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. She was declared female athlete of the decade collectively by the Associated Press,
National Sports Review and United Press International. Her contributions to tennis won her WTA’s David Gray award in 1996. She was declared the Team of the Year in 1977 at the WTA tour, along with Betty Stove, and Billie Jean King during 1978-79. Martina became the Wimbledon champion during 1978-79,
and went on to become the Australian Open champion in 1981. Martina won the French and U.S. Championships in 1984 and followed that up by winning the Australian Open Championship in 1985. She is an animal rights activist, and is involved in various charitable activities that benefit underprivileged kids, and does her bit for gay rights as well. A confirmed vegetarian, Martina appears on various ad campaigns supporting People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
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