Navratilova << `nav` ruh tuh LOH vuh >> , Martina (1956-…), ranks among the greatest female tennis players in the history of the sport. Navratilova became noted for her aggressive, athletic style of play; her strong serve; and her skill at volleying. She won 59 grand slam titles—18 singles, 31 women’s doubles, and 10 mixed doubles. The Grand Slam consists of the Australian Open, the French Open, the US Open, and Wimbledon in England. In 1984, Navratilova and her partner Pam Shriver became the only women’s doubles team to win all four Grand Slam championships in the same year.
Navratilova won a record 167 singles titles. She held the number-one ranking in women’s tennis for 331 weeks. In 2003, at the age of 46, she became the oldest Wimbledon champion by winning the mixed doubles title with her partner Leander Paes of India. She also matched the American tennis star Billie Jean King’s record of 20 Wimbledon titles.
Navratilova was born on Oct. 18, 1956, in Prague, then in Czechoslovakia and now in the Czech Republic. She defected to the United States in 1975 and became a U.S. citizen in 1981. Navratilova retired as an active player in 2006.
See also Tennis (table: All-England (Wimbledon) Championships) (table: Australian Open) (table: French Open) (table: US Open) .
