Knowra Martina Navratilova Martina Navratilova Martina Navratilova is a Czech-American tennis player who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles and 31 Grand Slam women's doubles titles. Her sustained success across singles and doubles made her one of tennis's most accomplished champions.
1983 Wimbledon Championships : The 1983 Wimbledon Championships were the annual grass-court tennis tournament held at the All England Club. Navratilova won the women's singles title, the first of six consecutive Wimbledon crowns.
Serve-and-volley : Serve-and-volley is a tennis strategy in which a player approaches the net immediately after serving. Navratilova used frequent net approaches to pressure opponents and finish points quickly.
Prague : Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Navratilova was born in Prague in 1956 and began playing tennis there.
LGBTQ rights movement : The LGBTQ rights movement seeks equal rights and social acceptance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. Her openness about being gay made her a prominent athlete in the movement.
1984 Wimbledon Championships : The 1984 Wimbledon Championships were the annual grass-court tennis tournament held at the All England Club. She retained the singles title during a season in which she won six consecutive major singles tournaments.
Left-handedness in tennis : Left-handedness in tennis changes serving angles and the direction of a player's natural spin. Her left-handed serve created angles that complicated returns, especially on the ad court.
Czechoslovakia : Czechoslovakia was a Central European state that existed from 1918 until its peaceful dissolution in 1992. She grew up and developed as a player in Czechoslovakia before defecting.
Coming out : Coming out is the process of publicly disclosing a sexual orientation or gender identity. She publicly discussed her sexuality in 1981, when few elite athletes did so.
Chris Evert : Chris Evert is an American former tennis player who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles. Their long rivalry, spanning 80 matches, defined an era of women's tennis.
Tennis serve : The tennis serve is the stroke that begins each point by putting the ball into play. A powerful, accurate serve gave her a reliable first-strike weapon.
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