Martina Navratilova, widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, is set to return to Wimbledon this week as part of the BBC's live coverage. The 69-year-old Czech-American legend, who won a record nine ladies' singles titles at the All England Club, will join a stellar punditry line-up including John McEnroe, Billie Jean King, Andre Agassi and Pat Cash.
Navratilova's Unmatched Wimbledon Legacy
Navratilova's dominance on grass during the 1980s remains unparalleled. She secured six consecutive singles titles between 1982 and 1987, and also claimed seven women's doubles and four mixed doubles championships. She spent 332 weeks as world No. 1, a testament to her extraordinary career.
Life with Julia Lemigova
Navratilova resides in Miami with her wife, Julia Lemigova, a former model who was crowned Miss USSR in 1990 and placed runner-up at Miss Universe in 1991. The couple married in New York in 2014 after Navratilova proposed live on television during the US Open. They first met in a Parisian gay bar in 2000, but romance did not blossom until eight years later when they reunited during the French Open.
Lemigova, 16 years Navratilova's junior, has two daughters from previous relationships. Her former partner, French banker Edouard Stern, was murdered by his mistress in 2005. She is also known for appearing on The Real Housewives of Miami, making history as the first housewife in the franchise to be married to another woman.
Cancer Diagnosis and Adoption
In early 2023, Navratilova was diagnosed with stage 1 throat and breast cancer, prompting the couple to postpone 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, and for her getting healthy, so we are putting it on hold," Lemigova explained. "You know, we were thinking any moment, the agency would call and give us happy news that we're going to have a baby... instead, we are fighting two cancers."
Navratilova announced later that year that she was cancer-free, and in August 2024, the couple adopted two young boys. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight in 2025, Lemigova said: "There's a difference between girls and 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."
