TENNIS in DEPTH.

 Martina Navratilova had to turn back while climbing Africa’s highest peak after feeling unwell, the sports charity she was climbing for said Friday.

The 54-year-old tennis legend was assisted down Mount Kilimanjaro by porters and driven to the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre for assessment. The 27-person climbing team Navratilova was in has faced heavy snows and mist since beginning the climb up the 19,340-foot (5,895-meter) mountain Monday. Navratilova was “in good spirits” but disappointed to leave the mountain, the sports charity said. “The weather is a little better, but the going is getting tougher and tougher,” Navratilova wrote in a blog posting on Thursday. “It seems to be constantly steep and as we started to approach the highest point yet, 4,500 meters (14,765 feet) above sea level, sheer exhaustion sets in for much of the group, and with heavy legs and chests pounding due to a lack of oxygen, every step becomes an effort,” she wrote.

Navratilova, who won 18 singles Grand Slams, told The Associated Press last weekend that she has never climbed higher than 12,000 feet. The Aspen, Colorado resident told AP she was “petrified” of failing to reach the summit “because then the whole world will know.” Navratilova was climbing the mountain to raise money and awareness for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. The rest of the team will continue the climb and should reach the summit Saturday.

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Day two of the Mount Kilimanjaro climb, and the team and I are enjoying a well deserved rest at camp after an intense day of trekking.

We were woken this morning at 6.30am for breakfast, before departing camp at 8am. Today’s route was quite steep from the outset, but as we crossed the heather moorland, we had the chance to take in breathtaking views of the summit, and with it the realisation of how far we have got to climb! We can also see that there is LOADS of snow on the summit. We were warned about this, but now we can see the reality. It means it’s going to be very, very cold at the top. After a break for lunch, the walk became increasingly difficult, as we trekked towards the jagged peaks of Mawezi, Kilimanjaro’s second peak. We were warned that we may start feeling the effects of altitude at this point, as we climb beyond 3,000 metres. The porters are right, most of us are beginning to get out of breath and finding the walking more difficult. The porters are keeping us going by singing lots. We’re trying to pick up the words to join in, but we don’t have the lung capacity that they do. They are used to the altitude.

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Martina Navratilova is leading a group of 27 fundraisers to the summit of Africa’s highest mountain, Kilimanjaro, in Tanzania, to raise funds for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

 It feels great to be underway, and I am thrilled to be joined by a group of 27 fundraisers, including the British Olympic badminton star Gail Emms and German Paralympian cyclist Michael Teuber.After an early breakfast this morning, we made our way to the Marangu National Park gate, where we registered for the expedition. The climb began at the village of Nale Moru, just south of the Kenya-Tanzania border. From there, the porters led us on a small path winding through fields of maize and potatoes, before entering a pine forest; it was here that we saw a variety of wildlife, including the Kilimanjaro Colobus monkey.

I was hoping for some great views as we walked, but to be honest the weather so far has not been what we hoped for. It’s been dull and damp and in the distance we have seen thunderstorms and lightning. The walking today has been fairly easy, we’ve been introduced to ‘pole-pole’ which means ‘slowly, slowly’, to allow our bodies to acclimatise properly, so it has been a gentle day. We have now all reached the campsite, where we will now refuel with lots of drinks and stock up on carbs before trying to get a good night of sleep and recharge our batteries ahead of the second leg of the challenge early tomorrow morning.

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Martina Navratilova will lead 28 climbers to the summit of Kilimanjaro to raise money for the Laureus Sport For Good Foundation, a charity that supports community sports projects worldwide, improving the lives of over a million young people. “I made the decision to climb Mount Kilimanjaro for the Laureus Sport For Good Foundation at the beginning of this year,” Navratilova, who battled breast cancer this year, said. “Despite everything that has happened, I now have a clean bill of health and am determined to reach the summit and raise funds for Laureus. “I hope everyone will support me by donating to www.laureus.com.”

The climb up Mount Kilimanjaro will take seven days, from December 6 to 12. Before the climb, Navratilova will visit the Laureus-supported Mathare Youth Sports Association (MYSA) project in Nairobi, Kenya – the kind of project that will benefit from funds raised during the one-week Kilimanjaro Climb. Based in one of the largest and poorest slums in Nairobi in which HIV/AIDS and other diseases are widespread, the project has pioneered the use of soccer to encourage cooperation and raise self-esteem in youth. Each year MYSA organizes thousands of matches for about 20,000 young people. Success is measured not just by the goals scored in matches, but by the work the young people do in cleaning up the slums. MYSA has been supported by Laureus since 2000. It has been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for its work.

Navratilova is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy, a unique association of 46 of the greatest living sporting legends who volunteer their time to act as global ambassadors for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation whose mission is to use sport as the means to combat some of the world’s toughest social challenges facing young people today such as HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, crime, social exclusion, landmine awareness, violence, discrimination and physical and mental health problems. Laureus has raised over $50 million and currently supports almost 80 sports-based projects around the world.

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Nine times Wimbledon champion Martina Navratilova has undergone a lumpectomy and begins a six-week course of radiation therapy next month.

Doctors said the disease had been detected early and the prognosis is excellent. She was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a non-invasive form of breast cancer.

Navratilova, 53, was diagnosed after a routine mammogram in January revealed a cluster in her left breast. Describing the moment when her biopsy result came back positive, she told People magazine: “I cried. It knocked me on my ass, really. I feel so in control of my life and my body, and then this comes, and it’s completely out of my hands.”

It was pure luck that the disease was spotted early because she had missed regular breast screening check-ups, Navratilova said.

“I went four years between mammograms. I let it slide. Everyone gets busy, but don’t make excuses.

“I stay in shape and eat right, and it happened to me. Another year and I could have been in big trouble.”

Speaking to Good Morning America, Navratilova said: “I found out February 24 – that was my personal 9/11.

“I was shocked because I was so sure that the calcifications were benign. I found out and I was devastated. Physically I couldn’t think, I couldn’t move, I was useless… I have been healthy all my life and all of a sudden I have cancer. Are you kidding me?”

At first she planned to keep the news private, but decided to speak out to urge other women to have regular mammograms. “Scrape those last dollars, get that health care insurance,” she said.

The Czech-born tennis star underwent a lumpectomy on March 15 to remove cancerous tissue. Two weeks later, she took part in a triathlon. She plans to begin her radiation treatment in Paris, allowing her to work as a commentator on the French Open.

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Appearing on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! last year, Martina Navratilova often spoke of her ‘drop dead beautiful’ girlfriend.

The identity of the tennis legend’s new love has been kept a secret – until now.

She is Julia Lemigova, 36, a one-time beauty queen, model and entrepreneur.

 After two high-profile splits, Martina Navratilova appears to have found love again with Russian model Julia Lemigova

Navratilova, 52, was spotted holidaying with her girlfriend in the south of France – the first time the pair have been been photographed in public.

The two women were spotted dressed casually in shorts and T-shirts shopping in St Tropez, before enjoying a boat trip.

French reports claim Navratilova, who is currently amidst a legal battle with her ex-girlfriend Toni Layton, is engaged to Lemigova after a low-key relationship.

Prompting further speculation about an engagement, both women were wearing rings on their left hands.

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After the early exits of Venus and Serena Williams at this week’s Mutua Madrilena Madrid Open, legend of the game Martina Navratilova has told the sisters to play more tennis.

The American, who won 18 Grand Slam singles titles during a glittering career, said in Hong Kong on Tuesday that the Williams girls should offer more support to the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour by playing more tournaments.

“We have two superstars who do not play as much as they should or could…” Navratilova told the AFP news agency while in the region helping to raise money for Children’s Aid.

“You have to support the tour, for years the Grand Slams have been getting too much attention.”

Navratilova’s comments come after Serena’s controversial exit from the Madrid event after she pulled out midway through her first round match against Italy’s Francesca Schiavone with a leg injury on Monday.

In her press conference afterwards she said she knew she was injured but didn’t want to incur a fine of $75,000. The defeat follows similar early exits for Serena in Marbella and Rome, while Venus also crashed out early in Madrid to Alisa Kleyabnova on Tuesday night.

In a blog on her official website, www.serenawilliams.com, last Friday Serena said she didn’t agree with current WTA Tour policy.

“I don’t think it was good for me to play Rome but the WTA has rules and regulations that they enforce,” she wrote.

“There are moments like now where I feel they don’t care if you are headless – if you don’t play a tournament you are severely punished.”

Navratilova also insisted that, contrary to popular opinion, the women’s game is in good shape and that the large number of women challenging for every title is good for the sport.

“People are more ready to criticise [the women’s game],” she added. “For example, when Chris [Evert] and I were dominating, people said there was not enough competition.

“Now you have so many different grand slam winners, people are saying the sport does not have any superstars – what do you want?”

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