Biography of Martina Navrátilová

Martina Navratilova (born October 18, 1956) is a former Czech tennis player, who became an American citizen in 1981. She is considered the best tennis player of the 1980s. Navratilova began her career in her teenage years and won her first title at age 14. From the age of 19, she began competing in the United States, where she quickly gained recognition and won her first Wimbledon title in 1978. She won this title again eight times between 1979 and 1990. In 1993, she faced Jimmy Connors in the “Battle of the Sexes” and a year later ended her career in the final of the Roland Garros.

Early years

Martina Navratilova was born in Revnice, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) on October 18, 1956. She is the daughter of Jana Navratilova and Mirek Subert. From a young age, she played various sports such as soccer and hockey, and was good at skiing. However, tennis was always her main passion; her grandmother was a tennis player and her parents worked in the government’s tennis department. Navratilova’s innate skills quickly came to light, and at the age of 14 she won her first national tournament and at 16 she was number one in the Czechoslovak ranking

. Thanks to this, she traveled to several countries.

With the aim of advancing her career, in 1975 she applied for American citizenship, which caused several problems in her country, as it was seen as a betrayal. Despite Navratilova explaining that it was only for her career, she was banned from entering the country for several years and her family was prohibited from leaving. Navratilova had to wait until 1981 to be recognized as an American.

Career as a tennis player

After achieving success in her home country, Navratilova became a formidable opponent on the international courts. She was the best tennis player of the 1980s and, in fact, was ranked first in the WTA from 1982 to 1987. In 1978 she won her first international title by triumphing at the Wimbledon tournament. A year later she won this title again and then did so six times consecutively between 1982 and 1987. Her ninth and last Wimbledon trophy came in 1990 against Zina Garrison with a score of 6-4 and 6-1.

Navratilova won the Roland Garros championship for the first time in 1982 and won the second one in 1984. A year later she won her first Flushing Meadows, and then won this title again in 1984, 1986 and 1987. During this same period, she also won the Australian Open three times (1981, 1983 and 1985). In addition, she won six Masters (1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985 and 1986) and five Federation Cups (1981, 1982, 1986, 1989 and 1990).

Her then exceptional career led her to face Jimmy Connors in the “Battle of the Sexes” in 1993, where she was defeated with a score of 7-5 and 6-2. Although she initially planned to retire years later, the arrival of Steffi Graf and the scandal caused by the separation from her romantic partner, Judy Nelson, brought forward her plans. Navratilova retired from the courts in 1994, after participating in the final of the Roland Garros against the Spanish player Arantxa Sánchez.

Later she returned to tennis, competing in the mixed doubles category. She won the Australian Open in 2003 and was runner-up at the Roland Garros in 2005. In 2006, she retired from the courts definitively.

Personal life

Navratilova was aware of her attraction to women since she was 18 years old, however, she avoided talking about it due to the way people in the LGBT+ community were treated in her country. Once she obtained American citizenship, she came out. She was married to Judy Nelson, from whom she separated in 1991.

She has participated in several campaigns in support of the LGBT+ community and has appeared on several television shows. She is known for participating in the sitcom “Will & Grace”. She has also written two autobiographies (Martina and Being Myself) and three novels.

Currently, she is considered an icon of the LGBT+ community.

Diagnosis of throat cancer and breast cancer

In January 2023, the great tennis player was diagnosed with throat and breast cancer. Months earlier, she had noticed an enlarged lymph node in her neck during the Women’s Tennis Association finals in Fort Worth. A biopsy revealed that she had stage 1 throat cancer. Later, during tests to evaluate the growth of throat cancer, doctors discovered an unrelated breast cancer. This is Navratilova’s second treatment for cancer. In 2010, she announced that she was being treated for breast cancer after a tumor was detected during a routine mammogram. The tumor was surgically removed and Navratilova underwent a brief course of radiation therapy.