‘Born to Be an American’ – Martina Navratilova Once Narrated How She Felt Liberated the First Time She Landed in Florida

The life Martina Navratilova has led is inspirational in all aspects. Her growth in the sport, along with her personal development after moving to the US, comprises a tale filled with willpower and resilience. Therefore, one can consider her autobiography as a book filled with life lessons.

However, apart from that, it also helps a person connect with her on a human level, as it details the emotions that different life incidents made her feel. Speaking of which, there is a moment from Navratilova’s life that every fan should know.

Martina Navratilova about moving to the USA

From hitting the ball off a cement wall as a four-year-old to winning the Czech national championship at 15, Navratilova was gradually making her mark in the world of tennis. In the year 1973, Navratilova traveled to America. The 16-year-old who just turned pro was over the moon. As she mentioned in her book, “For the first time in my life I was able to see America without the filter of a Communist education, Communist propaganda. And it felt right. “

Thereafter, she added, “I honestly believe I was born to be an American. With all due respect to my homeland. Things never really felt right until the day I got off the plane in Florida.”

However, when the 18-time singles Grand Slam champion moved to the USA, she didn’t quite receive the warm welcome she expected.

Read more: Martina Navratilova Once Shared Her Adventurous Traveling Bucket List

Navratilova garnered heavy criticism, from her muscular build to her inclination towards things such as gold jewelry and sleek cars. But slowly, the fans started accepting her as their own.

Navratilova’s achivements

The Czech American had to work hard to build her career and garner the admiration of the fanbase who were cheering for her loss in the initial stages. She made her presence known by slowly getting a grip on the different surfaces of the sport and challenging the top players in the WTA tour, like Chris Evert and Billie Jean King. Navratilova became the only player who gave a tough fight to Evert. In fact, she later dominated the American legend in both grass and hard courts.

Watch this story: Martina Navratilova gives her opinion on the negative impact of social media

The nine-time Wimbledon champion ended her career with 167 singles, 177 doubles and 15 mixed doubles titles under her name. Further, she also held the ranking of world no.1 for a total of 332 weeks and has over 100 victories in Wimbledon; a record, which only Serena Williams was close to achieving in the WTA tour.