Before Serena Williams, there was Martina Navratilova, who reigned over tennis during her time on the court.
The Czech-American, who turns 60, is considered one of the very best to have ever picked up a tennis racquet.
She was ranked as the no. 1 singles player at the end of the year seven times, including for a record five consecutive years.
Navratilova won an impressive 18 grand slam singles titles – nine at Wimbledon, four at the US Open, three at the Australian Open and two at the French Open. It’s no wonder then that she holds the best season win-loss record for the open era at 86-1, while also being the only pro player to have won six majors without losing a set.
Her domination also extended to doubles, where, with Pam Shriver, she won 109 consecutive matches and the Grand Slam in 1984.
More sport star birthdays on this day:
1939: Mike Ditka, American retired NFL player and coach in the Hall of Fame who also won two Super Bowls (77).
1974: Robbie Savage, Welsh former footballer for Derby county and Leicester City (42).
1983: Dante, Brazilian footballer for French club Nice who previously played for Bayern Munich (33).
1985: Yoenis Cespedes, Cuban baseball player for the MLB’s New York Mets and two-time All-Star (31).