Navratilova, Paes win mixed doubles

Martina upset over dog rule MELBOURNE (Reuters) -- Martina Navratilova says she wants to have a few words with friends in high places as she tries to fly her new pooch out of Australia first class. The 46-year-old bought a pug named Frodo while on holiday in Gladstone, north of Brisbane, a few weeks before winning her title at the Australian Open on Sunday. She wants the puppy to travel with her in first class back to her home in the United States, but Australian aviation laws say Frodo must go below. "I need to talk to [Australian Prime Minister] John Howard about that," she joked. "Getting into the States is easy ... getting out of here is the difficult part. "He's going to have to go under. I thought we'd go through New Zealand, go through Tahiti, same rule. "Even Hawaii has the same rule. I don't know why, the rest of the world you can bring the dog in the cabin, but not this part of the Pacific Ocean. "It's going to be a long trip for him, but he'll be fine."

MELBOURNE (Reuters) -- Twenty-nine years after winning her first Grand Slam title, Martina Navratilova won her 57th on Sunday, collecting the only jewel missing from her crown.

The American teamed up with Leander Paes to win the Australian Open mixed doubles title, beating Todd Woodbridge and Eleni Daniilidou 6-4, 7-5 for the one Grand Slam title that had eluded her.

Aged 46 years and three months, she also became the oldest Grand Slam champion in the sport's history -- eclipsing Norman Brookes, who was one month younger when he won the Australian Open men's doubles in 1924.

"I can't lie about my age," she laughed. "Anybody can look it up. I didn't think I would still be playing at this age ... when I was growing up, I wanted to be the youngest to win something, not the oldest.

"But it is pretty sweet to have all of them.

"You know, it occurred to me on Friday night when I was trying to fall asleep.

"I thought, 'Wait a minute, this is the only one I have never won.' That's when I thought about it for the first time."

As Woodbridge hit the net on match point after 97 gut-wrenching minutes on centre court, Navratilova screamed "yes," raised her eyes to the heavens and skipped on the spot.

She took off her glasses and embraced her Indian partner before hugging Woodbridge, her mixed partner at Wimbledon last year.

The crowd gave her a standing ovation after she matched the feat of Australian great Margaret Court, who completed a sweep of titles at all the slams in the 1960s before tennis turned professional.

Navratilova's 57 Grand Slam titles place her second on the all-time list behind Court with 62.

Navratilova bounced on the spot and chatted to Australian Open tournament director Paul McNamee, her partner when she won the Wimbledon mixed in 1985.

Paes bowed and scraped in mock awe before the American as Navratilova soaked up the atmosphere.

As a Czech, Navratilova partnered Ivan Molina to the mixed doubles title at the French Open in 1974 -- the year after Paes was born.

Between then and her retirement from the sport 20 years later in 1994, she garnered an extraordinary 56 Grand Slam titles -- 18 singles, 31 women's doubles and seven of the mixed variety.

Those 56 included a full set of singles, doubles and mixed at the French Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

When she and partner Tim Gullikson lost to Jim Pugh and Jana Novotna in the final in Melbourne back in 1988, she could have been forgiven for thinking it was a set she would never complete.

She visited Australia for the last time in 1989 and retired from the sport five years later.

She returned in 2000 to play occasional doubles, however, although her return to Melbourne this year after a 14-year absence was regarded by many as a capricious notion -- a sideshow at the first Grand Slam of the year.

It turned out, however, to be one of the best decisions of her life.

Having intercepted Paes on his way to the U.S. Open's referee's office last year to offer her services as a partner, the two are now committed to playing mixed for the rest of the year at the three remaining Grand Slams.

"We'll have a good time," she grinned, revelling in a flush of victory.

 

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