5 incredibly successful tennis players who happen to be homosexual

1. Martina Navratilova

Martina Navratilova

"The greatest singles, doubles and mixed doubles player who’s ever lived" - Billie Jean King on Martina Navratilova

Country: Czech Republic / United States of America

Duration: Late 1970s, 1980s, early 1990s, Mid 2000s

Grand Slams: 59

A haul of 59 Grand Slams is not something to joke about, but that's just how great Martina Navratilova was. She rose above all kinds of mockery to become the best there ever was.

Apart from the sheer number of Majors to her credit, Navratilova also accomplished the extremely rare feat of completing a career Grand Slam in singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles (called the Grand Slam “boxed set”). She is also the only person of either sex to have won eight different tournaments at least seven times.

She returned to the court a few years back during her late 40s, thus proving that her mettle and will power were second to none.

Navratilova came out publicly in 1991 through The Advocate. As a consequence, she started losing support from her sponsors and was treated like a pariah in the world of tennis. Her lesbianism was considered a contrast to the image that women’s tennis was trying to display.

Navratilova has also been famous for expensive break-ups with her girlfriends. She settled with one of her ex-lovers Toni Layton for an estimated $3 million in 2010. Long back, in 1991, Navratilova had split with Judy Nelson after a long relationship of eight years, and paid a rumored $3.5 million.

Presently, Navratilova is involved with various charities that advocate gay and lesbian rights.