Navratilova

WIMBLEDON, England -- Princess Diana walked out on men's tennis. Really. She and her sleeveless red dress got up from the royal box at the end of the second set between Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic last Sunday, retiring to a balcony to sip tea.Di was also in the box Saturday, wearing a black-and-white dress. (You were expecting the same outfit on back-to-back days?) On Saturday, she did not go anywhere. She sat there transfixed by the wonderfully compelling drama that was played over three sets by Martina Navratilova and Conchita Martinez.

WIMBLEDON, England -- Conchita Martinez grew up in Monzon, Spain. The daughter of a factory worker, she spent her days hitting tennis balls against the factory wall on a court her father, Cecilio, made for her.As she hit those balls, one harder than the next, she dreamed of her tennis idol. And the thoughts were so constant that she gave the wall a name -- Martina.Yesterday, when Martina Navratilova played her last Wimbledon, was Conchita Martinez across the net who ushered her idol off the Centre Court grass, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3."

Tune in today and enjoy Martina Navratilova's going out in style (win or lose) in the Wimbledon women's final, and Germany and Switzerland facing Belgium and Spain, respectively, in the first two second-round games of World Cup Soccer.* "Wimbledon tennis women's final." (9 a.m.-conclusion, WMAR, Channel 2) -- Billie Jean King had worried that, due to the luck of the draw and the upset defeats of some major seeds, Ms. Navratilova had yet to be truly tested as she advanced through the Wimbledon tournament.

WIMBLEDON, England -- Martina Navratilova will walk on to Centre Court at Wimbledon today for the last time as a singles competitor.She will bow to the Duke and Duchess of Kent, pick a chair beside the umpire and take a few warm-up swings.Then she'll look across the net at Conchita Martinez, the No. 3 player in the world. Martinez, 22, is playing marvelous tennis and is inspired by the words of her king, Juan Carlos I, who has asked all of Spain to support her.Navratilova, 37, will take a deep breath and then take her best shot at winning her 10th Wimbledon women's singles title.

WIMBLEDON, England -- For one moment, Martina Navratilova allowed her concentration to wander.Right in the middle of the second set, in what had turned into a dogfight with her friend Gigi Fernandez, she was tossing the ball for a serve and along came this uninvited thought: "I wonder what it is going to be like to be in the finals."Navratilova missed the serve but won the match, so afterward she could admit to the lapse."I couldn't believe I had that thought, and I thought, 'What . . . are you doing?

Sports and repeats. This is a recording.* "Wimbledon tennis." (1-5 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- Live coverage of the women's semifinal will show Martina Navratilova competing in the Wimbledon semis for the 17th time. NBC.* "Seinfeld." (9-9:30 p.m., WMAR, Channel 2) -- In a rerun, George (Jason Alexander) ponders changing religions to win a woman. NBC.Cable* "World Cup Soccer: Argentina vs. Bulgaria." (7:25 p.m.-conclusion, ESPN) -- Today's games involve Group D. Argentina has clinched a second-round spot.

WIMBLEDON, England -- Martina Navratilova moved within one victory of her 10th Wimbledon singles title today when she beat Gigi Fernandez, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6).Miss Navratilova, 37, who is playing in her 22nd and final Wimbledon singles, held off her friend and practice partner from Aspen, Colo.Navratilova scored the first eight points for a 2-0 lead and led 5-1 before Fernandez won three straight games. Navratilova then served out the set.Fernandez, a doubles specialist who was the lowest ranked player (No. 99)

WIMBLEDON, England -- Martina Navratilova is living a dream. There isn't any doubt about that.The nine-time Wimbledon champ wants title No. 10 before she retires at the end of this season.So what happens?She comes to Wimbledon. She gets insulted. "Too old, too slow," said Jana Novotna, last year's Wimbledon runner-up.Then she gets incredibly lucky.No. 1 seed Steffi Graf is beaten in the first round. No. 2 seed Arantxa Sanchez Vicario is beaten in the fourth.Then yesterday, she defeats Novotna, 5-7, 6-0, 6-1, to become the oldest women's semifinalist of the modern era.And who stands between her and the Wimbledon final?

WIMBLEDON, England -- OK, so you're Wimbledon's greatest women's singles champion of all time, and you've got a #i third-round match in the afternoon.You plan to sleep in, arrive at Centre Court well-rested. You're sleeping soundly, when suddenly you hear a ringing in your ears."It was 8 o'clock this morning, and a photographer is out there ringing my doorbell, because he had orders from his boss to get a picture by noon," Martina Navratilova said yesterday, after she defeated Linda Harvey-Wild in straight sets.