Czech tennis player Martina Navratilova was BOTD in 1956. Born in Prague, she began playing tennis aged seven, and won the Czech national tennis championship when she was 15. In 1975, she defected to the United States, claiming political asylum, eventually becoming a US citizen She won her first major singles title at Wimbledon in 1978, and went on to dominate women’s tennis for the next decade. In 1984, she became the first player to win all four Grand Slam titles – the US Open, the French Open, the Australian Open and Wimbledon. Her 1985 French Open final against Chris Evert is considered one of the best women’s tennis matches of all time. She withdrew from singles competition in 1994 and continued playing doubles events, then made a brief return to the French Open and Wimbledon singles tour in 2004. After winning the mixed doubles at the 2006 US Open, aged 49, she became the oldest ever major champion, retiring later that year. Renowned for her athleticism and stamina, she became an international hero for women’s sport. Outed as a lesbian in 1981, she became one of the very few openly gay players in competitive sport, and has been involved in a number of LGBTQ rights campaigns. Her personal life and relationships have been tabloid fodder, including a high-profile palimony battle with former partner Judy Nelson. She married long-term girlfriend Julie Lemigova in 2014.