Openly gay tennis superstar Martina Navratilova reached another milestone last Sunday with a 6-4, 7-5 victory in the Australian Open mixed doubles final held in Melbourne.
Martina Navratilova who speaks out on gay rights and supports numerous charities, particularly for children, was born in Prague, Czech Republic but became a US citizen in 1981.
"I think people put too much on age," Navratilova told The Los Angeles Times. "I certainly didn't think I would still be playing at this age. When I was growing up, I wanted to be the youngest to win something, not the oldest... It's pretty bloody good, isn't it?"
Navratilova quit tennis in 1994 but returned six years later to play occasional doubles.
The holder of 18 Grand Slam singles titles and 31 women's Grand Slam doubles crowns, Navratilova last won a major title in the mixed event at Wimbledon in 1995, teamed with Jonathan Stark.
Last December, the nine-time Wimbledon singles champion spoke out against Damir Dokic, father of tennis player Jelena Dokic, saying he might commit suicide if he discovered his daughter were a lesbian: "It's a good thing that I am not his daughter, then. Maybe it's too bad I'm not."