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ImmigrationProf Blog
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Immigrant of the Day: Martina Navratilova Tennis Player (Czech Republic)

By immigrationprof

Navratilova Martina Navratilova (born October 18, 1956, in Prague, Czechoslovakia) is a former World No. 1 woman tennis player. Billie Jean King said about Navratilova in 2006, “She’s the greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who’s ever lived.”

Navratilova won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 Grand Slam womens doubles titles (an all-time record), and 10 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. She won the women’s singles title at Wimbledon a record 9 times. She is one of just three women to have accomplished a career Grand Slam in singles, women’s doubles, and mixed doubles. She holds the open era record for most singles and doubles tournament wins (167 and 177 titles respectively).

Originally from the former Czechoslovakia, Navratilova defected to the United States in 1975 at the age of 18 and became a U.S. citizen in 1981.  Shorthly thereafter, Navratilova came out publicly about being a lesbian.

Navratilova released an autobiography, simply entitled “Martina”, in 1985 and also co-wrote three mystery novels in the 1990s. To see her official website, click here.

KJ