Martina reveals the secrets of eternal success

My body feels better now than in my mid-30s - Navratilova

Pop diva Cher took her hit single to heart and turned back time with the help of a surgeon or two. Tennis diva Martina Navratilova served it up to Old Father Time in a more natural way.

'You can push the clock back but you have to do it very carefully,' said the ageless and peerless 47-year-old, who arrives in Hong Kong tomorrow for the Watsons Water Champions Challenge, starting on Thursday at Victoria Park.

'Obviously, you can't train the same way you did in your 20s. But you can still train pretty hard and get a lot of return from your body.'

The greatest women's player of all time is in Australia preparing for her final season - which she hopes will bring an Olympic gold medal and more Grand Slam titles - and revealed the simple formula to her longevity.

'Today, I played tennis for 21/2 hours, had lunch, then did some quickness and agility training for an hour. This afternoon I'll do a little bit of swimming and loosen up just for fun. And maybe,' she says, with the giggle of a teenager, 'try some surfing.'

Navratilova said she became conscious of the need to eat properly during those halcyon days in the 1980s. 'I have been eating really well since about 1981 when I started paying attention to diet. The last 23 or 24 years I have been very aware of what I'm eating. I just eat all good things, a lot of fruit and vegetables and as many live foods as possible. Live meaning not cooked.