Arguably the best tennis player ever to play the game, Martina has amassed an unmatched number of professional records during a career that spanned an amazing four decades, while proving to be one of the most intriguing, outspoken and respected figures of the 20th century – and now the 21st century.
During her career, Martina has amassed an astonishing 59 Grand Slam titles, including 18 singles, 31 women’s doubles and 10 mixed doubles. She is one of only three people who have won all three titles (singles, doubles and mixed doubles) at each of the four Grand Slam events.
Beyond this, Martina won a total of 167 singles and 178 doubles titles, both all-time records for tennis players, male or female. Her 74-match singles winning streak and 109-match doubles winning streak are both professional records as are the 9 Wimbledon singles titles and 6 consecutive Grand Slam titles that she won during the 1980’s.
After her 2000 induction into the tennis hall of fame, Martina continued to play and win on the WTA Tour through October 2006, when she retired after winning the U.S. Open mixed doubles a month before her 50th birthday.
Over the years, Martina has received numerous accolades, including “Tour Player of the Year” (7 times), Associated Press’ “Female Athlete of the Year,” and “Female Athlete of the Decade” by the National Sports Review. She was named “Sportswoman of the Year” (3 times) by the Women’s Sports Foundation and was listed in Sports Illustrated in the “Top 40 Athletes of All-Time”, for her contributions to the world of tennis and athletics.
Born in Prague, Martina has proved herself to be fearless about her views and beliefs, as demonstrated in 1975 when she defected to the United States in order to flee the repressive communist regime. She displayed unequalled courage, candour and conviction in 1981 when she became one of the first international sports figures to openly disclose that she is gay. Through her honesty, integrity and courage, Martina has inspired countless others to do the same.
Martina is a staunch supporter of women’s issues, gay rights, and ethical treatment of animals, environmental protection and AIDS research. She is also a founder of the Rainbow Card credit card program and the non-profit Rainbow Endowment. Since its inception in 1995, the Rainbow Endowment has been one of the strongest supporters of gay and lesbian charities in North America, having given grants in excess of US$2m.
Through her television appearances, speaking engagements and tennis commentaries, Martina has become as popular for her humour as for her forthrightness and determination. In addition, she is an accomplished writer of both fiction and non-fiction, her most recent book “Shape Yourself” is a guide to personal fitness and healthy living.
The ever-quotable Martina:
- “The moment of victory is much too short to live for that and nothing else.”
- “I don’t like labels. Labels are for clothing. Just call me Martina.”
- “Whoever said: It’s not whether you win or lose that counts, probably lost.”
- “The mark of great sportsmen is not how good they are at their best, but how good they are at their worst.”
