Martina Navratilova's Real Name: Martina Navratilova

Quick answer: The tennis player is known professionally as Martina Navratilova. The WTA, Britannica, and the International Tennis Hall of Fame independently date her birth to October 18, 1956, in Prague. The Hall of Fame says she was born Martina Subertova and later took a stepfather's name; that form is not confirmed in the WTA or Britannica texts, so this page titles her with the public name (WTA; Britannica).

Real name and early life

She is known professionally as Martina Navratilova. The WTA lists the birthday October 18, 1956, and the birthplace Prague, Czech Republic, and says she was born in Prague, defected from Czechoslovakia to the United States in 1975, became a U.S. citizen in 1981, and later had her Czech citizenship restored in 2008. Britannica independently dates the birth to October 18, 1956, in Prague, Czechoslovakia (now in the Czech Republic), describes her as a Czech American player, and says she became a U.S. citizen in 1981 and regained Czech citizenship in 2008, thereby gaining dual citizenship. The International Tennis Hall of Fame independently dates the birth to October 18, 1956, in Prague, Czechoslovakia, and says she was born Martina Subertova in Czechoslovakia and took the name of her stepfather (Navratil), adding the "ova" as the female distinction. That earlier form is recorded here from the Hall of Fame rather than used in the title.

Career highlights

The WTA, an official record source, says she won 18 Grand Slam singles titles, including a record nine Wimbledon singles titles in 1978–79, 1982–87, and 1990, and that she stepped away with 59 Grand Slam titles across singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles, an Open Era record. It also lists 167 singles titles and 177 doubles titles. The International Tennis Hall of Fame independently records 59 major championships, a record nine Wimbledon ladies' singles titles, and six in a row from 1982 to 1987. Britannica independently says she won Wimbledon singles nine times (1978, 1979, 1982–87, 1990) and, in 1987, also won the women's doubles and mixed doubles there. This page follows those official and encyclopedia result listings, not later preview coverage.

Name notes for searchers

People looking up Martina Navratilova or Martina Subertova are looking for the same Prague-born player, later known for 18 Grand Slam singles titles and nine Wimbledon singles titles. The Subertova form is recorded from the Hall of Fame but is not used in the title.