‘Still Thinks That I Am a Traitor’- Just Like Martina Navratilova, Another Tennis Legend Has an Eerily Similar America Defection Story

The US has been a safe haven for a lot of talented personalities. These are the ones who could not find a stable environment in their native countries to grow. Tennis also boasts of such talents as Martina Navratilova and Gigi Fernandez. In return for the holistic environment to grow in, these players represented the USA. Though, it brought a lot of name and fame to the US, the same players faced a brutal backlash from their native countries.

Gigi Fernandez detailed the dichotomy of facing criticism from her native country Puerto Rico and representing the US, the same way Navratilova did. In a recent podcast, she opened up all about that feeling and facing harsh words.

Gigi Fernandez on sailing the same “traitor” boat as Martina Navratilova 

The Puerto Rican tennis player has been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame for her remarkable contribution to promoting tennis. Gigi Fernandez won two Olympia gold medals in 1992 and 1996 in the doubles category.

In an interview with ‘Tennis Worthy’, Fernandez talked about the hate she has received. She stated, “To this day, I have not been able to convince Puerto Ricans that that was my only choice. There is 50% of the island that still thinks that I am a traitor. Things like I sold myself and I should have represented Puerto Rico and not have a chance at the gold medal.”

Elaborating on the topic, she said, “To this day I have very mixed emotions about it on the one hand. On the other hand, I have to only pick two gold medals so I know that if I had played for Puerto Rico, I would not have won any gold medals. I don’t know, so it’s conflicted.” 

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When nationality and opportunity clash, it becomes a major issue for talents like these to choose. Even after choosing to lead their lives a certain way, these players have fought with the everlasting clash of identity. Navratilova had to go through an even more difficult ordeal. The US itself was suspicious of her when she first came to seek asylum.

Navratilova had to prove that she was not a spy 

The Czech-American player might have been hailed as one of the greatest tennis players of all time. However, the journey to be the greatest was an arduous one.

Navratilova once dictated that she had sneaked out in the night with her manager to seek asylum from the US. It was possible only because she had come to play at the US Open. Even after that, she had to prove that she was not a communist spy.

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Leaving her family behind for years, she focused on playing tennis with all her heart. Eventually, that difficult decision to leave her family led her to become one of the greatest tennis players of all time.