Queen Martina

Manny Millan

Here are few sights in sports sadder than an adulation-starved athlete leaving retirement for an ill-fated comeback. Yet Martina Navratilova's return to play doubles on the WTA tour after a six-year absence has so far been an unqualified success. Her reflexes may have slowed a tad, her serve may have lost some zip and, as she puts it, "the joints don't have that much oil anymore." But you'd never guess that it's been a decade since she won the last of her 31 Grand Slam doubles titles.

At the French Open, competing on clay that blunted her attacking style, Navratilova and Mariaan de Swardt won two matches before losing to sixth-seeded Nathalie Tauziat and Alexandra Fusai. "Martina surprised a lot of people," says doubles specialist Rennae Stubbs. "No question, she can still play."

Navratilova, 43, has kept fit by playing hockey and basketball. This spring she whipped herself into competitive shape with sprints and weight training, and by working with a Pilates trainer for the first time. "I'm more flexible than I've been since probably 1987 or '88," she says. She has no plans to play singles ("My heart doesn't want to work that hard"), but Navratilova may extend her Nostalgia Tour through the U.S. Open. "People ask why I'm doing this, and I say, 'I still can, so why not?'" After seeing her joie de vivrein Paris, it's hard to argue.

-- L. Jon Wertheim

Wall of Chyna

This bench-pressing, body-slamming beauty can beat up the WWF's big boys, but Kate Meyers pinned her down for a Q&A

What word defines you?

Statuesque.

What sport is your worst?

Basketball. I can't shoot to save my life. You know the game P-I-G? I can't even get through three letters.

Who's the sexiest athlete?

Arnold Schwarzenegger. I go for bodybuilder types.

Most embarrassing moment in sports?

I was wearing this tight leather top, and I hit [wrestler] Steve Austin with a flipper, which is a big forearm. When I hit him, my lats spread out and blew off my top! I had to cup my arms over my boobs and run backstage in the middle of the match.

What's the one thing you can't live without?

My boyfriend [fellow wrestler Hunter Hearst-Helmsley].

Male athletes are ...?

Accepted, idolized even.

Female athletes are ...?

Trying harder.

What bothers you most about sports?

That they're stereotypical and sexist. I think women can excel at male-dominated sports, but guys don't want women to kick their asses. I think a lot of sports should be coed, not just men's teams and women's teams.

Your perfect sports day?

Sleeping in. Working out. Performing in front of a really hot, live crowd. And going home with my boyfriend.

Which female athlete would you trade places with for a day?

No one. I think I'm unique, and I love what I do.

What can you do in sports that impresses your friends?

Fighting these guys impresses my friends. My strength, too -- I bench- press 365 pounds, so I can pick up a lot of the wrestlers.

What three things would you need on a desert island?

Berries on top of New York cheesecake. A beefy hunk. And an island gym. I have to work out!

Without Skipping a Beat

Charlie Samuels

Adorned with a jeweled crown, Mardi Gras beads and a white cape, Kim Corbin is trying to start a revolution. "The world will be a better place if skipping becomes an acceptable thing to do," says Corbin, 31, who set up a Web site last year and has started adult skipping groups in 30 U.S. cities.

In May, Corbin, who began skipping with her four-year-old niece in 1997, led a coed group on a quarter-mile skip through New York City's Central Park. "It's incredible exercise," says Corbin.

A 1989 study by an Italian biomechanicist concluded that the playful pastime burns more calories than running. Beginning skippers should opt for a low-impact skip, the more advanced can try the "sassy skip" (a skip with more twisting movements) and the "wild West skip" (a cowboy-style skip). Says Corbin, "There's no proper skipping form -- we all have our own style." To check out more skipping styles or to find a group near you, log on to iskip.com.

-- Elizabeth Siris

 
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