Sports News

As Martina Navratilova wins her 57th Grand Slam tournament at the age of 46, 16-year-old Barbora Strycova takes the junior Australian Open for the second time. Ales Valenta is back in form, with his first ever freestyle aerial skiing World Cup win. Footballer Martin Zboncak is leaving Liberec for Sparta Prague and Bohemians' keeper Contofalsky becomes the latest player to leave the Czech league for Russia.

Sports News

Navratilova scores historic Grand Slam win at age of 46

Martina Navratilova, photo: CTK

The Czech-born tennis legend Martina Navratilova made headlines around the world at the weekend by becoming, at 46, the oldest ever winner of a Grand Slam tournament, when she and partner Leander Paes took the mixed doubles trophy at the Australian Open. The mixed doubles had been the only Grand Slam prize lacking in Navratilova's glittering career, something she told reporters she had only realised a couple of days earlier. Her 57th Grand Slam win came an incredible 29 years after her first, and won her a standing ovation from the Melbourne crowd. At a news conference after her historic win, Martina Navratilova was asked if you really are only as old as you feel.

"Well, age is a number, I wanted to say I'm actually 36 because when I first came and started playing I was six years old but I just looked big for my age (laughs). No, I can't lie about my age, can I? Everybody knows. It's pretty funny sometimes, people say how old are you?' and I'm like you can look it up in any player guide'. That's not a secret. But, yeah, I think people put too much on age. I certainly didn't think that I'd still be playing at this age. When I was growing up I wanted to be the youngest to win something, not the oldest, but there you are."

Barbora Strycova takes junior Australian Open

Barbora Strycova, photo: CTK

Martina Navratilova wasn't the only Czech success at Melbourne: at the other end of the age spectrum, Barbora Strycova - at 16 a full 30 years younger than Navratilova - took the junior women's singles trophy at Melbourne on Sunday. It was her second junior Australian Open win in a row, after the Pilsen-born player last year became the first ever Czech winner of the trophy. This time out Strycova managed to beat Viktorie Kutuzovova of Ukraine in the final, despite an ankle injury.

Valenta wins World Cup event for first time in career

A more established Czech sports star, Olympic champion freestyle aerial skier Ales Valenta, also had a good day on Sunday, when he won a World Cup event for the first time in his career at Fernie in Canada. It was his best performance since he won gold at the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics a year ago by performing a jump never before achieved.

Football round-up

Sparta Prague have just agreed to pay Slovan Liberec 23 million crowns, or around 750,000 euros, for 27-year-old striker Martin Zboncak. Zboncak played a large part in helping Liberec to their first ever league title last season. Meanwhile, the recent flow of players from the Czech league to Russia continues, with the news that Bohemians have sold keeper Kamil Contofalsky to St Petersburg's FC Zenit. The goalie said he had been offered wages no Czech club could match.

International captain Pavel Nedved scored for Juventus in their 2:0 win over Piacenza, and striker Jan Koller bagged one for Borussia Dortmund in their 2:1 defeat at Hertha Berlin, which was the first game after the Bundesliga winter break.