On Sept. 10, out tennis icon Martina Navratilova was inducted into the U.S. Open Court of Champions, according to CBS.Sportsline.com . She was inducted along with the late Don Budge, a two-time winner, in ceremonies before the men's final. Previous honorees include Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Billie Jean King, and John McEnroe.
Navratilova originally retired in 1994 with a record 167 singles titles and having spent 331 weeks ranked number one in the world. Among her 15 U.S. Open titles, Navratilova won consecutive singles championships in 1983-'84 and 1986-'87.
At the ceremony, Navratilova told the crowd that being a tennis player is 'not about fame, it's not about money ... it's about love.'
A month before turning 50, tennis icon Martina Navratilova finished off her competitive career on Sept. 9 by winning her 59th Grand Slam title, teaming with Bob Bryan to take the mixed doubles championship at the U.S. Open, FOX Sports reported.
Navratilova and Bryan routed Kueta Peschke and Martin Damm 6-2, 6-3 before an appreciative crowd, according to ABC News. Navratilova ended her legendary career by winning 167 singles championships and 176 women's doubles titles after starting her pro career in 1973. At one point, she won Wimbledon six years in a row ( 1982-87 ) and even twice won the difficult French Open-Wimbledon double.