Martina Navratilova criticizes Trump and fears for her future in the United States
The world's biggest tennis festival, traditionally Wimbledon at the beginning of July, is reaching its climax these days. One of the few Czechs who should be there will be Martina Navratilova. As a guest, she regularly participates in the tournament's final matches for the United States. But this time with the knowledge that if she wanted to emigrate again, she would definitely not go to Trump's America.
Martina Navratilova took her first tennis steps in Central Bohemia's Revnice, where her grandmother Anezka Semanska-Bouckova had previously worked. Thanks to her gradual improvement, she started traveling abroad from there and playing in prestigious tournaments.
Emigration and sporting successes
After the US Open, the tennis player applied for American citizenship in New York in 1975. She recalled it two years ago when she described her feelings at the time on her Twitter account:
"And what a day it was!"
She got a green card in the mid-70s, which allowed her to play for the United States. However, she only became a full-fledged citizen of the country six years later. By that time, she was already ruling the world rankings. She was the number one continuously from 1978 to 1987.
In the meantime, she became an example of a successful sportswoman who preferred freedom over Husak's communism. Unlike Ivan Lendl, another of our great tennis players, she brought back as many as nine titles from Wimbledon! Thanks to this, she has inscribed herself indelibly in the history of the tournament and regularly visits it after ending her tennis career.
Trump changed everything
She found her home "across the pond" a long time ago. Until last fall, she assumed it would be forever. However, the result of the American presidential election, in which Donald Trump was successful with his anti-immigration policy, showed that nothing has to be forever.
The noose around those who have been living legally in the country for maybe several decades is beginning to tighten. Navrátilová is one of them. Regardless of her political beliefs. Because she admits that she is not one of those who would vote for Trump.
"If I were in the same situation today and had to move somewhere, it wouldn't be America, because it's not democratic at the moment,"
the former tennis player said in a recent interview for BBC television.
In January, the new American president issued a series of orders and directives aimed at changing the current immigration policy of the United States. This not only concerns the document called Protection of the American People from Invasion, but also other areas, such as the possibility of deporting those who are already citizens of the country. Critics argue that the current approach undermines civil liberties and targets vulnerable communities. This could allegedly lead to a disruption of trust between the local inhabitants and the bodies active in criminal proceedings.
Part of what makes the whole thing spicy is that Trump's first wife was Czech and the second Slovenian. The president himself has German-Scottish roots thanks to his grandparents.
"Everything is in the stars now, and that's the point. Everyone is tiptoeing and doesn't know what will happen,
said Martina Navratilova in an interview for the BBC. She criticizes not only Trump's immigration policy, but also, for example, the way he dismisses thousands of civil servants who are not loyal enough to him.
What's next?
The Czech Republic would undoubtedly welcome its native daughter with open arms. From her public appearances, it is clear that she remains a patriot. When she commented on Petra Kvitová's last match at Wimbledon this year on television, she burst into tears during her thank-you speech.
"It's hard for me to speak now, she is such a lovely person, both on court and off it. She is a role model everywhere and will definitely be a role model for little children in the Czech Republic,"
she noted addressed to this double tournament champion.
No matter what the future of Martina Navratilova will be, one thing is certain. She will certainly not get lost in the world. Thanks to her sports successes and openness, she has won the hearts of millions of people literally around the globe. And if there was no other option, she always has the opportunity to return to where she started with tennis.
Sources: Wikipedia, Wimbledon, BBC, Lidovky.cz
