From Defector to Dissenter: Navratilova Speaks Out
Fifty years ago, Martina Navratilova made the life-altering decision to leave communist Czechoslovakia and start again in the United States. Then just 18, she became one of the Cold War’s most high-profile defectors. In doing so, she laid the foundations of a legendary tennis career, but today, she’s not sure she’d make the same move. In a recent interview with Amol Rajan of the BBC, Navratilova said she now fears the US “wouldn’t let me in” given its current climate.
Speaking candidly about her unease with American politics, she didn’t hold back.
“I’m not loyal to [US President] Donald Trump,”
she said, adding that the US is becoming a “totalitarian” state. Since Trump’s return to power, the US government has reinstated sweeping immigration raids and expanded travel restrictions across 12 countries. Visitors have reported detentions at the border, and Navratilova worries that the country she once fled to is now shutting its doors. “If I were now still in that same position [as in 1975] and I had to go live somewhere, it would not be America, because it’s not a democracy at the moment,” she said.
She’s concerned about the growing hostility toward migrants. “People are getting chucked out by Homeland Security… because they’re not on board completely with Donald Trump’s agenda… because they’re not kissing the ring,” she told Rajan. It’s a far cry from the country that offered her the freedom to compete, win, and build a life – and a clear sign, she believes, that something has shifted.
Navratilova’s own story still resonates. When she defected in 1975, she knew the risks. She left behind a close-knit family in what is now Czechia and spent years unsure if she would ever see them again. “I never knew when I would see my parents again, or if I would see them,” she recalled. But the move gave her the opportunity to become world number one, both in singles and doubles – a record-breaking career that has secured her place among the sport’s all-time greats.
Now a dual US and Czech citizen, Martina Navratilova lives in the US with her wife, Julia Lemigova. However, with political tensions running high, she admitted that she’s unsure what the future might hold. “Everything is up in the air right now, and that’s the whole point. Everybody’s walking on eggshells,” she said.
One of the more controversial topics she addressed was transgender inclusion in women’s tennis. Navratilova made it clear she believes trans women should not compete in the women’s game. Under current World Tennis Association (WTA) rules, trans women can participate if they declare their gender identity and maintain low testosterone levels for two years. But Navratilova argues this does not eliminate biological advantages. “Male bodies need to play in male sports. They can still compete. There is no ban on transwomen in sports. They just need to compete in the proper category which is the male category. It’s that simple.”
She went on: “By including male bodies in the women’s tournament, now somebody is not getting into the tournament – a woman is not getting into the tournament because now a male has taken her place.” Her view aligns with a recent UK Supreme Court ruling which defined the term “woman” in law based on biological sex. When asked if tennis should follow the UK’s lead, she responded: “100%”.
Navratilova has previously said she is sympathetic to trans people, but believes that sympathy does not override the importance of maintaining sex-based categories in sport. “There should be no ostracism, there should be no bullying… but that still doesn’t give them a right to women’s sex-based spaces.”
The interview also touched on her own personal health battles. Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 and again in 2023, along with a second, unrelated throat cancer, Navratilova spoke frankly about her fears and the difficult treatment. “We got the results, and it’s cancer,” she said. “And I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to die.’” Fortunately, both cancers were caught early and treated. “The cure was hell, but the aftermath has been great,” she said, now in remission. “Knock on wood, all clear, and no side effects at all, other than red wine still doesn’t taste good, so I’ve gone sideways towards tequila and vodka,” she joked.
Despite it all, Navratilova’s outlook remains pragmatic and focused on what matters. “Cancer taught me to really appreciate every day, which I was doing pretty much anyway,” she said. “But most of all, to not sweat the small stuff. It’s fixable.”
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