Navratilova To Play At Open

Martina Navratilova is coming back to the U.S. Open after a five-year absence.

Navratilova will play women's doubles and mixed doubles in the final Grand Slam event of the season, the United States Tennis Association announced Friday.

The Hall of Famer has 15 U.S Open titles - four in singles, nine in doubles and two in mixed doubles. This year, Navratilova will play doubles with Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario and mixed doubles with Rick Leach.

The Open runs from Aug. 28-Sept. 10.

Navratilova's last U.S. Open match was Sept. 4, 1995 a mixed doubles loss with Jonathan Stark against Gigi Fernandez and Cyril Suk; her last win was three days earlier in the same event against Robin White and Tom Kempers.

Navratilova, who has won a record 167 singles and 165 doubles matches in her career, will play next week in the doubles at the Pilot Pen tournament in New Haven, Conn. Slovenian Katarina Srebotnik will be her partner.

Navratilova, 43, who retired from the WTA tour in November 1994, returned to play doubles at this year's Wimbledon championships. She and Mariaan De Swardt lost to Venus and Serena Williams in the quarterfinals.

Navratilova was granted a wild card entry into the Open by the USTA.

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