello Sunshine.
In February 2019, Martina Navratilova wrote an article for The Times expressing her criticism of allowing transgender women to compete in women's sports, leading to Athlete Ally removing her from their advisory board.
In March 2019, Martina Navratilova apologized for using the word "cheating" when discussing the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports. She also advocated for open debate rooted in scientific evidence.
In April 2019, Martina Navratilova wrote an article for The Washington Post, expressing her opinion that the Equality Act, in its current form, would eliminate sex-based differentiation in women's sports.
In June 2019, the BBC broadcast "The Trans Women Athlete Dispute with Martina Navratilova," where Navratilova presented evidence from both sides of the debate of whether trans women have any advantage in elite sports.
In 2019, Martina Navratilova had a recurring role portraying Brigitte, a horse trainer, in the Netflix series, The Politician.
In August 2020, Martina Navratilova, along with over 300 women, signed a letter to the National Collegiate Athletic Association supporting Idaho's law to ban transgender women student-athletes from women's sports.
In 2021, Martina Navratilova became a leader of the Women's Sports Policy Working Group, which was formed in response to US President Joe Biden's Executive Order 13988, to protect women in sports while accommodating trans athletes where possible.
In January 2023, Martina Navratilova was diagnosed with both throat (stage one) and breast cancer after discovering a swollen lymph node on her neck.
In March 2023, after undergoing preventive radiation, Martina Navratilova announced that she was cancer-free.
In April 2023, Martina Navratilova supported a boycott of Nike because they entered into a corporate sponsorship with Dylan Mulvaney, a transgender woman, to advertise a sports bra.
In October 2023, Martina Navratilova criticized US Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland's interview with the drag queen Pattie Gonia, calling her a "pathetic parody of women."
During an interview at the Salesforce World Tour London 2024 event, Martina Navratilova confirmed in 2024 that a documentary was currently being filmed with her and Chris Evert.
In 2024, Martina Navratilova repeatedly condemned the International Olympic Committee for allowing Imane Khelif to box in the 2024 Summer Olympics, because Navratilova believes that Khelif is male, not female.
Martina Navratilova confirmed that a documentary was currently being filmed with her and Chris Evert and would be released in 2025.
Ashleigh Barty is a retired Australian professional tennis and cricket...
Serena Williams is a retired American professional tennis player widely...
Naomi Osaka is a prominent Japanese professional tennis player She...
George W Bush served as the rd President of the...
Maria Sharapova is a retired Russian professional tennis player She...
CNN Cable News Network is a multinational news organization founded...
2 months ago World's Oldest Person, Inah Canabarro Lucas, Dies in Brazil at 116
20 days ago Alyssa Thomas shines with double-double as Mercury defeats Sun in WNBA matchup.
15 minutes ago Justin Verlander's Outlook, Royals' Interest in Reynolds, and Opposition Research Noted.
2 months ago Jonathan Majors pens heartfelt letter to Marvel after being dropped, seeks resolution.
17 days ago Arda Güler's Potential Debut: Real Madrid vs. Pachuca in FIFA Club World Cup
Bitcoin created in by the unknown Satoshi Nakamoto is the first decentralized cryptocurrency launched in Functioning on a free-market ideology...
Jupiter is the fifth and largest planet from the Sun...
KPop Demon Hunters is a animated musical fantasy action comedy...
Candace Owens is an American conservative and far-right political commentator...
A blue moon is defined in several ways most commonly...
Brian Fitzpatrick is an American politician currently serving as a...
Starbucks is an American multinational coffeehouse chain established in Seattle...