Martina Navratilova, an established and a bold tennis players, is an inspiration to millions because of her rise from a politically conflicted country to becoming the world no. 1.

Moreover, the player had to leave her country and stay stateless for some time too. Not just that, the reaction of her grandparents was also not favorable to the decision of the player to seek asylum in the USA.

Martina Navratilova’s grandfather was not pleased with her decision to defect  

Martina Navratilova was just 18 at the time she sought asylum in the USA. It was two years earlier when she was 16 that she had turned professional and had visited the USA for the first time. In 1975, the player reached the finals of the Australian Open where Evonne Goolagong defeated her in the finals.

In the same year, she reached the final of the French Open too. here her arch-rival Chris Evert had defeated her. That same year, she decided to defect from Czechoslovakia and sought asylum in the USA. When her grandfather found out about this, he said, “Oh, the little idiot, why did she do that?” 

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Navratilova had not informed anyone in her family when she had done that. She had remained stateless for many years after that. However, she had made this decision for herself because being in a political turmoil country was hindering her growth. She said, “I felt if I did not get out, I could not become the best tennis player in the world.” 

What happened to  Martina Navratilova after seeking asylum?

History is the witness of the player’s achievements. Navratilova won her first grand slam title in 1978 at Wimbledon by defeating Chris Evert. Besides that, she also became the world no. 1 player in the world with 59 grand slam titles under her name. Out of which, 18 were singles.

Her rivalry with Chris Evert brought a lot of good name to the women’s sport. They played 80 matches against each other, out of which 60 were finals only.

WATCH THIS STORY: ‘Seems to Get Injured a Lot’ – Martina Navratilova Once Used Serena Williams’ Example to Talk About the ‘Fragmented’ Nature of Women’s Tennis. 

Chris Evert admires Navratilova for her tenacity and her rise from Czechoslovakia to becoming the best tennis player in the world.