Martina Navratilova has gone down in tennis history for her feats on the court, which include a huge 167 WTA titles.
Navratilova is an 18-time Grand Slam singles champion, with the legendary figure having also reached number one in the WTA rankings.
Andy Roddick ranks Navratilova among the greats, which is certainly a suitable assessment of the iconic figure.
She boasts nine Wimbledon titles, more than any other female player, with her nine other Grand Slam titles arriving at the other three events.
Martina Navratilova had to give her WTA debut title prize money away
Navratilova first introduced herself to the WTA Tour back in 1974, when she clinched her first singles title in Orlando.
And she was tasked with looking back on that success at the 2006 US Open, when Navratilova officially retired from tennis.
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She reminisced: “My first tournament in singles, yeah, I hugged a pole. I played in Orlando in ’74. I was by myself.
“After I won the match, I was so happy and there was nobody to hug because I didn’t know anybody. So I hugged a pole, a light pole, next to the umpire’s chair. There was a picture in the paper the next day.
“I won $10,000 and had to give it back to the Czech Federation. Yeah, so, I was playing on $17 a day per diem. Those were the days. So, yeah, I remember it very well.
“This is nice to finish on a winning note, yeah. And, please, you know, everybody keeps “supposedly” her last match or whatever, “perhaps” the last match, this was the last match. No more. No more. You can say “definitely.” It’s not “allegedly.” This is definite.”
How much prize money Martina Navratilova earned in her career
Navratilova’s firm stance on that particular matter arrived given that she had already retired from tennis in 1994, only to reverse her decision.
But the 2006 US Open was indeed her final outing on the court, with the legendary figure retiring in fitting fashion.
Serena Williams picked Roger Federer as the G.O.A.T.
She took on the mixed doubles tournament in New York alongside Bob Bryan, and it was the exciting duo that lifted the trophy.
Navratilova earned a total of $21,626,089 throughout her phenomenal career, placing her 26th in the all-time WTA list.
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