Navratilova, Martina (märtē`nə năv'rətĭlō`və), 1956–, Czech-American tennis player, b. Prague. After holding the Czech singles title (1972–74), she defected (1975) to the United States. Known for her aggressive serve-and-volley style, she won the women's singles at Wimbledon a record nine times (1978–79, 1982–87, 1990) and also won a record 20 titles there overall. She holds four U.S. Open titles (1983, 1984, 1986–87), three Australian Open titles (1981, 1983, 1985), and two French Open titles (1982, 1984). With her partner Pam Shriver, she also dominated women's doubles competitions, winning 110 consecutive matches from 1983 to 1985. In a career spanning more than three decades, Navratilova became the all-time leader, male or female, in singles titles (168); she also holds 178 doubles titles.

Bibliography

See her autobiography, written with G. Vecsey (1985).

Navratilova, Martina

(born Oct. 18, 1956, Prague, Czech.) Czech-born U.S. tennis player. She became the undisputed top-seeded player in the world in 1979 after winning the Wimbledon women's singles and doubles. In 1982 she won 90 of 93 matches, and in 1983 she won 86 of 87 matches. By 1992 she had accumulated more championships (158) than any other player, male or female, in tennis history, and she retired from singles play in 1994 with 167 titles. Over the next two years Navratilova appeared in only a handful of doubles events, and from 1997 to 1999 she did not play. In 2000 she returned to professional play, competing in several doubles events. In 2003 she won the mixed doubles at Wimbledon, tying Billie Jean King for most Wimbledon titles (20). With the victory, Navratilova, age 46, became the oldest player to win at Wimbledon. After winning the mixed doubles at the U.S. Open in 2006, she retired from competitive play. Her career totals include 59 grand slam titles: 18 singles, 31 doubles, and 10 mixed doubles.

Navratilova, Martina (1956– ) tennis player; born in Prague, Czechoslovakia. After defecting to the U.S.A. from Czechoslovakia in 1975, she provided tennis with one of its greatest rivalries with her many fierce competitions with Chris Evert from 1975 to 1989. Holder of many of the major records in women's tennis, she won the Wimbledon singles nine times (a record), the U.S. singles four times, the Australian three times, and the French twice. In 1992, Navratilova won her 158th professional singles title, an all-time record. As one of the first major sports figures to be open about her lesbianism, she gained respect from many but she also found herself involved in occasional controversies. She retired in 1994.