By DANIEL HICKS — Tennis great Martina Navratilova married her long-term Russian partner Julia Lemigova in a New York ceremony on Dec. 15.

After eight years together, the Czech-born sports legend said she never thought she would ever get hitched.

“I’m 58 years old,” Navratilova told the BBC. “About ten years ago I thought ‘You know, I think within 10 years gay marriage will be legal – and here we are 10 years [later], making it legal.”

The 18-time Grand Slam winner has become a parent to Lemigova’s two daughters, Victoria and Emma. In 1981, she revealed that she was bisexual. At that time,  it was virtually unheard of for a professional athlete to come out.

During her career, Martina won 59 grand slam titles in singles, women’s doubles and mixed doubles. She holds the record for the longest winning streak (74 matches) and is tied with Billie Jean King for most Wimbledon titles (20).

She retired from playing singles in 1994 but played doubles as a pro until 2006 when she retired before turning 50.

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