Tennis icon Martina Navratilova, 69, is set to return to the All England Club this week as a pundit for the BBC’s Wimbledon coverage, joining a panel that includes John McEnroe, Billie Jean King, Andre Agassi, and Pat Cash. The 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, who won a record nine ladies’ singles titles at Wimbledon, will be on site where she dominated in the 1980s, including six consecutive victories from 1982 to 1987.
Personal Life and Age Gap
Navratilova lives in Miami with her wife, Julia Lemigova, a former model who is 16 years younger. Lemigova was crowned Miss USSR in 1990 and was runner-up at Miss Universe in 1991. She has two daughters from previous relationships and gained fame on The Real Housewives of Miami, becoming the first housewife in the franchise to be married to a woman. The couple married in New York in 2014 after Navratilova proposed live on television during the US Open.
Cancer Diagnosis and Adoption
In early 2023, Navratilova was diagnosed with stage 1 throat and breast cancer, which delayed the couple’s plans to adopt a child. “When you’re adopting a child, it has to be about the child. And, right now, it’s everything about Martina,” Lemigova explained at the time. Navratilova announced later that year that she was cancer-free. In August 2024, the couple adopted two young boys, saying they were “over the moon.”
Life as a Mother
Speaking in 2025, Lemigova described Navratilova’s bond with the boys: “She’s now with the boys, playing sports with them, teaching tennis, teaching baseball, teaching basketball. She's having such a blast. She's becoming like a kid herself, I feel, like 20 years younger. It's a completely different Martina that I'm seeing.”
Wimbledon Legacy
Navratilova spent 332 weeks as world No. 1 during her career. Her nine Wimbledon singles titles remain a record for the Open Era. She also won seven women’s doubles and four mixed doubles titles at the championships.
