What to Know About Martina Navratilova and Julia Lemigova's Children
What to Know About Martina Navratilova and Julia Lemigova's Children
Francesca Gariano, Samantha StutsmanTue, June 30, 2026 at 1:29 PM UTC
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Julia Lemigova and Martina Navratilova with their two daughters in 2016; Julia Lemigova and Martina Navratilova with their two sons in June 2026.Credit: Julia Lemigova/Instagram (2) -
Julia Lemigova and tennis legend Martina Navratilova have been married since 2014
Prior to their wedding, the Real Housewives of Miami star gave birth to three children from previous relationships
The couple welcomed two sons via adoption in 2024
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova and Real Housewives of Miami star Julia Lemigova have built a blended family together.
The couple met at a bar in Paris in 2000 and started dating nearly a decade later. Navratilova proposed during a live broadcast of the US Open in September 2014, and the couple married three months later in New York City.
Before their wedding, Lemigova welcomed three children from previous relationships: son Maximilien and daughters Emma and Victoria. Maximilien died in 2000 from shaken baby syndrome while in the care of a nanny.
In August 2024, Navratilova and Lemigova expanded their family by adopting two young boys, whose names they have chosen to keep private. The milestone came after a challenging period for the couple. In 2023, Navratilova underwent treatment after being diagnosed with a recurrence of breast cancer and an unrelated throat cancer, more than a decade after her first breast cancer diagnosis in 2010.
Netflix's documentary Chris & Martina: The Final Set, which premiered on June 26, follows Navratilova and fellow tennis icon Chris Evert as they reflect on life after their playing careers while navigating their respective cancer journeys.
Here's everything to know about Martina Navratilova and Julia Lemigova's children.
Maximilien
Lemigova welcomed her son Maximilien during a previous relationship with the late French banker, Édouard Stern. However, Maximilien died in 2000 when he was an infant due to shaken baby syndrome while he was in the care of a nanny.
Lemigova opened up about the death of her son during a January 2024 episode of The Real Housewives of Miami, revealing that she "separated" herself from religion after he died.
“I lost my son on my watch. I was looking for a nanny, and I got a phone call from a qualified nurse, and she sounded wonderful on paper," she said during the series. “Eight days later, Maximilien went into a coma because of shaken baby syndrome. I will blame myself for the rest of my life.”
In February 2022, Lemigova spoke to Page Six about the death of her son, telling the publication, “I don't know if I ever completely survived the loss of my son.”
“Part of me is dead forever. At the time, I simply didn't want to live,” she said. “Selfishly, I wanted to end my life so many times. I wanted to join my son. I wanted to go away. In this horrible pain and through years of grief, I found joy in helping other people.”
Lemigova said it was “very, very difficult” to continue to live her life, but credited Navratilova for helping her through the pain.
Victoria
Victoria Lemigova and her mom Julia Lemigova in April 2024.Credit: Victoria Lemigova/Instagram
Lemigova welcomed her daughter Victoria during a previous relationship.
In January 2015, Lemigova spoke about her daughters' reaction to their mom dating Navratilova, telling the Daily Mailthat they “adored” her then-girlfriend. However, while growing up, one of Julia's daughters began to question Lemigova's new relationship when kids started to bring it up to her at school.
“She asked, ‘Who is Martina?' so we had to sit down and talk about it. I said, ‘Martina is someone I love.' Her eyes went all wide. I remember saying, ‘I can't imagine living without her,' " she recalled. "Then we had a conversation about whether they liked Martina being around and I remember my daughter saying, ‘I want her to live with us, too.' ”
In 2021, Navratilova and Lemigova became the first lesbian couple on any Real Housewives franchise when they joined the Real Housewives of Miami, per NBC News. Lemigova has credited Victoria and Emma for helping her feel comfortable with her sexuality.
"When I saw my two girls standing up to their friends and saying, 'Yeah, we have two moms,' and I saw them, and it's like, 'Oh my God. My girls came out faster than me!' " Lemigova told NBC News in December 2021. "I never, ever looked back. It just happened, and I needed some push. I needed some support.”
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Victoria graduated from high school in May 2019, per her Instagram. She went on to attend college at the University of Richmond, where she was a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and studied business administration. Victoria graduated from college in May 2023, posting her graduation photos in her cap and gown on Instagram.
She currently works for PwC in New York City as a senior associate, per LinkedIn.
"She's a little smart cookie," Julia told Bravo Insider in April 2025. "But she loves travel. She's very creative."
Victoria accompanied Julia and Navratilova to the premiere of Chris & Martina: The Final Set at the Tribeca Festival in June 2026.
Emma
Julia and Emma Lemigova.Credit: Julia Lemigova/Instagram
Lemigova welcomed her daughter, Emma, on Oct. 27, 2005, with her ex, Christian Courtin-Clarins. Courtin-Clarins is the son of Clarins founder Jacques Courtin, per Forbes.
During season 5 of Real Housewives of Miami — which aired in 2022 — Emma started high school in Paris to spend time with her father, per Bravo. That made Lemigova and Navratilova empty nesters until they adopted their sons.
"It's, like, really hard to find how to lure them back without them saying, 'Oh Mom, you're clinging, and, you know, stop,' “ Lemigova told Bravo Insider at the time. “So I'm, like, trying to bribe them with food, or we say, 'Oh, you know, this great place in Miami opened up.' I never tell them that I'm, like, sitting crying in my pillow like, 'God, I hate it. When are you coming home?' “
Emma has since graduated from high school and is now in university, according to her mom. "She's studying. She loves fashion and, of course, skincare," Julia told Bravo Insider in April 2025. "She wants to work with her dad in skincare, so her career will probably be at Clarins."
Emma and Victoria initially struggled with the transition after Lemigova and Navratilova adopted their two sons. During an August 2025 episode of The Real Housewives of Miami, Lemigova revealed that the family was "going through a difficult time."
"The adoption of the boys came as a big surprise to [Victoria] and Emma," she said. "They haven't met them yet. They're upset with us for not communicating enough with them about what's going to happen. So right now, unfortunately, we are not at the best place with them.”
However, the family appears to have made progress since then. Emma has since met her brothers, according to a June 2026 Instagram post.
Martina Navratilova and Julia Lemigova's sons
Martina Navratilova, Julia Lemigova and their sons.Credit: Elsa/Getty
Navratilova and Lemigova welcomed two sons via adoption in August 2024 after nearly a decade of marriage. The couple have kept their sons' lives private and have not shared their names publicly.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Navratilova said at the time, "We are over the moon recognizing the challenges and the rewards for everybody.”
In November 2024, Lemigova told PEOPLE about some of her wife's favorite activities with their sons, including making pancakes for breakfast and taking them to school. She described Navratilova as “so energized,” adding, “When we first got them, we thought we are saving them, but in reality, we're both saving each other.”
“And seeing them, like waking up in the morning with their little faces and what joy it brought into our life,” she added. “It's like [being] a new mother again all of a sudden after being an empty nester."
While the couple have chosen not to share photos of their sons on social media, they have made appearances on The Real Housewives of Miami. During the season 7 trailer, they were seen in a short clip as Lemigova lifts one of them out of a car.
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
