‘Stuck It to the Communist Regime’ – Martina Navratilova Reminisced Bittersweet Memories of Her ‘One-Way Ticket’ to the United States

The Czech-American tennis legend Martina Navratilova has bittersweet memories of moving from the Czech Republic to the United States. Back in 1975, her country was in political turmoil, which often resulted in traveling challenges for Navratilova, while it was easier for other countries. Fed up with this, Navratilova emigrated to the US.

Although it helped her career a lot, Navratilova still rues staying away from her family for a long time. Earlier this year, the 65-year-old spoke about it in an interview.

Navratilova on the advantages and disadvantages she had after moving to the US

Before the start of Wimbledon, the former American tennis star Martina Navratilova spoke about her experience of playing tennis for a politically unstable country. Recalling the days from 1975, the tennis legend said, “It’s obviously massive. Because when I defected in ’75, it was a one-way ticket. I did not know if I would ever see my family again or how long it would be when I would see them. Just making a phone call was an adventure. So I spoke to them maybe once every two or three weeks, and I did not see my mom for four years. I did not see my dad and my sister for five years.”

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Speaking of the time she returned to Czechoslovakia after 11 years as an American player, Navratilova said, “We played Czechoslovakia in the finals. And the people ended up cheering for us more than the Czechs because it was all a political statement. Basically, I stuck it to the communist regime by leaving and succeeding. But it was a one-way ticket, so I lost all that time with my family that I could never get back, and it was brutal.”

Navratilova moved away from her home country as it became obvious to her that she had to train in better facilities and a welcoming environment to realize her potential. It turned to be a great decision, as she went on to become the greatest all format player of all time, with 59 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

Martina Navratilova on her controversial comments

Ever since Navratilova has had the platform to voice her opinions, she never shied away from giving hard facts and strong opinions. This, at times, has offended many tennis fans who get back at her on different social media platforms. Recently she made an objection to transgender players competing in the women’s category in tennis tournaments.

Her comments made her the prime target of transgender rights activists who slammed her for her comments. However, the 65-year-old doesn’t care much about it as she believes in doing “the right thing rather than the popular thing.”

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Notably, the retired tennis star has also been pretty vocal regarding equal pay for male and female tennis players. While there might be differences in the way people react to her words, Navratilova always stands her ground.