This article appeared in the online edition of The Daily Telegraph on December 13, 1999 Navratilova takes crown as greatest sportswoman of the century By Robert Philip The sense of occasion demanded something quite extraordinary - an appropriately epic victory against her greatest rival, Steffi Graf, perhaps - but, just as the Centre Court crowds could never quite bring themselves to love her, when the gods finally decided to bestow sporting immortality upon Martina Navratilova, they did so almost grudgingly. Navratilova's record ninth Wimbledon singles title in the summer of 1990 should have been the stuff of legend; instead, with most of the planet otherwise preoccupied with football's World Cup finals in Italy, the moment of her ultimate triumph proved somewhat anti-climactic. The record books indicate she defeated American Zina Garrison 6-4, 6-1 in what was one of the least distinguished finals of the post-war era but the manner of her success was a matter of complete indifference to Navratilova. "They don't put an asterisk before your name," she explained with a cheeky grin, "to say, 'she won, but she didn't play very well'. " The greatest sportswoman of the 20th century, Navratilova did everything she could to win the universal affection she craved; nine Wimbledons, three Australian, two French and four US Open championships plus 150 or so assorted singles titles, more than any other man or woman. But no matter her fabulous achievements, she could never succeed in silencing the carpers or gain the public's forgiveness for usurping Chris Evert, Wimbledon's sweetheart in bangles and bracelets. "She plays like a man," became the popular refrain of those who blithely chose to overlook the fact that Navratilova did anything but; she played in the style of Margaret Court, Maria Bueno and Suzanne Lenglen before her, displaying complete all-court mastery allied to the new female weapons - awesome power and athleticism. Compared to those who would follow, such as the Williams sisters, Mary Pierce and their bludgeoning ilk, Navratilova was peaches and cream, but still that taunt will forever hang over her reputation. She plays like a man; what those people meant, of course, but were far too cowardly to actually say, was that they believed Navratilova behaved like a man because she had admitted to several lesbian love affairs. Dignified, humorous and gracious, Navratilova would never appease those who reviled her by apologising for her sexual preferences, but she reigns supreme as the champion of champions.