 |
|
|
 News from Around Banderas Bay | October 2005 
Navratilova and Casals to Play at Canto Del Sol November 1st
 Martin Parra - PVNN
| | Martina Navratilova and tour great Rosie Casals have reserved six courts at the Canto Del Sol Tennis Club on Tuesday, November 1st, from 9 am - 1 pm, so get your cameras and join the crowds. |
Tuesday, November 1st, local tennis fans will be in for a real treat as women's tennis most prolific star, Martina Navratilova and tour great Rosie Casals will be arriving in Puerto Vallarta on the Princess Cruise Lines. They have reserved six courts at the Canto Del Sol Tennis Club for 9 am - 1 pm. As we are not yet sure of the schedule, all appearances seem to point towards a tennis clinic for the cruise ship passengers, and possibly a match between the two stars.
Martina was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1956 and surprisingly her first love was skiing, her mother being a ski instructor. Martina soon fell in love with tennis and turned professional in 1973 and visited the United States later that same year and her impact was immediately felt. She fell in love with the U.S. culture and due to the Czech reluctance to grant her visas due to her open minded attitudes; she left in 1975 to live in the United States, leaving her home country for the last time.
Navratilova's early tennis in the states was not easy, but in 1978 she defeated Chris Evert at Wimbledon and achieved the #1 ranking in the world. Her battles with Evert were epic, the smooth consistent Evert, playing against the powerful aggressive Navratilova. The press was not very kind to her and played up a relationship she had with American writer Rita Mae Brown. Martina then publicly responded with unique frankness and announced her bisexuality.
Navratilova battled weight problems in early years as a pro, enjoying the junk food so popular in the states, but in 1982 she trained rigorously and elevated her game on a physical and mental level. She won an amazing 15 singles tournament titles and 14 doubles tournament titles in just that one single year. She clearly surpassed Chris Evert, but like a true champion, Evert began a whole new training regime, focusing on battling Martina's aggressive style.
The two were the two topped ranked players in the world for the next ten years and thrilled tennis fans. Chris retired in 1988, but Steffi Graf entered the tennis scene and became the top ranked player in the world, then followed by Monica Seles, but Navratilova kept battling and winning championships. In 1993 she announced that the following year would be her retirement year.
Martina came full circle in popularity and was a favorite of tennis fans as her final year of competitive tennis was extremely popular, accepting honors from tournaments around the globe. Just a few statistics prove that Martina was the best women's player with 163 career singles titles, surpassing Chris Evert's 157, 175 doubles titles, a 74 match winning streak in singles and 109 consecutive doubles victories. She played in 227 final events; at one point 23 were consecutive. She won 1,450 matches in her career and Wimbledon brought out the best in her, winning nine singles titles, six consecutive. Martina still plays in women's and mixed doubles matches and became the oldest player to win a championship at 45 years of age.
Casals, nicknamed the "Rosebud" was born in San Francisco in 1948 and played 15 years of competitive tennis. Standing only 5'2", Casals was ranked in the top ten 12 times from 1966 - 1977and was ranked third in the world in 1970. She was elected to the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1996. In doubles Rosie and Billie Jean King were dominant as a doubles team and the two were extremely instrumental in starting the Virginia Slims circuit which began in 1970.
She excelled in doubles, winning 112 titles, second only to Navratilova's 162, winning her final title as Martina's partner. Casals won 11 singles titles and was a fan favorite as well as one of the most popular with players on the tour. She helped roadmap equality in women's purses in professional tennis. Interestingly, at Wimbledon in 1972, a former player and dressmaker outfitted Rosie in a non-traditional purple, spangled and sequined tennis outfit and the stiff lipped British ordered her to change into a traditional white outfit. Casals commented about the incident, "I loved to get their goat and enjoyed the whole scene.
Tennis fans come out and see two active legends that love their sport play. The facility at Canto Del Sol can accommodate over 1000 people, so get your cameras and join the crowds. |
| |
|
Vallarta Weddings
Tell a Friend
Site Map
Print this Page
Email Us