It was 1975 when Martina Navratilova left her native Czechoslovakia to seek asylum in the United States. She wanted to be the number one tennis player in the world and in her country, in the middle of the Cold War and under a communist regime, she saw no future
While competing in the US Open, she made the decision to stay in America. She did not know when she would see her family again. In 1981 she obtained US citizenship (she has dual nationality). Today, if she were in the same situation, she would not choose the United States because of Donald Trump’s policies.
This is what he told Amol Rajan in an interview with the BBC. “If I was still in that same situation [as in 1975] and had to go and live somewhere, it wouldn’t be America, because it’s not a democracy at the moment,” he says.
People are being kicked out because they don’t kiss Donald Trump’s ring
The winner of 18 individual Grand Slam singles titles believes she would not even be allowed in. She is concerned that the United States has become a totalitarian state. “It’s definitely turning against immigrants. I mean, Homeland Security is kicking people out because they don’t quite agree with Donald Trump’s agenda… because they don’t kiss the ring,” she says.
Navratilova does share with Trump his view on the participation of transgender women in sport. She does not agree with the current WTA rules which state that transgender women can compete in women’s competitions if they provide a written and signed statement that they are female or non-binary, that their testosterone levels have been below a certain limit for two years and that they maintain those testosterone levels
There should be no ostracism or bullying, but male bodies should participate in male sports
“There should be no ostracism or bullying, but male bodies should participate in male sports. They can still compete. There is no ban on trans women in sports. They just need to compete in the appropriate category, which is the male category. It’s that simple,” she says.
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