The Hindu : Sport / Tennis : Navratilova and Budge honoured

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Tuesday, Sep 12, 2006
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Navratilova and Budge honoured

NEW YORK : More than an hour after her final pro-match, way past midnight when the crowd was long gone, Martina Navratilova walked back into Arthur Ashe Stadium.

``I took a photo on centre court,'' she said. ``Just for posterity's sake.''

A month before her 50th birthday, Navratilova finished off her competitive career on Saturday night by winning her 59th Grand Slam title, teaming with Bob Bryan to take the mixed doubles championship at the U.S. Open.

On Sunday, she was standing at the same spot to be inducted, along with the late Don Budge, into the U.S. Open Court of Champions.

``The body of work is what I'm proud of, and the passion that I brought to this sport,'' she said in the ceremony before the men's final. ``And probably as far as more personal is just being true to myself and speaking my truth and living it.''

Navratilova and Budge joined past inductees Jimmy Connors, Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Steffi Graf, Billie Jean King, Jack Kramer, Rod Laver, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and Bill Tilden.

Budge became the first player to win the coveted Grand Slam when he won all four Majors — the Australian, French and U.S. Nationals and Wimbledon — in 1938. He died in 2000. PTI

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