Diversity Rules Magazine

Tony Guadagnino is a marke ng consul- tant. Located in New Jersey, his clients are based across the country, focusing on social media to build their presence on the internet. He studied crea ve wri ng in college and is cur- rently working his first novel on the subject of bullying. He lives with his partner Mark. Mar na Navra lova was one of the Queens of Ten- nis. She and her rival, Chris Evert Lloyd, dominated women's tennis in the early 1980s. Mar na, how- ever, was Tennis Magazine's GREATEST FEMALE TENNIS PLAYER from 1975 through 2005 (that's 30 years). Nobody else has ever been honored such a feat. Her status as one of the greatest tennis players has marked her as a role model for the LGBT Com- munity. Growing up in Czechoslovakia, Mar na started young --- very young --- playing tennis. She was in- fluenced by her grandmother, Agnes Semanska. She was a tennis player for the Czechoslovak Federa on, ranked #2 among Czech women during her career (which ended with World War II). Her mother was a tennis player and gymnast who encouraged her daughter's interest in the sport. She started hi ng balls off a wall at 4, eventually star ng to play the sport at age 7. Her stepfather became her first ten- nis coach, and the start of a successful tennis career was set for Mar na Navra lova. In 1972, at the young age of 15, Mar na won the Czechoslovakia Na onal Tennis Championship. A year later, at 16, she entered the United States Lawn Associa on professional tour and won her first professional singles tle in Orlando in 1974 (age 17). Later that year, she was runner-up for the Australian Open and the French Open (won by Chris Evert). Overcoming the defeat, she and Chris Evert teamed up to win the French Open Woman's Dou- bles tle, winning again in 1976 against Billie Jean King and Be e Stove. The stage was set for the unofficial 'Chris Evert vs Mar na Navra lova' rivalry. In 1978, Mar na defeat- ed Chris at Wimbledon 1978. The win made Mar na the World's #1 ranked woman in tennis, relinquish- ing the tle from Chris. Mar na held the tle un l January 1979, when Chris took back the tle. The following year a er her first win, Mar na beat Chris again in Wimbledon, and the World #1 ranking was returned to Mar na. But before Wimbledon, they played their most exci ng match in the Eastbourne final, where Chris edged out Mar na for the win. In 1981, Chris defeated Mar na in the finals of the Women's Tennis Associa on championships, but Mar na avenged that defeat by bea ng Chris at the same event in 1984. Also in 1981, Mar na beat Chris in the finals of the Australia Open and the U.S. Open. Mar na went on the win both Wimbledon and the French Open in 1982. By the me Mar na re red from the sport, Mar na had won 167 top-level singles tles and 177 doubles tles. She is the only player to have won at least one tour event for 21 consecu ve years and won the 20| Diversity Rules Magazine |Dec 2020 Empowering Inspiration Martina Navratilova By Tony Guadagnino

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