Martina Navratilova is one of the most successful names in tennis history. Only a small handful of tennis players can match her on-court achievements. But it’s not only her incredible tennis career that makes Martina Navratilova an icon. She was not afraid of social stigma and played as an openly gay tennis player in the ’80s. This article will shed light on Martina Navratilova’s net worth and personal life.
What Is Martina Navratilova’s Net Worth In 2023?
Martina Navratilova’s net worth in 2023 is estimated to be $25 million.
Martina Navratilova’s outspoken personality did hurt her commercial appeal. Navratilova enjoyed her best years on the court in the ’80s. As you can imagine, the world was a much different place back then, and there was not much appetite for a champion of LGBT issues.
Navratilova was not only vocal about homosexual rights. She often grabbed the bullhorn for controversial issues like environmental crises or gender discrimination. So, companies were not actually coming in droves to secure Navratilova’s signature.
So, Navratilova did not make a lot of money from endorsements. She only had four sponsors: Yonex, Thorlo, Avia, and Denon. Navratilova’s insistence on only representing the products she believed in further narrowed her options.
Martina Navratilova switched to a Dunlop racquet in 1987 while she was under contract with Yonex. She believed using the same racquet as Stefi Graff would help her beat the German sensation. While she lost to Graff in the French Open final, Navratilova had the last laugh in that year’s Wimbledon and US Open.
Unsurprisingly, Yonex was furious and terminated Navratilova’s contract. However, both parties would reconcile later, and Yonex re-signed Navratilova as one of its sponsored players.
Martina Navratilova also works as a pundit and a commentator from time to time. In 2018, she alleged that she was paid only ￡15,000 for working as a Wimbledon commentator while John McEnroe pocketed ￡150,000.
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Martina Navratilova’s Wife
Julia Lamigova is Martina Navratilova’s wife.
Martina Navratilova first got married in 1984. Her first wife was Judy Nelson, whom she had met during a tournament in Fort Worth two years before their marriage. After staying married for seven years, the couple would walk their separate ways in 1991.
Navratilova first met her current wife, Julia Lamigova, in a nightclub in 2000. Their first interaction was nothing special, and they would not meet each other again for the next eight years.
Their paths crossed during the French Open in 2008 as Navratilova bumped into Julia in a restaurant. She asked Julia to have breakfast with her the following day. They would go out on a few more dates before they started living together.
But Julia was not willing to come out right away. Julia later revealed she did not feel comfortable being publicly seen with Navratilova in Paris. Even though they were living together, Julia could not gather the courage to go public with her relationship before moving to Miami.
In 2014, Martina Navratilova proposed to Julia in front of the US Open crowd, and they got married a few months later in a star-studded wedding ceremony. Alongside Hollywood big names like Lynda Carter and Brooke Shields, Navratilova’s longtime rival Chris Evert also attended the ceremony.
Julia Lamigova has two daughters from her previous relationships. She never disclosed the identity of her elder daughter Victoria’s father. Christian Courtin-Clarins, the owner of the cosmetics brand Clarins, is Emma’s father. Victoria was born in 2002, and Emma was born four years later. Martina Navratilova considers both of them as her daughters. Julia lost her first child tragically in 2000. She had a son named Maximilien with a banker named Edouard Stern. Maximilian died of shaken baby syndrome when he was only five months old.
Tennis Career
Martina won a record-breaking 59 Grand Slam trophies during her illustrious four-decade career, including nine Wimbledon crowns, 167 singles titles, and 177 doubles titles. While she holds a 43-37 advantage in her decades-long rivalry with Chris Evert, which is regarded as one of the greatest in sports history.
Navratilova was a late bloomer. Only three of her 18 major singles titles came before her 25th birthday.
Navratilova was a dangerous opponent on grass; from 1985 to 1987, she won 47 straight WTA matches and was 120-14 at Wimbledon. With 305 wins under her belt overall. She was a tricky player to take on under the roof as well. She had 48 straight victories on the carpet from 1986 to 1987, totalling 516 victories for her career.
In 1983, Navratilova became just the sixth woman in history to complete a Career Grand Slam when she defeated Chris Evert at the US Open, 6-1, 6-3. She still had 26 years left in her marvellous career.
In 1980, she won the Australian Open doubles title with American Betsy Nagelsen, gaining a Career Grand Slam in that category. She was one of only nine female players in history to do so.
She wasn’t finished, though.
Martina Navratilova partnered with India’s Leander Paes at the 2003 Australian Open and won the mixed doubles of the tournament. That feat made her only the fourth female player in history to achieve a Career Grand Slam in mixed doubles.
Martina Navratilova made more than $21 million in prize money for her outstanding trophy haul.
House
Martina Navratilova sold her 4000-square feet Florida mansion in 2018 for $2.5 million. The four-bedroom and the five-bathroom property has a panoramic view of Little Sarasota Bay.
Martina and Julia now live in their Biscayne Point Island house in Miami. It is a four-bedroom house with an open floor plan. The living space has a sweeping view of Biscayne Bay. The beach is adjacent to the house, but there is also a huge backyard pool. The property is currently valued at $2 million.
Cars
Martina Navratilova is a massive admirer of automobiles. Navratilova learned how to drive as a child observing her father driving her to school and practice. She revealed she rode her father’s moped when she was only ten years old.
After moving to the US, she bought her first car in 1975, a Mercedes Benz 450SL. She would also take on the offer of taking sports cars as prizes instead of cash. Navratilova has won eight Porsches during her illustrious career.
Besides Porsche and Mercedes, Martina Navratilova has owned a Ferrari, some Jaguars Range Rovers, and some Audi A series and S series cars. She was not fond of the Ferrari 400i she bought as it had a hundred-degree turning radius. This was not ideal for getting in and out of the garage. So, she sold the car after a few months. Range Rover is her go-to vehicle for day-to-day use.
Martina Navratilova expressed her love for Aston Martin cars in a 2008 interview, but for some unknown reason, she is yet to buy one.
Final Words
Martina Navratilova is a torchbearer of social justice and equality and one of the most successful athletes of all time. Martina Navratilova’s net worth could have been even more in 2022 if she had catered to the agenda of big corporations. She has always fought for what she thought was right, and that moral stance has helped her have a more profound impact on the world besides her on-court heroics.
