PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER

Innovator,

If Billie Jean King transformed the business of women's tennis off the court in the 1970s, Martina Navratilova redefined the game on the court the following decade. Noted for her remarkable speed, strength, and power (her left-handed first serve was timed at 93 MPH), Navratilova brought an attack mentality to a sport which had previously been dominated by the precision and patience of Chris Evert's baseline game. For Navratilova tennis was not a game of waiting out your opponent so much as it was a matter of taking what was yours. Her coach, Mike Estep, encouraged her to capitalize upon deep approach shots and rush the net behind them, "Go North!" he shouted during practice sessions and matches, and Navratilova heeded his advice, mounting a relentless assault upon the net and upon the nerves of her more hesitant foes. Her success as a "serve and volley" style player changed the face...