Martina Navratilova won the Czechoslovakia national tennis championship in 1972, making her debut on the United States Lawn Tennis Association professional tour in 1973. She secured her first professional singles title in Orlando, Florida, in 1974. After defecting to the United States in 1975, she became a U.S. citizen in 1981.

Navratilova’s unparalleled career saw her achieve an Open Era record of 167 top-level singles titles and 177 doubles titles, securing an astonishing 59 major titles across singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. Between 1982 and 1986, Navratilova demonstrated a period of unprecedented dominance, losing only six singles matches. In 1983, she achieved an exceptional 98.9% winning percentage with an 86-1 record. In 1984, she set a professional record with a 74-match winning streak and completed a calendar Grand Slam in women’s doubles, partnering Pam Shriver.

Navratilova has also been a prominent advocate for human and civil rights, speaking out on gay rights since 1981, participating in a lawsuit against Colorado’s Amendment 2, and openly condemning communism. Navratilova’s impressive longevity culminated with her last major title, the mixed doubles crown at the 2006 US Open, marking a professional span of 32 years since her first major title in 1974. Her impactful advocacy was recognized when Equality Forum named her one of their 31 Icons of the LGBT History Month in 2006. In 2009, she received the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) highest accolade, the Philippe Chatrier Award.

Continuing her involvement in the sport, Navratilova joined Agnieszka Radwa?ska’s coaching staff in 2014, solidifying her legacy as one of the greatest female tennis players of all time.