| Martina Navratilova is widely regarded as the greatest | | | | into shape with a punishing fitness routine that she |
| female tennis player in the history of the game. She | | | | maintained throughout the rest of her career. |
| captured 18 Grand Slam singles titles and 40 Grand | | | | Eventually, a high level of conditioning soon became a |
| Slam doubles titles. | | | | hallmark of her game. |
| She was born in Czechoslovakia on October 18, 1956 | | | | In 1978, she won her first Grand Slam singles |
| and at age 18 defected to the United States in 1975. | | | | tournament at Wimbledon, defeating Chris Evert in |
| She was granted US citizenship in 1981. Her given | | | | three sets in the championship. Her victory propelled |
| name was Martna Subertova but her parents divorced | | | | her to the top of the women's rankings and she was |
| when she was three and her mother remarried a man | | | | named the number one female tennis player in the |
| named Miroslav Navratil, who would later one become | | | | world for the first time. Evert and Navratilova would |
| her very first tennis coach. Martina later on adopted | | | | meet again in the Wimbledon finals a year later and |
| her stepfather's name and added the feminine suffix | | | | Navratilova would once again prevail. |
| "ova." | | | | In 1981, Navratilova bagged her third Grand Slam |
| By the time she was 15, Navratilova was making her | | | | singles title, once again by defeating Evert in the finals, |
| mark on the tennis scene. She won the | | | | this time in the Australian Open. In 1982, she would go |
| Czechoslovakian national tennis championship in 1972 | | | | on to win both Wimbledon and the French Open. |
| and turned professional the very next year at age 16. | | | | By the mid-1980s, Navratilova hit her stride and |
| Her first professional singles victory came in 1974 in | | | | embarked on her domination of the women's tennis |
| Orlando, Florida. | | | | scene. After losing the French Open in 1983, she would |
| She is best known as a strong left-handed | | | | go o to win all three remaining Grand Slam |
| serve-and-volleyer with magnificent volleying skills and | | | | tournaments that year - Wimbledon, the US Open and |
| an aggressive and powerful game. Her excellence on | | | | the Australian Open. Amazingly, her defeat at the |
| the court raised the quality of the women's game to | | | | season-opening French Open was her only loss for |
| new heights. Early in her career, Navratilova was on | | | | that season and she went 86-1 win-loss for the year. |
| the overweight side and received some sharp | | | | That is the best-ever winning percentage for a |
| remarks from the press for it. However, showing her | | | | professional tennis player for a single season. |
| firm determination, Navratilova soon whipped herself | | | | |