Navratilova, Martina

Navratilova, Martina (märtē'nu năv"rutilō'vu) [key], 1956–, Czech-American tennis player, b. Prague. After holding the Czech singles title (1972–74), she defected (1975) to the United States. Known for her aggressive serve-and-volley style, she won the women's singles at Wimbledon a record nine times (1978–79, 1982–87, 1990) and also won a record 20 titles there overall. She holds four U.S. Open titles (1983, 1984, 1986–87), three Australian Open titles (1981, 1983, 1985), and two French Open titles (1982, 1984). With her partner Pam Shriver, she also dominated women's doubles competitions, winning 110 consecutive matches from 1983 to 1985. In a career spanning more than three decades, Navratilova became the all-time leader, male or female, in singles titles (168); she also holds 178 doubles titles.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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