Martina Navratilova & Tony Dovolani - Season 14

[MFWalkoff]

Martina Navratilova
"The Tennis Legend"

Pro: Tony Dovolani

Tennis anyone? No? Then how about some dancing?

A true champion both on and off the tennis court, Martina Navratilova is an influential athlete and cultural figure. Born in Prague in 1956, Martina is the most dominant tennis player ever to set foot on the court. She is the only player in history to win Grand Slam titles in four different decades, including a curtain-closing US Open victory in mixed-doubles at age 49. Martina's resume is highlighted by 59 Grand Slam titles, a record 9 Wimbledon singles championships, and an unrivaled 344 tournament victories.

Off the court, Martina has been a lifelong champion for individual freedom and a pioneer for human rights. At age 18, she left communist Czechoslovakia and sought political asylum and freedom in the United States. After receiving her US Citizenship in 1981, Martina publically acknowledged that she is gay at a time when such announcements came at great personal cost to public figures.

In 2010, Martina was diagnosed with breast cancer. She approached this challenge like her tennis training, subsequently becoming cancer-free and a champion for breast cancer awareness. She is currently the Fitness Ambassador for AARP, inspiring its 39 million members to follow her example by redefining what it means to be 50+. Martina is an accomplished author and speaker and is an on-air commentator for the Tennis Channel. We can't wait to see what kind of moves she serves up on the dance floor!

Cast Bios - ABC.com

[JLuvs]

Looking forward to this pairing the most! I hope Martina as I would love for her to last awhile.

[aname2]

If she can dance as well as she plays tennis, she should do well. Somehow, I can't imagine her in the frilly or sexy dresses they have to wear, but I think her partnership with Tony is a good pairing. Even though she is 50, she is probably still in terrific shape.

[Florimel]

She is actually about 55 and she is still playing at Wimbledon. Up untl a couple of years ago, she played and got to at least the semi-finals in doubles. Now, she plays only in the legends section, but she's still very good. I wish her well. With her work ethic and determination, it would not surprise me if she does well.

[Tilden]

I thought it was interesting that she says she deliberately chooses to do things that frighten her. For instance, she was afraid of heights, so she got a pilot's license. She was afraid of deep water, so she got training as a scuba diver. That's why she decided to do the show: it's completely unlike what she normally does or how people normally perceive her (or even how she perceives herself), so it was a new risk to take.

I think that bodes well, at least in terms of how hard she'll work and how seriously she'll take it. I suspect she'll be willing to give it everything she's got, no matter what.

[RBmumsie]

I LOVE this pairing!

[karalott]

I'll admit I've never heard of Martina, but tennis isn't a sport I really follow (I could really only name about a handful of tennis players, and most are more current). For Tony's sake, I hope she does well. The last 5 seasons haven't been good in regards to him doing well, even with good partners (which has only been Audrina and Chynna, and then he got saddled with Kathy Ireland, the she-banshee Kate, and Wendy Williams). Hopefully she's less like Monica Seles and more like Laila Ali or Stacey Keibler. Tony seems to be having a lot of fun, if his twitter is anything to go by. Their first dance is the foxtrot, which will probably be a good, elegant dance to start. I don't know if the second week latin dance is still the jive, but I'm not entirely crazy about Tony's latin choreography (give or take a few exceptions).

If she can dance as well as she plays tennis, she should do well. Somehow, I can't imagine her in the frilly or sexy dresses they have to wear, but I think her partnership with Tony is a good pairing. Even though she is 50, she is probably still in terrific shape.

I really hate when they dress anyone in clothes that aren't flattering to their age or figure, especially the frilly pants and Edyta knock-offs. I feel like that sometimes hinders their confidance if they aren't comfortable with what they're wearing or afraid something's going to pop out.

[MFWalkoff]

I really hate when they dress anyone in clothes that aren't flattering to their age or figure, especially the frilly pants and Edyta knock-offs. I feel like that sometimes hinders their confidance if they aren't comfortable with what they're wearing or afraid something's going to pop out.

I agree about how they dress some of the stars. God forgive me for saying this, but while I rooted weekly for Kate Gosselin's ouster, I couldn't help but notice that her wardrobe, hair & make-up were usually hideous, almost deliberately so. I'm torn between waving a finger at production, and thanking them.

[karalott]

I agree about how they dress some of the stars. God forgive me for saying this, but while I rooted weekly for Kate Gosselin's ouster, I couldn't help but notice that her wardrobe, hair & make-up were usually hideous, almost deliberately so. I'm torn between waving a finger at production, and thanking them.

Kate was torture enough. And that sorry excuse for what was supposed to be a jive, where even poor Tony looked like an amateur, was unbearable. But they must have really hated her, because that outfit she wore for that dance, on top of those hair extensions, were beyond hideous. I think it took away from the fact she wasn't dancing. Reminded me of something I'd see in the circus. But at least it made Kate look even more of an embarrassing spectacle I know the pros have said that they have control over costuming, but I can't believe production doesn't have even more say and, of course, the final say. Those fringe pants and tight tops needs to go. It didn't do Hope any favors last season, either. I remember how they dressed Cloris, too. That's why I'm hoping Martina and Gladys don't wind up in Edyta's drapes that were left over. Not that they aren't gorgeous, but I don't trust the costume department to screw it up.

[Florimel]

I remember Martina in her young days and the amazing battles on the court between her and Chriss Evert -- the serve and volley expert opposite the technical ground stroke whiz. Martina was a little on the heavy side and had brown hair, but she transformed after she defected to the U.S. I don't know if she'll be any good at dancing, but she's always been one of my favorite female tennis stars and I look forward to seeing her and I hope she can learn.