Wed 1 Feb 2012 In: Hall of Fame View at Wayback View at NDHA
Last year, there were far too many articles about rugby. To redress the balance, this article is a tribute to that magnificent paragon of athletic excellence and achievement and lesbian icon, Martina Navratilova. Before gay male cricket and rugby stars, there was Martina. Born in Prague in 1956, Martina's stepfather enabled her to discover her love of women's tennis and won the Czechoslovakia Lawn Tennis Championship in 1973. In 1975, she won her first international singles tennis title when she played in Orlando, Florida. She defected from then-Communist Czechoslovakia to the United States in 1974. During her career, Martina Navratilova woneighteen Grand Slam singles titles as well as thirty-oneGrand Slam women's doubles titles, which is a thus far unparalleled record within women's tennis. She has also secured tenGrand Slam mixed doubles titles. As an individual elite athlete, she reached the Wimbledon women's singles finaltwelve times, includinga tenure of nine consecutive years (1982-1990). She also won the women's singles title at Wimbledon nine times, another unparalleled record. Other than Billie Jean King, she is the only women's tennis player to havewon twenty Wimbledon titles. Navratilova is one ofonly three women to have accomplished a career Grand Slam in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles- this is referred to asthe "Grand Slam boxed set". Ironically, she shares thisrecord with Margaret Court and Doris Hart.Navratilova alsoholds the open era record, scoring 167 singles titles and 177 doubles titles. She reached the highest level of consecutive victoriesduring theopen era at seventy-four consecutive matches, and three of the longest consecutive victory periods during the women's open era. Navratilova, Margaret Court and Maureen Connolly all share the record for the most consecutive Grand Slam singles titlesat six apiece.Navratilova attained eleven consecutive Grand Slam singles finals,which only Steffi Graf' surpassed at thirteen. As awomen's doubles player, Navratilovapartnered withPam Shriver and together, they wonone hundred and nineconsecutive matches and won all four Grand Slam titles in 1984. Navratilova and Shriver also set an all-time record of seventy ninetitles together, equalling Louise Brough Clapp's and Margaret Osborne duPont'spartnership record oftwenty Grand Slam women's doubles titles.Navratilova alsowon the season ending Women’s Tennis Association Tour Championships eight times and made the finals for that competition fourteen times. She won that competition'sdoubles title eleven times. Navratilova is the only woman or man who haswon eight different tennis tournaments seven times. Aged fifty, she retired from professional women’s tennis in 2006. Martina came out publically in 1981, over thirty years ago, and was the earliest professional lesbian or gay athlete to do so. She wrote an autobiography shortly afterward as well as instructional tennis titles and fitness guides. She filed a legal suit against Amendment 2, a Colorado citizens initiated referendum that temporarily overturned that state's antidiscrimination laws until the US Supreme Court decided otherwise in Romer v Evans in 1996. The Human Rights Campaign awarded her an Equality Award in 2000 for her work on behalf of LGBT rights. As for her love life, she was partnered with Rita Mae Brown, a pioneering lesbian fiction author in the early eighties, and was with Judy Nelson for several years (1984-1991), although there was an acrimonious split and legal arguments at the end of that period. On April 7, 2010, Navratilova announced that she was being treated for breast cancer. In January 2010, a routine mammogram revealed that she had a ductal carcinoma in situ(prefigurative earlysigns of breast cancer)in her left breast. In February 2010, doctors informed her of this situation, and in March 2010, she had the tumour surgically removed from her breast. In May 2010, she received radiation therapy. Martina Navratilova remains a beacon of hope for many lesbian or gay youths who aspire to sporting or professional excellence. She enabled more than one of us to survive our difficult secondary school years simply through her public presence. Recommended: Adrianne Blue: Martina: The Life and Times of Martina Navratilova: Carol Publishing Company: 2005. Craig Young - 1st February 2012