"Refused to let me be afraid": Martina Navratilova's wife on how tennis legend got her through cancer battle

Former world number one Martina Navratilova’s partner Julia Lemigova has talked about the legendary tennis star’s battle with breast cancer.

The 67-year-old had a long battle with illness and her partner Lemigova was recently quoted in a report where she talked about her strength while dealing with such a tough situation.

"Martina was so strong,” she said. “She refused to let me be afraid for very long. Her positive attitude throughout her fight was so inspirational to me. Watching her face these two cancers really taught me a lesson on conquering fear. I admire her so much.

Navratilova is often regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of women’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 18 Grand Slam titles. Her most successful competition was Wimbledon where she lifted the title nine times —1978, 1979, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1990.

That’s not it as the 67-year-old also went on to win 31 doubles and 10 mixed doubles Grand Slam titles in her career. In total, she went on to win 177 doubles titles in her career. Navratilova went on to win tour finals eight times in the singles category and 13 titles in the doubles category.