In her 28-year professional career, Navratilova has won 167 singles titles – more than any other man or woman – and 173 doubles titles. She won both the singles and doubles at 84 events in her career, to lead all players.

Her 2003 Wimbledon mixed doubles crown made her the oldest person, at 46, to ever win a Grand Slam event.

Currently, Navratilova is the No. 6-ranked women’s doubles player in the world and the No. 3 ranked American. She was chosen by fellow tennis legend, Fed Cup captain Billie Jean King, to play on the 2003 U.S. Fed Cup team. The Czech-born Navratilova also played on the U.S. Fed Cup team in 1975, 1982, 1986, 1989 and 1995, and is undefeated in 37 matches.

The U.S. Fed Cup team is playing Belgium in the semifinals on Nov. 19-20 in Moscow, Russia. The Americans lead the Belgians 2-0 after Lisa Raymond defeated Els Callens and Meghann Shaughnessy defeated Kirsten Flipkens in singles action today.

We caught up with Navratilova to discuss the Fed Cup, her Olympic doubles hopes with Raymond and her future in politics.

Q1: You have played for your country on six Fed Cup teams. How nationalistic or patriotic do you consider yourself?

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA: Well, nationalistic and patriotic enough to take two weeks out of my schedule and go to Moscow, which is not one of my favorite places in the world to go to! (laughs) What with all the Lenin statutes and the sickle and hammer, neon signs that are still on the buildings, that does not bring good memories. But, obviously, how I feel about this country I think has been well documented. I love this country. I love being an American. I love living here, which is why I speak up about some of the things that are going on that I don't like, which this past couple years, that's been called unpatriotic. I feel it's more patriotic to speak out when you feel something is not right rather than be quiet.

And patriotic enough to put myself out there on the line and try to help out in any way that I can, whether it's just fetching water, that's what I will do. My ego is on the shelf. I'm going to do whatever it takes, whatever it takes to make the team better, that's what I will do.

Q2: What do you think about the decision of the world’s No. 1 player, Kim Clijsters, to withdraw from the Belgian Fed Cup team?

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA: The way the schedule works these days, tennis has no off-season … you have very little time to recharge your batteries, unwind and get going again. And there's a lot of demand on the time for the top players. Kim played more tournaments and matches than anybody this year, singles and doubles. She must be exhausted. I'm not surprised at all that she just said, "Enough is enough, I can't do this." Because you have to think about next year.

And then Moscow on top of that, [the Fed Cup] is played on a surface that is extremely dangerous in that it's very sticky, and you sort of slide into the ball. As you know, Kim slides a lot into her shots. She does these splits. She would not be able to do that. It would be such an adjustment for her to play on that surface. We had a couple sprained ankles on it. My back was sore. I just played a long doubles match. My back, my knee, my Achilles hurt. I’m fine, I can adjust to that. But for a singles player, I would have my reservations playing on that surface, especially when it's at the end of the year, you're tired, you just want to unwind and relax.

I think Kim is smart. I think Kim played too much tennis this year. If she played Fed Cup, I would say, "You're absolutely crazy." I mean, it's too bad for Belgium, but Belgium has to be lucky that she is who she is. You can't have it all.

Q3: There has been talk of moving the Fed Cup Championship match after next year. Billie Jean King thinks it's better to keep it in one place for five years or so to try to build up the tournament. Do you think it’s a good idea to move the championship around every few years?

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA: I would agree with Billie Jean there. They should have never left [Madison Square] Garden, said that was a mistake from the get-go. You know, you can make it a big event in some countries … but these people really do not have the sense of what it takes to get there and the history of it. I would rather see it in one place. I think we should go back to the Garden. That's where it was at last time where it was really a happening thing. You have 18,000 people going crazy for a women's match. That's hard to capture somewhere else. Yeah, you might get 10,000 people going crazy in Shanghai or Antwerp or something. But to move it around, it's hard to build up that same kind of feeling. You have it in golf -- they move around, like the US Open, but the Masters is still the biggest event and that's because it's in the same place. So I think to get the sense of history and greatness, it's not the name of the tournaments, it's where it is, where you really build it up.

Q4: What is Billie Jean like as a Fed Cup captain? Is she an inspiration to the team?

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA: Well, I mean, Billie's inspiration is being there, because of the past and all the energy that comes with her. But most of all, the girls know her. I know her. That's not really what she's there for. I think what she brings the most is the knowledge, how to play the game. Technically she's a great help, but most of all during a match, she can really be helpful with how to play the match. You can prepare all you want before a match, but, you know, sometimes you forget everything you talked about or you're not really sure what works or doesn't. And it's her job to keep track of what's working during a match. That's where her biggest asset is during the match, to figure out what you should be doing the same, what you should be doing differently.

Q5: You had all but retired from tennis, and now you're back in it. What is your training like these days? Are there any activities that you now sort of stay away from to avoid injuries?

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA: I'm not staying away from any activities by choice. In other words, I have not been skiing or playing hockey, not because I'm afraid of getting hurt, but because I've not had the time. I've not been in Aspen since January. But I moved to Florida this year. I was in Florida for I think a total of six weeks this year. It's been a busy year for me, and next year will be just as busy. Training-wise, for example, I'm going to Australia early, before the Australian Open. My trainer is Australian, so instead of flying her back from Australia to the States for a couple weeks, I'm going to Australia early and just do the sort of training there, getting ready for the tournament.

The training is not that intense in that I'm not spending as much time training as I used to in the '80s when I was in my 20s, early 30s. But it's very specific and very concentrated. I don't spend as much time, but I know everything that I do is very productive. And it has to be more frequent. When you get older, you can't just take a week off and pick up right where you left off. You have to really sort of keep at it.

Q6: You and Lisa Raymond have said that you will be sticking with your doubles partnership after Fed Cup. Is part of that decision gearing up for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games?

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA: Well, Lisa asked me if I would want to play. I think her thinking was that she wanted to get to the Olympics. If we're an established American team, we have a much better chance of getting picked than if she plays with a non-American player. But also I think I earned it with my play and my ranking. She thought that perhaps I would be the best partner for her regardless of where I was from, but it also happened that I was an American.

I never played in the Olympics. That intrigued me. It just worked out for both of us in the best possible way that this happens to be an Olympic year. We might have been playing together anyway, but I was having serious doubts whether I wanted to play next year. This sort of pushed me over the edge, the possibility of playing in the Olympics, and it just worked out with Lisa on every level. So we're both very, very happy, very thrilled with the partnership, and looking forward to next year very much.

Q7: Given the depth of the American women in tennis right now, can you assess your chances of making it to Athens with Lisa?

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA: They're picking, from what I understand, four singles players and a doubles team, so it could be six different players. The doubles team is not necessarily the singles players. I'd say our chances are very good because we should be the top doubles team, given the fact that Serena and Venus [Williams] really don't play that much. When they play together, it's only at Grand Slams, and that's about every other Grand Slam they're playing. I think we have a very good chance of making it.

Q8: Twenty years ago when World Tennis asked you what you were going to be doing when you were 46 or 47, you said you would be involved in politics, maybe sports politics. You said, “I want to help women, people on the wrong side of the tracks, people down on their luck." What do you see yourself doing when you're 67?

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA: That I have no idea. Hopefully I'll have my feet up somewhere on some tropical paradise and the only time to get up would be to take the mangoes off the tree so I can have lunch. But I don't know. I did say I would get involved in politics, probably sports politics. I still may get involved in the world of tennis politics after I'm done playing. I talked about getting into the political world in the state of Florida one day since that's where I live now. But I said “one day.” I don't know when that would be. I know I have to put in some time and really get to know the issues and the concerns and everything. But the tennis world I know pretty well, so I think I could make contribution there first. So I will probably do that first.

Q9: Andre Agassi has talked about the need for a commissioner in tennis. What do you think of that idea, and is it a position that would interest you?

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA: We do need better cooperation between the [Association of Tennis Professionals] and the [Women’s Tennis Association] and the International Tennis Federation. The ITF, to me, still holds too much power. The Grand Slams hold too much power. And they're a bit high-handed in their dealing with us, with the men and women. I think it would be good if there was one overriding power that would sort of oversee everything and decide, "Okay, this is really good for tennis." Right now we have too many factions going at it. A commissioner might be the best way to go eventually. Would I be interested in that position? Absolutely. I think my experience and my past speak for themselves. I think with me, people would not question what I'm in it for. I would only be in it for the good of the game. I would not have an ulterior motive for myself, to get my name in the paper, to become more rich or famous or anything like that. I would have no axe to grind. I would really only want what is best for the game.

Q10: How do you see next year shaping up for the Americans – will the Williams sisters make a triumphant return?

MARTINA NAVRATILOVA: I think it's going to be the story next year, to see if Serena and Venus can recapture the No. 1 and 2 spots. Will they both be playing, just one? How far will they go? How fast will they play great tennis again? It's going to be a fascinating story because neither one has played since Wimbledon [in July, 2003]. If they're not rusty, then I'm the Queen of Sheba.

Who knows what will happen. Obviously, the talent is there. If they stay healthy, it should be a fantastic year. I just hope they both play because that's the intrigue of the game. You know, we were saying, "Oh, we're tired of Serena and Venus playing each other in the finals." Now we have Kim and Justine, two Belgians going at it, which is practically the same as the Williams family going at it. It would be just the best thing for the game of tennis if both the Williams sisters come back, and we'll have the rivalries to renew, and we'll see how the women respond. I think whenever you leave the game, you come back, it's gotten a little better, you know. It does improve while you're away.