ROME, May 22, 2023 (FITP Press Release)
After Stefan Edberg, the Federazione Italiana Tennis e Padel awarded the “Golden Racket” (Racchetta d’oro) 2023 to Martina Navratilova. On the Foro Italico’s Campo Centrale, the Ambassador of Italian Tennis Nicola Pietrangeli, together with Italian Tennis and Padel Federation councilor Giulia Soresina, handed the prestigious recognition to one of the legend of this sport.
This is the emotional speech given – in Italian – by Martina Navratilova:
“Most of you probably know that I have been through a very difficult year, but I am feeling fine now. I am grateful, for obvious reasons, to be here with you today. I have always loved Italy and my very first appearance at the tournament here in Rome dates back to 1973! I’ve got to admit, I have always loved eating gelato too! Tennis gave me an unexpected life, for which I am forever grateful. I have always tried to give back as much as I could both while playing and after I retired. This is a wonderful sport, but also a rather difficult one. For this reason, it is a true school of life. It teaches you patience, perseverance, to never give up, to be fair and humble. Because no player will ever be bigger than sport and it will always be like that.
“Even if I never won this tournament, I have always loved competing here, because of its public, because of you all. The passion that you demonstrate for the sport is exactly the one I feel, for this reason I have always felt home here in Italy. Thanks, from the bottom of my heart, for all the memories of these past years and for the ones I am making today. I am enjoying this moment and I will cherish it forever.”
An adventurous journey
The incredible sports history of Martina Navratilova is tied to a just as remarkable personal story, worthy of a best-seller. After being stripped of the Czechoslovakian citizenship by the communist regime, Navratilova obtained the US passport after a few years as a country-less. In 1981, she became the first professional player to make a public coming out. Having always been involved in social works, there are countless successes for her on both her sports and private life, above all the victory over two cancers.
The records of a legend
Lefty, with a beautiful one-handed backhand, her aggressive style of tennis was characterized by the constant research of the net, including a serve and volley that hardly anyone ever did better. Few players could pose a challenge to Navratilova, especially on faster surfaces, so it does not surprise that Wimbledon soon became her favourite stage.
She is the only player to have ever completed the “Boxed Set”, meaning having won all Grand Slam titles in all categories, and to have won the WTA Finals and Fed Cup too. Navratilova still holds three all-time records: most titles (344), most singles’ titles (167) and most doubles’ titles (177). Her 59 Slams are also a record, split among 18 in singles, 31 in doubles and 10 in mixed doubles. Her 9 Wimbledon titles in singles and the 11 in doubles at SW19 are a record, too.
Among WTA players, Navratilova holds the record of most consecutive victories (74!) and with 331 weeks as world number one, she is second only to Steffi Graf (who stayed there for 377). The Řevnice-born champion was also the oldest player to have ever won a Slam: together with Bob Bryan, she conquered the mixed doubles’ titles at the US Open 2006, only weeks before her 50th birthday, when she called it a career.
