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Rank 173Up 3
#17 in Athletes of All Time
of 20 ranked entries
Martina Navratilova
Tennis · Czechoslovakia/United States · 1973–2006
Eighteen Grand Slam singles titles behind a serve-and-volley game so far ahead of its era that her 1983 season — 86 wins against a single loss — is still the benchmark for single-season dominance. Recorded specifics: sport Tennis, active from 1973, major titles 18. Panel highlighted 86-1 season record in 1983, tennis’s benchmark for dominance, 59 total Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles and mixed and defected from Czechoslovakia at 18 and rebuilt a career from nothing. The reservation on record is career overlaps a thinner era of depth before the Williams generation.
Tennis
Score breakdown
How Martina Navratilova earned 75.8
Each criterion is scored independently, then combined using the weights published on Athletes of All Time.
- Dominance over era’s competitionweight 30%
- 73.3
- Longevity at an elite levelweight 25%
- 78.3
- Championship & medal résuméweight 25%
- 76.8
- Cultural & historical impactweight 20%
- 75.4
On the record
Recorded detail
| Sport | Tennis |
|---|---|
| Active from | 1973 |
| Major titles | 18 |
| GOAT score | 8.8 |
Panel verdict
Strengths and reservations
What it gets right
- 86-1 season record in 1983, tennis’s benchmark for dominance
- 59 total Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles and mixed
- Defected from Czechoslovakia at 18 and rebuilt a career from nothing
Where it gives ground
- Career overlaps a thinner era of depth before the Williams generation
1 appearance
Where this entry ranks
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