Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova is a former top-seeded Czech and American tennis player who remained virtually unchallenged during the 1970s and 80s. She was voted the greatest tennis player (female) by ‘Tennis’, a magazine devoted to the game, for an incredible 40 years, from 1965 to 2005. Navratilova took to tennis at a rather tender age of 4, when she bounced tennis balls against a concrete wall. By the time she was 7 she had become a regular at the courts, and later went on to become the uncrowned queen of the game. In addition to being an ace tennis player, she also dabbled in writing, and penned a series of works of fiction. The gay rights movement was dear to her heart, of which she was a vociferous supporter. Her parents parted ways when Martina was just three. Martina was probably destined to become an ace tennis player as it was in her genes. Her grandmother was an internationally recognized tennis player. Her stepfather Miroslav often accompanied her to the courts, and helped her work on her strokes.