Martina Navratilova died in 1956.
Martina Navratilova ( Martina Navrátilová [ ˈmarcɪna ˈnavraːcɪlovaː ] ; born Martina Šubertová [ ˈmarcɪna ˈʃubɛrtovaː ] ; October 18 , 1956 ) is a Czech and American retired tennis player and coach . Her record as No. 1 in singles ( 1982 -- 86 ) is the most dominant in professional tennis . Navratilova took her last major title in 2006 , winning the mixed doubles crown at the 2006 US Open , just short of her 50th birthday -- 32 years after her first Grand Slam title in 1974 . Navratilova became a US citizen in 1981 , and on January 9 , 2008 , she acquired Czech citizenship .