Navratilova to scale Kilimanjaro

Martina Navratilova will set new heights for tennis when she scales Africa's highest peak for charity next week. The tennis legend, who will be climbing Tanzania's 19,340-foot mountain to raise funds for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, will see a long-time dream come true. The 54-year-old said that she had always wanted to scale Kilimanjaro and is quite used to high altitude as she lives in Aspen, Colorado. However, she has never topped 12,000 feet (3,660 metres) before. She said: "It's just a basic hike except you get to be pretty high and there's not much air up there, but it doesn't require much mountain climbing experience. "I was hoping to do it privately, so I'm petrified of failing because then the whole world would know," she said. "I'm in decent shape. I know I'm in good enough shape to get to the top, but will the altitude get me? That's something you can't predict until you get there." The target for the climb is 100,000 Euros (£85,000) and already more than half of that amount has been raised. Navratilova will be carrying a tennis racket to the top of the summit, but does not know whether she can find a spot to play. She said: "I'm bringing one racket and I'll hit a few balls from the top to see how far they can travel. With the air being that thin they should go a long way."