Veteran Navratilova gains 57th Grand Slam glory

Veteran Martina Navratilova won the 57th Grand Slam title of her career at the Australian Open, partnering Leander Paes to victory in the mixed doubles.

The most successful woman player in history, whose victory took her career haul of titles to 335, became the oldest woman to win a top-level event at the age of 46 years and three months.

She and doubles expert Paes defeated Todd Woodbridge of Australia and Greek Eleni Daniilidou 6-4 7-5.

The Australian Open mixed doubles title was the only Grand Slam title which she was eligible to compete for to have previously eluded Navratilova in a career which began in 1973.

Navratilova said: “It occurred to me Friday night as I was falling asleep, ‘Wait a minute, this is the only one I’ve never won’,” said Navratilova, who first retired in 1994.

“It’s pretty sweet to have them all.

“I think people put too much on the age. I certainly didn’t think that I would still be playing at this age.

“When I was growing up, I wanted to be the youngest to win something, not the oldest.”

The naturalised American citizen, who had not won a major title since the mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 1995, is now second on the all-time list behind Australian great Margaret Court’s 62 Grand Slam titles.

Court completed a sweep of titles at all the majors before the Open era (after 1968).

Navratilova and Paes will play the rest of the Grand Slams together this year, and Navratilova will also partner Svetlana Kuznetsova in the women’s doubles at the remaining majors.