Martina Navratilova loses at love again

Martina Navratilova nearly always won in the game of pro tennis. But the nine-time Wimbledon singles champion has not had the same good fortune when it comes to love – well, make that break-ups. The New York Post’s Page Six reports today that Martina’s former partner Toni Layton is threatening to wash their dirty laundry in public if she doesn’t get a settlement after their eight years together. Negotiations had been going on for a year and have stalled.

Martina was sued back in 1991 by an earlier partner, Judy Nelson, for palimony and it got very public and very ugly.

The Post quotes Layton as saying: “There are a lot of skeletons in Martina’s closet. It is more like a storage facility full of them, and I know them all.”

She claims she deserves more compensation than is being offered after leaving her computer salesman hubby for Martina and allegedly helping nurture and enrich her career during their time together.

Layton spokesman Gary Smith warned: “Navratilova’s team has another thing coming if they think we are going to just lie down and be steamrolled. … Layton was offered a measly, flat 200,000 dollars for eight long years of 24/7 work and support for the enrichment and betterment of [a] multimillionaire athlete. The offer was an insult. Navratilova is using Florida’s failure to recognize gay marriage to her advantage.”

Layton’s lawyer Raymond Rafool added:  “We are standing up for gay rights in this case. Toni has the right to obtain a fair settlement the same as if she were the spouse in a traditional marriage.”

I don’t know the whole story but I do know this: Martina Navratilova is one of the bravest persons in the history of the LGBT equal rights movement. Very few stars in any sport have had the courage to come out – even today. Martina did it 30 years ago when she was the number one player in the world. It didn’t stop her from winning nor did the sometimes hostile crowds who, as the years went on, embraced her – an openly gay champion.

She has always spoken her truth even when she got heat for it. I wish her only the best.