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Duchess of Kent 'pleaded with government' to reunite Wimbledon legend with her mother
Martina Navratilova's first Wimbledon singles title in 1978 was a bittersweet experience as the tennis legend was unable to share her success with her family
Navratilova's courageous choice to defect was motivated by the communist regime's restrictions on her career, but she hadn't told her family about the big decision before publicly declaring the news at the 1975 US Open. Tennis icon and former BBC host, Sue Barker, recalled in her memoir how the Duchess of Kent's touching moment with Navratilova during the Wimbledon ceremony led to a poignant family reunion the next year. Writing in ' Wimbledon: A personal history', Barker stated that thanks to the Royal Family stepping in, Navratilova’s mum Jana was then allowed to witness her daughter's second triumph at the iconic grass courts.
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