Martina Navrátilová

“Don’t let age define your identity or govern what you can or can’t do.” ~Martina Navrátilová

Martina Navrátilová is a living legend, the best tennis player of all time, among men or women, with 59 Grand Slam titles and a record 9 Wimbledon singles championships. Beyond her unmatched records, she has become an inspirational leader to rising stars, women, and minorities. She is a fierce advocate for human rights, healthy living and animals. 

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Australian Open, 2015

"I think the key is for women not to set any limits." ~Martina Navrátilová

Martina sensed the freedom in America and admired its women for doing what they wanted to do, making decisions, being professionals. Several made ever lasting impressions on her such as Billie Jean King, the great player who turned women’s tennis into a big-time event. Martina also liked the food. Growing up on traditional Czech dishes spread out over the course of a day, Martina was slim growing up but, indulging on Big Macs and fries, she struggled with her weight when she got to the US. Still, Martina won her first major singles title at Wimbledon in 1978, defeating her greatest rival Chris Evert in three sets in the final and captured the World No. 1 ranking for the first time. Martina defended her Wimbledon title in 1979, again beating Evert. However, after Evert crushed Martina in 1981 in the finals of the Women’s Tennis Association championships, Martina began working with basketball’s “Lady Magic,” Nancy Lieberman, who helped Martina overhaul her fitness. She also teamed up with a coach, Renee Richards, who helped with her mental focus. 

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Martina Navrátilova winning Wimbledon in 1978

"Tennis has given me soul." ~Martina Navrátilová

The hours in the gym paid off. Martina was in the best shape of her career and the confidence showed.  She had the ultimate serve-and-volley game and ardent determination to be the best.  Still, she lost the 1982 US Open due to her severe sickness from toxoplasmosis she caught from eating an uncooked hamburger. By 1983, she was ready to again claim the number one spot with a new coach, Mike Estep. After working on her strategy, Martina finally won the US Open, beating Chris Evert. In fact, the Navrátilová-Evert on court fierce rivalry for dominance in women's tennis is one of the greatest in any sport’s history. Between 1973 and 1988, the Grand Slam champs faced each other 80 times. The media portrayed Martina as the outsider, the defector, the immigrant. Martina was always very outspoken and emotional, a personality trait she gained from her birth father. Her persona was the opposite of the feminine, even-keeled Chris Evert, who was "America's Sweetheart.” Despite their epic rivalry, different playing styles, and contrary on court demeanor, they became very close friends and even doubles partners, winning at Wimbledon and the French Open together.  

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Chris Evert and Martiná Navrátilová 

“I didn’t imagine my sexuality would become a major issue to anybody." ~Martina Navrátilová

Martina became known for taking women’s tennis to an entirely new level with her speed, aggression, and fitness.  Still, in her quest to become one of the greatest athletes of all times, Martina had to overcome several hurdles in her life. Her image especially suffered when it became known that she was gay. Her public declaration in those times cost her millions in endorsement dollars. Even her parents didn’t understand initially, accusing Martina of being overly sensitive and revealing her emotive birth father committed suicide when she was young. Martina struggled with her image throughout her career but remained a strong proponent for the rights of the LGBT community, speaking at the 2000 Millennium March in Washington, DC.  She married her wife in New York in 2014 and together they raise two daughters and numerous adorable purebreds and mutts. 

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US Open, 1991

“The ball doesn’t know how old I am.” ~Martina Navrátilová

Another great challenge that Martina conquered was controlling her diet. During her first visit to the US in 1973, Martina put on 20 pounds in just two weeks, discovering the foods on the other side of the Iron Curtain. She lost the weight naturally when she returned home to an active routine. However, after her defection, Martina ballooned to 170 pounds. People thought she was lonely but in reality Martina lacked the proper knowledge about nutrition and exercise. Fast forward the course of a career that spanned an amazing four decades, Martina is a leader on personal fitness and healthy living, attested by her own comeback from retirement at the age of 43. Her diet and work ethic ultimately resulted in her being selected to represent the US at the Olympics in 2004, her first Olympics. Although losing in the quarterfinals, she became the oldest Olympic tennis player in the history of the Games. Moreover, Martina captured her final grand slam title in mixed doubles a month shy of her 50th birthday!  Still, she praises her mom for being a great role model in teaching her just how important sports are for young girls.  

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