Martina Navratilova marries long-term partner Julia Lemigova

Dec 17 2014
Written by Naith Payton

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

Tennis champion Martina Navratilova has married her partner Julia Lemigova in New York.

The Czech-American retired tennis player and her partner have been together since 2009. Navratilova proposed at a US Open game in September. According to the BBC, Lemigova’s daughter had been badgering Navratilova to propose all year.

She said: “I’m 58 years old, and I got married for the first time. It’s about time, right?”

Navratiolva came out as in 1981 and has been outspoken on gay rights issues for many years. Earlier this year she spoke about Russia’s anti-gay laws making it “impossible” to seperate sport and politics during the Sochi Winter Olympics.

She has also spoken about how disappointed she is that there are so few out gay tennis players, especially men.

She said: “In the entertainment guys have an easier time coming out than women. In the sports world we have had a lot more women coming out than men.

“We know they are there, but they are so far in the closet I don’t know who they are.”