Tennis Legends: Martina Navratilova - The journey from political asylum to one of the greatest of all time

All sports have an exclusive club of greats—players who amass a CV that separates them from the majority who turn professional. Then you have sporting greats that not only accumulate a vast number of titles but also use their platform to advance progress on issues within their sport and in wider society. Tennis Legends explores the leading lights, both remembered and forgotten, and one that falls into the legendary category is Martina Navratilova.

Born in communist Czechoslovakia on October 18th 1956, Navratilova would need to take political asylum in America to pursue her tennis ambitions. This brave decision, leaving her family behind, would pay dividends on the court but at a heavy emotional cost. The man she considered her father passed away during her four year period exiled from all family members. He'd provided her with a fundamental grounding in tennis. It wasn't until the second of her record Wimbledon Singles titles that Navratilova would see her mother, following the Duchess of Kent lobbying the Czech embassy to facilitate a visit.

The sheer volume of success enjoyed by Navratilova is unparalleled and highly unlikely to be bettered. Her tallies of 167 singles and 167 doubles titles are unmatched in the Open era. It's a reflection of the immense longevity she enjoyed at the top, finishing in the year-end Top 10 every year between 1974 and 1994. No player, male or female, as ever experienced such a stretch since the official rankings began. Chris Evert and Steffi Graf are the only women, in the Open Era, to surpass 100 career titles.

Navratilova triumphed 18 times,from 32 finals, in Grand Slam singles events. The nine Wimbledon crowns supplemented by four US Open titles in four years (83, 84, 86, 87), three Australian Opens (81, 83, 85) and two French Opens (82 and 84). She is the only woman to win six consecutive Grand Slam singles titles. A date switch which saw no Australian Open held in 1986 is the reason this run of six successive majors didn't result in a calendar year Grand Slam.

The now defunct Ace tennis magazine declared her the greatest female player of the 20th century. Until Serena Williams came along and established new levels of Grand Slam success in the Open era, many considered her the greatest of all-time. Williams won far fewer career titles but never competed as frequently as Navratilova did.

One sphere where she remains worthy of GOAT status is on grass where her masterful serve and volley game yielded nine singles crowns at Wimbledon. The record ninth came in 1990, defeating compatriot Zina Garrison. This came three years after she'd won her sixth singles title in a row at SW19, a dynasty never bettered at the grass court major. Her expertise on the green stuff is further emphasised by winning a sensational 11 titles at the Eastbourne grass court tournament that was then the primary lead-up tournament heading into Wimbledon. Her total of 20 Wimbledon titles, across singles and doubles, is a joint record with fellow icon and activist Billie Jean King.

Her rivalry with Chris Evert is the most iconic in history of women's tennis. It provided a fascinating contrast in game style with the attacking serve and volley approach of Navratilova colliding with the baseline brilliance of Evert, who often had fans on her side for her being perceived as the more genteel figure compared to the feisty and outspoken Navratilova. The final head-to-head score favoured Navratilova 43-37. The two have shared a close friendship since their playing days, a bond strengthened recently by both women overcoming cancer. 

Navratilova used her fame to raise issues of equal prize money and eventually came out as gay, albeit under pressure from being outed by tabloid journalism, and is known for her activism in improving rights for homosexuals and women. She is an outspoken critic of current US President Donald Trump. In a recent interview with the BBC’s Amol Rajan, she opined that it wouldn't be a country she would choose to move to now as she did in the 1970s.

More recently, Navratilova has been accused of transphobia due to her stance regarding only biological females playing in women's sport. Singles play defines legacies but Navratilova's doubles record is off the scale in terms of achievement. Amongst her 167 titles include a record 41 Grand Slams (31 in women's and 10 in mixed). The last of these came in the 2006 US Open mixed doubles with Leander Paes at the age of 49! This unsurprisingly makes her the oldest Slam winner ever. Her partnership with Pam Shriver is legendary. They once constructed a 109 match unbeaten run. They aligned to win 20 Slams together and 12 WTA Tour Finals titles. Some of her early Grand Slam doubles successes included teaming up with rivals Evert and King.

At her peak, Navratilova accrued 331 weeks at number one, a tally bettered only by Steffi Graf. Her longest unbeaten run of 74 matches is a record in the Open era.

Between 1982 and 1987, Navratilova won 14 of her 18 majors. This is a concentrated spell of success comparable with any player in the Open era. Serena Williams' Grand Slam winning was more spread out and Steffi Graf's pomp was broken up for a time by teenage sensation Monica Seles, although the German was the one who took on the mantle from Navratilova. The changing of the guard was reflected by Graf defeating Navratilova in the 1988 Wimbledon final, ending the American’s six year winning streak.

Pushing the boundaries of age is another area where Navratilova has been a trailblazer. Her last Grand Slam singles final came at the age of 37, losing to Spaniard Conchita Martinez at Wimbledon, memorably lifting a piece of the hallowed centre court turf as she left due to this being her final year on tour as a full-time singles player. In 2004 she took a wildcard into the singles event at Wimbledon. Her opening round win makes the oldest winner of a match on the WTA Tour. Even now, not far off 70, she is a regular participant in Wimbledon's Invitational Doubles events.

A career as illustrious as Navratilova’s has seen her involved in a high volume of classic matches. The 1978, 1982 and 1985 Wimbledon finals saw her pushed to a deciding set by Evert that she won on all occasions. The reverse was true when Graf supplanted her at the top of women's tennis with victories in the 1988 and 1989 Wimbledon showpieces. Graf also beat her 8-6 in the third set of an epic French Open final in 1987. While Hana Mandlikova beat her in a third set tiebreak in the 1985 US Open final, representing her only loss at Flushing Meadows between 1983 and 1987.

Navratilova raised standards in terms of fitness. Her muscular physique honed through weight training influenced the next generation. It was a key factor in her career outlasting many of her contemporaries.

Away from tennis, Navratilova has recently adopted children with her partner and is enjoying a late chance to be a mother, especially after the cancer battle. A renowned dog lover, Navratilova has even taken one of her pet pooches into the commentary box when working with Amazon Prime. Her sporting interests have even seen her Tweet about enjoying snooker at one edition of the World Championship.

Her broadcast career has been extensive. Her punchy views are spliced with penetrative insight into technique and how the dynamics of certain matchups work is detailed and erudite. She's been a fixture on the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage for many years.

Already a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, Navratilova is yet to have any court or tournament named after her. The Devonshire Park complex in Eastbourne seems an obvious one given her record 11 titles there. The BBC recognised her with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004, at their annual BBC Sports Personality of the year night.

It's a myth to say all great champions are trailblazers. Pete Sampras was a bonafide great but it would be hard to argue he changed tennis in any profound way. Navratilova certainly did more than win stacks of titles. She revolutionised the women's game in terms of fitness and diet. In her pomp, tennis was one of the few sports where women enjoyed a big profile. Her physical advancements influenced women in other sports and continue to do so today.