Martina Navratilova had to make the tough choice of leaving her country as a teenager to pursue her dream of playing tennis and to live her life on her own terms. After defecting from Czechoslovakia, she remained stateless before finally getting US citizenship. During that time, Navratilova came out as one of the first openly gay athletes in 1981.

The legendary player recently commended a Russian star for taking a similar path and for having the courage to showcase her true self.

Martina Navratilova paved the way for the new generation of players

Navratilova commended the seeded Russian player, Daria Kasatkina, for celebrating her title with her girlfriend. One fan commended Navratilova for leading the way for the players. To this Navratilova replied, “Yes I did- 41 years ago:), Still no men though”. 

Daria Kasatkina won the Silicon Valley Classic at San Jose by defeating Shelby Rogers, and chose to celebrate her victory with her girlfriend.

READ MORE: ‘Put It in Her Mouth’ – Chris Evert Once Narrated a Time Where She ‘Fell Over With Laughter’ Owing to Martina Navratilova’s Innocent Act After a Brutal Loss

Navratilova, on the other hand, came out in 1981, the same year she was granted US citizenship. The player right now lives with her partner Julia Lemigova, a former Russian model.

Navratilova setting up a benchmark for resilience

The player was only 18 when she defected from her country and left her family to pursue her dreams. She remained stateless until 1981, with her only solace being playing tennis. In her career, spanning over three decades, Navratilova won 59 grand slam titles, out of which 18 were in the singles category.

Incidentally, that is the same amount of grand slam titles that her arch-rival, Chris Evert, ended up with. They both met each other 80 times, which Navratilova led by a ratio of 43:37.

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.

Currently, the former world no.1 stays in touch with the sport as a TV commentator during major tournaments. Along with that, she stays highly active on Twitter and expresses her strong views on varied matters.