Tennis legend Martina Navratilova has confirmed participation for the Hyderabad Open 2005, the only WTA event in South Asia, to be played at the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) Tennis Complex, Fateh Maidan, from February 7 to 12.

The winner of a record number of Grand Slam titles (18 singles titles, 31 in doubles and nine in mixed doubles), she will feature in the doubles section, but is yet to choose a partner.

Navratilova won the 2003 Australian Open mixed doubles title with Leander Paes [Images] to become the third woman (after Margaret Court and Doris Hart) to win singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments; she was honored by the WTA Tour in 2003 at Amelia Island with an on-court presentation in recognition of completing the Super Slam, the first man or woman in the Open Era to do so.

In winning the 2003 Australian Open mixed doubles title, she also became the oldest person to win a Grand Slam title at 46 years, three months.

Arguably the greatest player of all-time, Navratilova also holds the all-time women's record of 167 singles championships. In all, she has played the most singles tournaments (over 375) and matches (1,650), and won the most matches (1,438) with a win-loss ratio of 1,438-212. The veteran tennis star, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000, has won more prize-money, $20,344,061, than all but Ivan Lendl and Pete Sampras.

Besides being a player par excellence, Navratilova is also a great human being who has freely lent her name to many humanitarian causes. The best tribute to her comes from none other than Chris Evert, who had an epic rivalry with her for over 15 years on the court.

Says Evert: "I always admired her maturity, her wisdom and her ability to transcend the sport. She really is a world figure, not just a sports figure."

Mahesh Bhupathi [Images], whose player management company Globosport is organising the Hyderabad Open, said, "The visit of Martina Navratilova, the ultimate champion and ambassadress of the sport, marks a red-letter day in the history of tennis in India. Significantly, it also coincides with the emergence of womanpower in Indian tennis. Navratilova, the age-defying star, had transformed the game with her power and superb athleticism and I am sure her visit would further consolidate the new trend. With her participation, the Hyderabad Open 2005 gets a big stamp of approval and the recognition would firmly establish Hyderabad as an important centre in world tennis."

Tournament director Krishna Bhupathi, said, "We made a promise at the very outset, to make the third edition of the Hyderabad Open, a bigger and better event. We are living up to it. It can't get any better. Martina Navratilova's dominance over world tennis spanned three decades and watching her in action in Hyderabad would be an unforgettable experience for tennis players and enthusiasts in the country. We are certain that her visit would give a fillip to the game in India and inspire upcoming players."

More than 30 world-ranking players will be vying for honours in the six-day, $140,000 tournament. India's latest tennis star Sania Mirza [Images] has already been awarded the first wild-card entry for the tournament. The organisers would soon announce the recipient of the other wild-card.

Tamarine Tanasugaran of Thailand, Tatiana Panova of Russia [Images], Na Li of China and Shikka Uberoi, who will play the Fed Cup for India, are the other notable players taking part in the tournament.

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