NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova said in a video advertisement that she would not defect to the United States if today’s situation were around when she left Czechoslovakia.
Navratilova made the video for “Home of the Brave,” an online community launched earlier this year that labels itself as a place for those who have been “hurt by the Trump administration.” Navratilova has been a longtime critic of Trump.
In the video, Navratilova hinted at similarities she has seen between today’s United States and the Communist country she grew up in.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM
Martina Navratilova, during the Mixed Invitation Doubles round robin with playing partner Nenad Zimonjic on Court No.12, playing against Fabrice Santoro of France and Anne Keothavong of Great Britain during the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon on July 9, 2025, in London, England. (Tim Clayton/Getty Images)
“I defected from a totalitarian regime, and like hell am I going to be cowed again, and have to be careful about what I say. I grew up in a Communist country, Czechoslovakia. So I know what it looks like and feels like to live in a totalitarian regime where you cannot speak your mind, or worse, put in prison for political opinions. I’m so proud to be an American, but I’m embarrassed for what Trump is doing to our country,” Navratilova said to begin the video.
“I am p—-d off as hell about people capitulating to Trump. Whether it’s legal firms, schools, politicians, or companies, we are too big to fail. If we stand together but are divided, we fall. And that’s what Trump is counting on. Chaos, fear. This was the freest country in the world when I defected in 1975. If this was the situation for me now, I would definitely not choose to live here.
“My fear is that people are just too complacent, too scared, and thinking they don’t matter. And we all matter. As a tennis player, you’re used to fighting. You have to fight for every point, and it kind of gives you that backbone. I will not be quiet. Not speaking out equals resignation, and that’s just unacceptable. When you leave a totalitarian regime and you come to a freedom-loving country, of course you have to speak up. Speaking out is the patriotic thing to do. When you see something wrong, don’t be afraid. You can find things to make a difference. Democracy is never finished, but my God, we need to fix it. Keep protesting, and pay attention.”
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova during the trophy presentations, which she presented along with Chris Evert after the Women’s Singles Final on Court Philippe-Chatrier at the 2024 French Open Tennis Tournament at Roland Garros on June 8th, 2024, in Paris, France. (Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
TENNIS STAR ARYNA SABALENKA SAYS FEMALE ATHLETES FACING TRANS COMPETITORS ‘JUST NOT FAIR TO WOMEN’
One political issue that Navratilova has sided with Trump on, however, is transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports. Navratilova has long been outspoken that girls and women should not play against biological males.
Last December, she said she was “mad” that Republicans had tackled the nationwide controversy over trans athletes in women’s sports instead of the Democrats.
“And I am so mad that the Republicans captured this issue – shame on all the elected Democrats who keep silent on this!!! #whataboutthewomen,” she wrote on X.
The tennis legend appeared at the Independent Women’s Forum’s “Take Back Title IX” rally in June to address the issue, where she claimed she was a “homophobe” despite being “out since ’81.”
Martina Navratilova looks on during the Women’s Singles Final match between Coco Gauff of the United States and Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus on Day Thirteen of the 2023 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Sept. 9, 2023 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“‘You’re a bigot, you’re a transphobe, you’re a Nazi, you’re a fascist, you’re a communist,’ everything and everything in between. And this is coming from the left. I am the left! My people are turning on me. They’re turning on us, women, who speak up for women’s sex-based rights.”
Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter