Fifty years ago, Martina Navratilova left the communist Czechoslovakia where she was born to start a new life in the United States.

At 18 years old, the then high school became one of the most prominent Cold War defectors and later one of the world's most iconic tennis players.

However, in an interview with BBC journalist Amol Rajan, she said she feared the US would not let her in today.

Since President Trump took office in January, his administration has carried out extensive immigration raids, sparking protests in some parts of the country.

He has also instituted a travel ban on citizens of 12 countries, and there have been reports of tourists being detained at the border.

“If I were in the same situation now (as I was in 1975) and I had to go live somewhere, it wouldn’t be the US, because right now it’s not a democracy,” she says.

When talking about American politics, Navratilova’s frustration is palpable. She believes people haven’t realized that the situation is gradually getting worse.

The United States, she adds, “is definitely turning against immigrants.”

Transgender Women in Tennis

The decision to flee to the U.S. in 1975 was not an easy one, she recalls.

She says she had an “idyllic” childhood in Revnice, in what is now the Czech Republic, with a loving family that she had to leave behind.

“I didn’t know when or if I would see my parents again.”

But doing so changed the course of her life. At a press conference, Navratilova explained that she left Czechoslovakia because she wanted to become the world number one in tennis, and that “I couldn’t do it in my country under those circumstances.”

In fact, she went on to be number one in both women’s singles for 332 weeks and women’s doubles for a record 237 weeks. Today she is considered one of the best tennis players in the world. Navratilova has dual nationality, American and Czech, and continues to live in the US with her wife, model Julia Lemigova. Is she worried that, in the current political climate, she could lose her own nationality? “Right now everything is up in the air, and that’s what it’s all about. Everyone is walking on eggshells, not knowing what’s going to happen.” However, there is one extremely divisive issue where she has previously said she agrees with President Trump: the participation of transgender women in sport. Navratilova firmly believes that the inclusion of transgender women in women’s tennis is “a mistake.” She says she disagrees with the current World Tennis Association (WTA) rules, which state that transgender women can participate in women’s matches if they provide a written and signed declaration. that they are women or non-binary, that their testosterone levels have been below a certain threshold for two years, and that they are maintaining those testosterone levels. Navratilova believes trans women have biological advantages in women's sport, a much-debated belief. “There shouldn't be ostracism or harassment,” she says, “but male bodies have to play in male sports. They can still compete. Trans women are not banned from sport. They just have to compete in the right category, which is men's. It's that simple.” She adds: “By including male bodies in the women's tournament, now someone doesn't get into the tournament: a woman doesn't get into the tournament because a man has now taken her place.” Asked by the BBC if we should “spend a bit more time being understanding” of trans people, Navratilova replied: “Very understanding, but that doesn't entitle them to gender-based female spaces.”

Her Cancer Battle

Navratilova has been open about her battle with cancer for the past 15 years.

She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010, at age 52. Thirteen years later, the cancer returned, along with a second, unrelated cancer in her throat.

“When I found out, I was like this,” Navratilova says, slapping her face with her hands, as if shocked by something. “And I was like, ‘Oh, This lymph node is a little bit bigger. And a couple of weeks later, it’s still bigger.”

After a scan, doctors also detected the second cancer in her breast.

“We got the results and it was cancer,” she says. “And I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m going to die.’”

Although she says the treatment was “hell,” she now feels “really good.”

“Knock on wood, everything is fine and there are no side effects at all – apart from red wine still not tasting good, so I’ve switched to tequila and vodka,” she laughs. “I’m lucky. The treatment was hell, but what came after has been great.”

Has cancer changed Navratilova at all?

“Cancer taught me to really appreciate every day, which I was already doing quite a lot of anyway,” she says. “But above all, not to worry about the small things. They can be fixed.”