Tennis legend Martina Navratilova is among the contestants participating in the new season of ABC's Dancing With the Stars competition which begins on March 19.

Navratilova appeared on ABC's Good Morning America Tuesday (28 February) as part of a splashy announcement.

She will  be paired with dancing professional Tony Dovolani who has danced with such celebrities as Stacy Keibler and Melissa Rycroft.

Navratilova will be competing for the title alongside such stars as singer Gladys Knight, actress Melissa Gilbert, NFL pro Donald Driver, telenovela star William Levy, talk show host Sherri Shepherd and actors Jack Wagner and Jaleel White.

Navratilova, 55, is the winner of 18 grand slam singles titles and still plays in senior events at such tournaments as Wimbledon and the recent Australian Open.

But she does not know if her tennis prowess will give her an edge and feels the competition will be a real 'challenge.'

'Tennis is all closed up. This is all open,' Martina told reporters.

Navratilova is the latest LGBT contestant on the show which last season featured openly gay television personality Carson Kressley and transgender male Chaz Bono. The first gay contestant was Lance Bass back in 2008.

While the show has welcomed various professional athletes in the past, Navratilova is just the second tennis champion following Monica Seles in 2008. Seles was among the first to be eliminated that season.