"The Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia and changed many lives forever, I remember" - Martina Navratilova on hardships faced by her and her family

Martina Navratilova is one of the most outspoken athletes on social media and isn't afraid to share her opinions on current events and controversies. The tennis legend recently shared about the hardships she and her family had to go through in 1968.

On August 21, 1968, when Navratilova was 11 years old, the Soviet Union invaded her native Czechoslovakia, squelching the nation's nascent reformist spirit. Navratilova repeatedly clashed with the new government in subsequent years and offended them by expressing opposing views.

As a result, in 1975, her visa for the USA, which she needed to take part in the 1975 US Open, was refused. However, Jan Kodes, her compatriot and a three-time Major champion, interfered and managed to alter the outcome.

The 18-time Grand Slam champion, who lost to Chris Evert in the 1975 US Open semifinals, became an American citizen in 1981.

Navratilova's choice, however, separated her from her family. They were unable to travel outside Czechoslovakia to see her because doing so would result in her detention. She did not see her family for four years.

Navratilova recounted the tragic event with her followers on Twitter on the day it occurred, exactly 54 years ago. She recalled how the Soviet Union's invasion of her country had affected many people's lives, including her own.

"Been defending Novak for a long time, completely disagree on his COVID stance and for that I got abuse" - Martina Navratilova

Navratilova recently called out a couple of users on social media for abusing her simply because she disagreed with Novak Djokovic's views on the COVID-19 vaccine.

After a Twitter user jokingly tweeted that they had been blocked by many powerful tennis personas, including Rennae Stubbs, Jon Wertheim, Ben Rothenberg and Martina Navratilova herself, she clarified the reason for doing so.

The nine-time Wimbledon champion said that despite defending Djokovic for years, she had to block a few "jerks" because of their animosity over her disagreement with the Serb's stance on vaccination.

About the author

Pritha is one of the driving forces behind Sportskeeda's tennis coverage, serving as an assistant content manager and editor. What began as a casual escape from her tiring biotechnology degree course in early 2022 has blossomed into a passion she loves, cherishes, and breathes every day.

Pritha’s love for the sport was spawned by her dad who showed her clips of "GOAT" Steffi Graf’s matches. Despite a thwarted dream of playing professionally due to injury, she finds solace in reporting the sport, while also mentoring other writers to ensure every article is error-free and top-notch. She double-checks credible sources, such as the tournament/player handles and big tennis media outlets, and gives proper credit where required.

Pritha's journey at Sportskeeda is marked by more than 2000 articles and close to 16 million views, with the "dream-come-true" moment of having her article shared by Chris Evert serving as a highlight of her career. A lifelong Wimbledon fan, Pritha also adores Rafael Nadal, Elena Rybakina, and Naomi Osaka.

When she's not seeking unique angles to elevate tennis coverage at Sportskeeda, she loves to channel her inner astrophysics "nerd" by exploring new sci-fi series and movies. A big Lionel Messi, Lewis Hamilton, and Randy Orton fan, she is always ready to engage in sports conversations anytime, anywhere, albeit not without a cup of coffee.

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