By Parag Jain

Copyright sportskeeda

The world is nearing the 27th year of the 21st century, and no more than 38 countries legally recognize same-sex marriage. Martina Navratilova married former Russian model Julia Lemigova in December 2014, though their journey wasn’t hassle-free, as revealed by Lemigova 10 years ago.Born in Czechoslovakia, legendary tennis player Navratilova acquired US citizenship in 1981. The former World No. 1 and Miss USSR 1990 started dating in 2006. Lemigova already had two daughters from different previous relationships. She had moved to Paris, where she opened a spa in 2003 and a skincare center in 2009.Speaking to The Daily Mail in May 2015, Julia Lemigova shared the hardships the couple faced before tying the knot. She mentioned her daughters, Victoria and Emma, who were in school at the time, getting teased for their mother’s relationship with Martina Navratilova.”One day, my eldest daughter came home (upset) from school and said people had been saying things. Not necessarily nice things,” Lemigova said (via TNT Sports). “At the time, same-sex marriage wasn’t legal in France. She asked, ‘Who is Martina?’ I said, ‘Martina is someone I love.’ Her eyes went all wide.”“I said, ‘I can’t imagine living without her.’ Then we had a conversation about whether they liked Martina being around, and my daughter said, ‘I want her to live with us, too,'” she added.The incident must have been from before May 2013, when France legalized same-sex marriage. Language was the other challenge, especially for the kids.“The girls speak French between themselves, English to Martina, and Russian to me,” Lemigova said.Navratilova and Lemigova adopted two sons in 2024 and reside in Miami, Florida.Martina Navratilova’s wife Julia Lemigova reveals daughters’ reaction to adoption plansJulia Lemigova and Martina Navratilova at the 2024 South Beach Wine And Food FestivalOn one of the episodes of ‘The Real Housewives of Miami’ (aired last month), Martina Navratilova’s wife, Julia Lemigova, revealed that her daughters were not too happy about their adoption plans initially. However, Victoria and Emma eventually accepted their much younger siblings.”They haven’t met [the boys] yet. They’re upset with us for not communicating enough with them about what’s going to happen,” Lemigova said in Season 7, Episode 9 of the reality television series (via Yahoo).Speaking to The Daily Dish in August, the former model said:”I knew it was just a matter of time. And I know I was worried a lot, but I understand why they were feeling the way they were feeling.”The couple showed up at the 2025 US Open along with their sons.