Martina Navratilova has blasted Donald Trump's policies as the tennis icon issues a worrying plea to the US president. Navratilova, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, was speaking following civil unrest in the States regarding Trump's immigration stance.
Having been born in Prague, Czechoslovakia, Navratilova was stripped of her citizenship in the 1970s when she asked the United States for political asylum. She would later become a Czech citizen again in 2009, but Navratilova is fearful that her US citizenship could be stripped, as the nation is "not a democracy at the moment".
Speaking to the BBC last month, Navratilova explained: "Everything is up in the air right now, and that's the whole point. Everybody's walking on eggshells, not knowing what's going to happen."
US immigration officers have been carrying out sweeping raids across the country, after President Trump promised to deliver the "largest deportation programme of criminals in the history of America." It's a move that has sparked heavy backlash, with violent protests having erupted in states like California, New York and Philadelphia last month.
On the current climate, Navratilova, who works for the BBC as a Wimbledon pundit, continued: "I'm not loyal to [US President] Donald Trump. If I were now still in that same position [seeking asylum] and I had to go live somewhere, it would not be America, because it's not a democracy at the moment... I mean, people are getting chucked out by Homeland Security, they're getting chucked out because they're not on board completely with Donald Trump's agenda... because they're not kissing the ring."
In the same interview, Navratilova also expressed concern surrounding the World Tennis Association's (WTA) rules regarding transgender women competing in women's matches. Claiming trans women have biological advantages, the 68-year-old mused: "There should be no ostracism, there should be no bullying but male bodies need to play in male sports. They can still compete. There is no ban on transwomen in sports.
"They just need to compete in the proper category which is the male category. It's that simple. By including male bodies in the women's tournament, now somebody is not getting into the tournament - a woman is not getting into the tournament because now a male has taken her place."
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