Martina Navratilova

After losing the US Open semi-final in 1975, Martina walked into the US Immigration and Naturalisation Service in New York City and informed them she wanted to defect from Soviet controlled communist Czechoslovakia, Martina was 18 years old.

Martina is the only tennis player to have spent more than 200 weeks as world number one in both singles and doubles. She holds the record of nine Wimbledon singles titles, half of her 18 Grand Slam singles titles.

In women’s doubles she won 31 Grand Slam titles complemented by 10 mixed doubles titles. Martina completed is one of only three women to win singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at each of the four Grand Slams Wimbledon, the US Open, the Australian Open and the French Open. Her last Grand Slam victory was in the 2006 US Open mixed doubles a month shy of her 50th birthday.

In her 33-year professional tennis career Martina won 354 titles, 167 of them in singles.

Martina has made a number of television appearances including I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, Dancing with the Stars, the Netflix series The Politician, Will and Grace and in a 1983 episode of Hart to Hart.

Martina now spends her time between being at home and broadcasting as a presenter/commentator for the BBC, Tennis Channel and Amazon Prime Video. She also travels the world extensively giving speaking engagements on a variety of issues and taking part in other corporate activities.