Navratilova Returns to Wimbledon After Cancer Battle
Martina Navratilova, widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players in history, will return to Wimbledon this week as a pundit for the BBC. The 69-year-old Czech-American legend, who won a record nine ladies' singles titles at the All England Club, joins a panel featuring John McEnroe, Billie Jean King, Andre Agassi, and Pat Cash. Her return comes after she was diagnosed with stage 1 throat and breast cancer in early 2023, which she later announced she was cancer-free from later that year.
A Record-Breaking Career on Grass
Navratilova dominated Wimbledon during the 1980s, securing six consecutive singles titles between 1982 and 1987. She also claimed seven women's doubles and four mixed doubles championships at SW19. Overall, she spent 332 weeks as world No. 1, a testament to her enduring excellence. Her 18 Grand Slam singles titles remain a benchmark in women's tennis.
Meeting and Marrying Julia Lemigova
Navratilova lives in Miami with her wife, Julia Lemigova, a former model and Miss USSR 1990. The couple first met in a Paris gay bar in 2000. Recalling the encounter, Navratilova said: "I was at a club with some friends, a gay bar in Paris. We're sitting here, we're dancing and then we sit down and then there's this gorgeous woman standing at the bar and she's like...looking at me. I gave this Russian look to her. Really, it was more like, 'Okay, you are coming to talk to me now.'" However, romance did not blossom until eight years later, when they reunited during the French Open.
Age Gap and Family Life
Lemigova, 53, is 16 years younger than Navratilova. The couple married in New York in 2014 after Navratilova proposed live on television during the US Open. Lemigova has two daughters from previous relationships, including one with French banker Edouard Stern, who was murdered in 2005. In August 2024, the couple adopted two young boys, fulfilling their dream of expanding their family after Navratilova's cancer recovery. Lemigova told Entertainment Tonight in 2025: "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."
Lemigova's Own Career and Reality TV Fame
Lemigova gained recognition as a cast member of The Real Housewives of Miami, making history as the first housewife in the franchise to be married to another woman. Born in Moscow to a former Red Army colonel, she won Miss USSR in 1990 and was runner-up at Miss Universe in 1991. Her life has been marked by both glamour and tragedy, including the murder of her former partner.
Navratilova's Health Journey and Adoption
In early 2023, Navratilova was diagnosed with stage 1 throat and breast cancer. The couple postponed their adoption plans, with Lemigova explaining: "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. 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 she was cancer-free later that year, and the couple adopted two boys in August 2024.
