Martina News
(July - December 1999)
December 31, 1999: This news is slightly outdated, but I guess it's better late than never! Martina was chosen as the Greatest Sportswoman of the Century by the 'Daily Telegraph' of Britain. To read the article, click here.
December 29, 1999: The 'Los Angeles Times' selected Martina as the greatest tennis player of the century, male or female. Overall, Martina finished at #35 among all athletes and was ranked #3 among female athletes. For more information on the poll, click here.
December 12, 1999: Martina has been ranked #20 in the "Associated Press" poll on the Greatest Athletes of the 20th Century. She is the highest-ranked tennis player, male or female, on the list. To view the complete list of the top 100 athletes, click here.
December 6, 1999: To celebrate the millenium, "Agence France Presse" has released a short tribute to Martina, highlighting her career and achievements. She is described as perhaps the greatest woman player of all time. To read the article, click here.
December 3, 1999: Martina was at the "Sports Illustrated 20th Century Sports Awards" in Madison Square Garden in New York last night. She was nominated in the category of greatest women athletes in individual sports. Babe Didrikson-Zaharias was declared the winner in this category. Martina and Chris Evert introduced one of the nights's segements on stage. They were both hilarious, as they started by playfully engaging in an argument over their Grand Slam titles and then began arm-wrestling! It brought a lot of laughs from the crowd. Afterwards, Martina said, "You know, Chris, I'm glad we don't
have this rivalry between us anymore", and Chris agreed. To see a picture of Martina and Chris as they arm wrestled on stage, click here. For a picture of Martina and Billie Jean King, posing for photographers as they arrived for the awards, click here.
November 29, 1999: According to the "Denver Rocky Mountain News", Martina has been in attendance at the mens World Cup skiing event in Beaver Creek, Colo.
November 22, 1999: Over the weekend, Martina played 2 Legends matches in Hartford, with mixed results. On Saturday, Martina and Tracy Austin lost a close match to Gigi Fernandez and Mary Joe Fernandez in a tie-breaker 8-7(7-5) (pro-set). Apparently, Mary Joe was a replacement for Pam Shriver. On Sunday, Martina teamed up with Cliff Drysdale in a mixed doubles match to defeat Tracy and Luke Jensen 8-5, also pro-set. Special thanks go out to the Womens Sports Legends for this info. There is a short summary of the match on the "Hartford Courant" website. Click here to read the article. Scroll down a bit to where it says Just for Fun.
November 22, 1999: On Saturday, November 20, Martina commentated for a short while on ESPN, at the ATP Tour World Doubles Championships. For more details on what Martina talked about and her opinions on tennis, click here.
November 22, 1999: The Hartford FoxForce were officially inducted into the World Team Tennis pro league on Friday, November 19. Martina was present at the press conference, along with Mary Joe Fernandez. At the conference, Martina had this to say about WTT: "I love the format. There is equality between men and women on the court and people get to see all of the event in one evening."
November 22, 1999: Martina was chosen by "Real Sports" magazine as one of the top 5 women athletes of the century. The others were Nadia Comaneci, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Wilma Rudolph and Babe Didrikson-Zaharias. Billie Jean King was named the "Sports woman of the millenium". For the complete article, click here. To visit the "Real Sports" website, click here.
November 19, 1999: Apparently, Martina was in Madison Square Garden in New York yesterday (November 18) and attended some of the matches at the Chase Championships. I'm not sure of the exact reason, but I presume Martina's presence might have had something to do with the announcement of the new sponsor of the WTA Tour, Sanex.
November 18, 1999: As most of you know, Martina will be in Hartford, Conn. this weekend for a special Legends event at the Phoenix/ATP tour World Doubles Championships. Tomorrow, November 19, Martina will be at a special press conference to announce the introduction of the Hartford FoxForce to the DuPont World Team Tennis professional league next year. Martina is a loyal supporter of World Team Tennis, and played for the Schenectady County Electrics this year.
November 14, 1999: George Cross, corporate sports editor for Sun Media, has written a wonderful and touching article on Martina and her legacy in "The Calgary Sun". Recently, he endorsed Martina for membership to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Martina will almost certainly be inducted to the Hall of Fame next year. To read the complete tribute article, click here.
November 14, 1999: Martina will be present for the "Sports Illustrated 20th Century Sports Awards" in Madison Square Garden in New York on December 2.
November 3, 1999: Martina has been nominated for the "Sports Illustrated 20th Century Sports Awards" in the individual sports category. The selections were made by the editors of "Sports Illustrated" magazine. American viewers will get to see the awards, live, on CBS, Thursday, Dec. 2 (9-11 p.m. ET), from New York's Madison Square Garden. For the complete article, click here.
November 3, 1999: "Sport" magazine has chosen Martina as one of the top female athletes who made the greatest impact on and off the playing field in the last century, according to their December issue. The other women chosen included Babe Didrikson-Zaharias, Billie Jean King, Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Bonnie Blair.
October 31, 1999: I came across the website of 3DUBY, the Czech environmental association dedicated to preserving the Stromovka Park in Prague. Martina is an honorary member of the association. Click here to visit their website. At the moment, they are having an auction of various items of memorabilia. Included is a signed tennis racket by Martina, and an autographed photograph from Martina's "Out of Africa" photography exhibition. The auction runs through till November 5. Click here to visit the auction page. Martina's photographs of
African wildlife, some that were included in her exhibition at the Adria Palace in Prague this June, and some that weren't, can be viewed here. There is also a photograph of Martina at the opening on June 12. A year 2000 calendar is being planned by Paegas (a Czech internet service provider), featuring photographs by Martina from the "Out of Africa" exhibition. I will keep you all informed on that.
October 18, 1999: Martina has written a short article in the latest issue of "Newsweek" magazine, dated October 25, 1999, on her rivalry with Chris Evert. The magazine's cover story features America's greatest athletes. To read Martina's article, entitled "Friends Across the Net", click here.
October 11, 1999:For an article from the "Washington Post" on the Human Rights Campaign national dinner on the 9th, click here. Martina is quoted in the article.
October 5, 1999: Martina will join Pam Shriver, Tracy Austin and Gigi Fernandez at The Phoenix/ATP Tour World Doubles Championship in Hartford, CT, November 20-21. The four will play a special doubles event on the 20th, and Martina and Tracy will compete in a mixed doubles match on the 21st. Tickets are availabe by calling Ticketmaster at (860) 525-4500. For specific tournament information, please call (860) 674-1500.
October 5, 1999: Martina has been nominated in the "Ball Sports" category for the "World Sports Awards of the Century" event, to be held at the Vienna State Opera in Vienna, November 19.
October 5, 1999: I have just received confirmation that Martina will indeed be attending the "Great Sports Legends" dinner in New York City today, and the Human Rights Campaign national dinner in Washington D.C. on the 9th. However, Martina will not be attending the Forum 2000 conference in Prague, October 10-13, as originally scheduled. Many thanks to Karin Arnold of IMG for the information.
October 2, 1999: Martina will be one of 12 athletes honoured at the "Great Sports Legends" dinner on Tuesday, October 5, in New York City. The dinner will benefit the Buoniconti Fund in support of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. Again, I have no confirmation, at this point, if Martina will be present for the dinner.
September 26, 1999: Martina will be presented with the National Equality Award at the third annual Human Rights Campaign national dinner in Washington D.C. on October 9. I am not sure, at this point, if Martina will be present to collect the award since she does have a commitment to be in Prague on October 10 for the Forum 2000 conference. I will keep everyone informed as soon as I have any confirmation. For tickets, selling at $250, call 800-494-TIXS.
September 23, 1999: Martina was in Kansas City, MO on the 21st competing in the "DuPont World TeamTennis All-Star Smash Hits" charity event, hosted by Elton John and Billie Jean King. Eight players in total participated, divided into two teams, each captained by John and King respectively. Team John included Martina, John McEnroe, Mary Pierce and Mike Bryan. Team King comprised of Andre Agassi, Alexandra Stevenson, Mariaan de Swardt and Mike Bryan. Team John were the night's winners, defeating Team King 21-17! TeamTennis scoring was used. Martina played in two matches. In the womens doubles, Martina and Pierce defeated Stevenson and de Swardt 5-4(5-4). In the mixed doubles, Martina and McEnroe lost to Agassi and Stevenson by an identical score. The match went into overtime, however, and Martina and McEnroe won the first game to ensure Team John the victory. Congratulations Martina! For a picture of Martina along with the others at an auction held in Kansas City, click
here. From R-L, Agassi, Martina, de Swardt, Pierce, John and King.
September 21, 1999: To read ESPN' press release announcing Martina as the 19th Greatest North American athlete of the twentieth century, click here.
September 19, 1999: Martina was ranked #19 on ESPN's Greatest North American athletes list. She is the highest-ranked North American tennis player, man or woman. American residents can watch the documentary on Martina which will run on ESPN on Friday, September 21, at 10:30 PM, EDT. For the special article commemorating Martina's legendary achievements, entitled "Queen of the Courts", click here. For an older and more detailed article, written around last year and entitled "Martina was alone on top", click here. Both articles are written by Larry Schwartz.
September 15, 1999: Martina has been selected by the Enshrinee Nominating Committee of the International Tennis Hall of Fame for election to the Hall of Fame next year. Congratulations Martina! The others nominated under the players category are Malcolm Anderson, Nancye Bolton and Mervyn Rose. Robert Kelleher and the late Derek Hardwick were also nominated for their contributions to tennis. A panel of international tennis media will vote on Martina, and I believe the vote is expected to take place in January of next year. For the complete article, click here.
September 15, 1999:"ESPN" named Martina as one of their top 20 greatest North American athletes of the 20th century for their "SportsCentury" list. Martina was present at the press conference in New York's Times Square, where the list was unveiled to the public. To read the complete article, click here. For a photo of Martina along with the other athletes present at the press conference (Jim Brown, Wayne Gretzky, Carl Lewis and Bill Russell), follow this link. You can also watch most of the press conference through RealPlayer on ESPN's website from here.
September 10, 1999:The "Womens Sports Legends" have a new website at www.wslegends.com. On this site, you can find biographical info, news on upcoming events, marketing programs and other information on the tennis legends, Martina included. There are some nice pictures of Martina here. Also, check the "WSL News" section, for the latest addition: The Legends' Favorite Memory of the US Open.
September 10, 1999:From the "New York Times" archives, articles on the 1981 and 1984 U.S. Open finals are up on their site. Click here for 1981 and here for 1984.
September 1, 1999: World Number One, Martina Hingis, picked Martina (Navratilova) as the best womens tennis player of the century. In her post-match interview at the US Open, Hingis said, "At that time, she...could play more or less anything. Nobody was so athletic at that time. She was the only one who started doing the weights. She basically started everything, being more professional, doing just everything to be at the top of your game, in physical shape."
August 31, 1999: Martina was a guest on "Larry King Live" last night, joining the show from Aspen, Colorado. The topic of discussion was "Should the Military Abandon Its 'Don't Ask/Don't Tell' Policy?" To download a "Word" document, containing the complete transcripts of the show, click here.
August 18, 1999: Martina was quoted in today's "New York Times", in response to Steffi Graf naming her the century's greatest female tennis player. Said Martina, "It's kind of her to say that, but I don't see how you can really come out and say point blank who's the greatest. When I first started out, I wanted to be No. 1, and then I wanted to be the greatest of all time, but the closer I got, I realized it was a bunch of baloney. What's true is that there is a definite group of great players, and she's in it, and I'm in it. Chris is there, and Billie Jean, and Margaret Court. But I can't pick between myself and Steffi. When people call me the greatest player ever, I get embarrassed, and when I hear them call Steffi the greatest, I say, 'Hey, wait a minute, what am I, chopped liver?'"
August 17, 1999: According to the "Denver Rocky Mountain News", Martina was involved in a coed softball game in Aspen, last Friday, August 13. She played left field for her team. Included on the other team was Oscar winner Kevin Costner, who was at first base.
August 17, 1999: Recently retired tennis great, Steffi Graf, picked Martina as "the uncontested number one female tennis player of the century". To read Steffi's own tribute to Martina, in German, taken from "DSF Sports World", click here. For the English article, courtesy of Nando media, click here.
August 3, 1999: Martina will participate in the third annual Forum 2000 conference to be held in Prague from October 10-13. The conference will be held under the patronage of Czech President Václav Havel to review and discuss trends in globalization. Other participants include the Head of the Greek Orthodox Church His All Holiness Bartholomew, former South African President F.W. de Klerk, former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, former European Commission President Jacques Delors, former Crown Prince of Jordan H.R.H Haasan bin Talal, American author Toni Morrison, 1986 Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel and many more. For more information, visit the Forum 2000 website here.
August 2, 1999: The "Toronto Sun" selected Martina as the greatest female tennis player of the 20th century. Very good choice! For their complete top 10 list, click here.
July 29, 1999: The 1999 World TeamTennis All-Star Smash Hits, a celebrity event hosted by Elton John and Billie Jean King, will take place in Kansas City, Miss. on September 16. In addition to the tennis, there will also be an auction of sports and music memorablia. The proceeds from both, as always, benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The Heart of America Community AIDS Partnership and the Kansas City chapter of Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS also will receive a percentage of earnings grossed. It is expected that Martina will compete here, along with Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Alexandra Stevenson. For more information, including last year's results, visit the "Smash Hits" website, here.
July 29, 1999: The "On The Line Tennis Magazine" has a detailed report up on the Electrics' final home tie against the Delaware Smash, which they won 22-16 (OT 1-1). Included are interesting analyses of Martina's two matches, with related pre and post-match details. For the complete article, click here.
July 28, 1999: Martina will be one of more than 150 women (including Hilary Clinton and Jodie Foster) featured in a new book, entitled "Women", by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, with essay by Susan Sontag (her first essay in more than a decade). The book comes out in October, later this year. For ordering information, click here to visit Random House Inc.
July 27, 1999: The Electrics lost their final WTT match on July 24, going down to the Kansas City Explorers 21-19 (OT 1-0). The final standings were as follows: 1. Sacramento Capitals 2. Springfield Lasers 3. Delaware Smash 4. Schenectady County Electrics 5= Kansas City Explorers 5= Idaho Sneakers 7. St. Louis Aces.
July 23, 1999: The Electrics lost their tie last night against the St. Louis Aces 21-18 (OT 1-1) in St. Louis. Martina was not involved in this tie. They play their last match in Kansas City against the Explorers tomorrow.
July 22, 1999: The Electrics scored a superb 22-16 (OT 1-1) win over the Delaware Smash yesterday. In the womens doubles, Martina and Sam Smith gained sweet revenge over Lori McNeil and Lilia Osterloh for their defeat the previous day, with a crushing 5-2 victory. Martina lost her mixed doubles match with T.J. Middleton to McNeil and Patrick McEnroe 5-4(5-2). The match went into overtime, but Martina held her serve in the second game to close out the match. Besides being the final home tie of the WTT season, this was also Martina's final WTT match this year. She strongly hinted afterwards that she would like to be back next year and play more matches! For more on that, click here for the complete "Daily Gazette" article.
July 21, 1999: There were mixed fortunes for Martina in last night's tie against the Delaware Smash. Martina lost her womens doubles match with Sam Smith to Lori McNeil and Lilia Osterloh 5-1. In the mixed doubles though, Martina and T.J. Middleton defeated McNeil and Jim Grabb 5-4(5-4). However, the Electrics ended up losing the tie 23-17. This was their fifth defeat in the WTT season, adding their 23-18 defeat on Sunday to the Springfield Lasers. Martina will play her final matches for the Electrics in today's reverse home tie against the Smash. For complete article from "The News Journal", click here. You will also find a picture of Martina, taken from the mixed doubles, here.
July 18, 1999: Good news and bad news. The bad news first. The Electrics lost last night's tie against the Springfield Lasers 21-19. Now for the good news. Martina won both her matches yesterday! In the womens doubles, Martina and Samantha Smith defeated Elena Tatarkova (WTA Doubles ranking of #9) and Larisa Neiland (#16) 5-4(5-1). In the mixed doubles, together with T.J. Middleton, they defeated Neiland and David Macpherson 5-2, playing near-perfect tennis. Congratulations Martina! For more details and comments by Billie Jean King from the "Daily Gazette", click here.
July 17, 1999: Martina playing mixed doubles with John McEnroe next year at Wimbledon? For more on that, plus Martina's reminiscences on mixed doubles and her opinion on the future of Team Tennis, click here. Article courtsey of the "Daily Gazette".
July 16, 1999: The "Record Online" had a brief article up regarding Martina's junior tennis clinic in Mahwah, N.J., yesterday. For the complete article, click here.
July 16, 1999: Martina lost two close matches in the WTT tie against the Kansas City Explorers last night. With Samantha Smith, she lost in the womens doubles to Mariaan de Swardt and Liezel Horn 5-3; In the mixed, de Swardt and Allistair Hunt defeated Martina and T.J. Middleton 5-4(5-3). For the complete article from the "Daily Gazette", click here.
July 15, 1999: According to the "Daily Gazette", Martina will be playing women's and mixed doubles in today's Team Tennis tie against the Kansas City Explorers, partnering Samantha Smith and T.J. Middleton, respectively. She drives up to Schenectady after giving her tennis clinic in Mahwah, N.J. For the complete article, click here.
July 14, 1999: World Team Tennis Update: The Schenectday County Electrics won their third consecutive tie last night, defeating the St. Louis Aces 22-15. Martina returns tomorrow for her first match of the WTT season.
July 13, 1999: Martina will make her World Team Tennis debut this week on Thursday, July 15, in the Electrics' home tie against the Kansas City Explorers. She will play the mixed doubles with T.J. Middleton. Martina steps in as a replacement for the injured Jana Novotna. To read the complete article from the "Daily Gazette", click here.
July 12, 1999: World Team Tennis update: Good news for the Schenectday County Electrics! They won both their home ties over the weekend. On July 9, they defeated the Sacramento Capitals 24-17. And on July 11, they triumphed over the Idaho Sneakers 22-18. Again, Martina was not involved in both ties.
July 11, 1999: Martina will be in Mahwah, N.J., this week for the A&P Tennis Classic. On Thursday, July 15, she will conduct a tennis clinic there. The clinic is sponsored by Reflect Vitamins. I am not sure at this point if Martina will play in the doubles event in Mahwah, though I hope she does. J
July 9, 1999: World Team Tennis update: the Schenectady County Electrics lost their second tie on Wednesday night to the Idaho Sneakers 25-14. Again, Martina was not involved in this tie.
July 9, 1999: This piece of news has been slightly delayed. According to "Radio Prague", Martina's very own photo exhibition, entitled Memories of Africa, opened at the Adria Palace in Prague on June 12. The exhibition covers photographs of African wildlife, taken by Martina, during her safari tour of Africa. The proceeds from this exhibition will benefit the Prague city park, Stromovka, in restoring it's natural bloom and beauty. Said Martina, "Mother Nature had to suffer a lot under communism. Therefore, I would like to help her out today."
July 9, 1999: Martina was named the top female tennis player of the 20th century by Sports magazine. For more on that and the mens choices, see the latest "Tennis Glance" here.
July 9, 1999: Martina will be a featured keynote speaker at the Millenium March on Washington for Equality, the 4th national march for LGBT rights scheduled for April 30, 2000. For complete article, click here.
July 7, 1999: World Team Tennis update: the Schenectady County Electrics lost their opening tie yesterday night against the Sacramento Capitals 22-10. Martina was not involved in this tie.
July 3, 1999: There's a wonderful article in the "Daily Telegraph" today, written by Sue Mott. Very insightful and extremely refreshing and honest. A must-read for all Martina fans. Click here for more.
July 3, 1999: Here's another nice article, courtsey of the "Associated Press", from the "New York Times" website, regarding the Navratilova-Evert rivalry and it's significance at Wimbledon. For the complete article, click here. You will need a Subscriber's ID to the "New York Times", which is available free of charge, to read the article.