5 Women Who Changed The Face Of Tennis

#3 Martina Navratilova - A Legend

Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova is a true champion. She holds the records for most singles (167) and doubles titles (177) in the Open Era. She won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, 31 major women's doubles titles (an all-time record), and 10 major mixed doubles titles. So she has won a combined total of 59 major titles, marking the Open Era record for the most Grand Slam titles won by one player, male or female. She brought a new wave of athleticism to women's tennis. She raised the level of her game using new training techniques. She openly talked about the idea of cross-training for tennis players. She was forthcoming about her need of coaching for technical and emotional aspects which was a rarity in those times. She played an attacking and aggressive game which was quite different from the brand of tennis that most women players used at that time. Her agility and fast-paced serve and volley game left her opponents with little time to find a rhythm. She was quite vocal about her desire to defect to the United States to get freedom from the communist ideologies of Czechoslovakia (her birth country) at that time. Of course, now she has regained her citizenship of the Czech Republic. She continues to use her fame and fortune for various organizations, in support of gay rights, animal rights, and underprivileged children.