Martina Navratilova wishes Salman Rushdie a speedy recovery after the author was stabbed on stage during lecture in New York

18-time Grand Slam winner and American tennis ace Martina Navratilova has wished for Salman Rushdie's speedy recovery after he was attacked at a recent lecture in New York.

Born in Mumbai, the novelist won the Man Booker Prize in 1981 for his second novel, "Midnight's Children," and earned the reputation as one of the greatest writers of his time.

However, Rushdie became the subject of controversy after he published his fourth novel, "The Satanic Verses," in 1988, where he was deemed to have hurt the sentiments of Muslims. As a result, he received numerous death threats from the Ayatollah of Iran and was forced to go into hiding.

Having lived in the United States since 2000, Rushdie was attacked by a male suspect in New York yesterday (Friday) during a lecture appearance. As reported by The Associated Press, the novelist suffered a few stab wounds to his neck and was airlifted to the hospital.

Moments after the news emerged, the former World No. 1 took to Twitter to wish for a speedy recovery for the 75-year-old author.

"Hope Mr Rushdie will be ok… 🤞🏼🤞🏼🤞🏼", tweeted the American.

"I was intimidated"- Martina Navratilova talks about her fight against breast cancer

Navratilova opened up about her fight with breast cancer in a recent interview

Martina Navratilova has won the most number of Major titles (59) in the Open Era, including singles, doubles and mixed doubles. She dominated the women's tennis circuit for over two decades, in the 1970s and the 1980s.

In 2010, the nine-time Wimbledon champion revealed she was suffering from breast cancer -- a non-invasive form of the cancer called ductal carcinoma that was detected during a mammogram.

While speaking in a recent interview, the legend spoke about her battle with the deadly disease. The Czech-born tennis star underwent a lumpectomy in March 2010 to remove cancerous tissue. She also had to go through radiation therapy for the best results. When asked about her current situation, the American added a pinch of humor and said:

"Oh it’s all gone. When people ask me these days, I am like ten fingers, ten toes, and two boobs," Martina Navratilova said. "I still have my boobs. I had a small lumpectomy, so I am all good. I still have my boobs. I had a small lumpectomy, so I am all good.”

Martina Navratilova also revealed how she felt about wearing revealing clothes during the time of her cancer, saying that she felt "intimidated."

“I was intimidated by so much cleavage out there so might have to show some of my own,” Navratilova said.

Regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, Navratilova hung up her racquet in 2006. Since then, she has been pretty active on social media, voicing out her opinion on various political and social issues around the globe.