Navratilova: 'I wouldn't have left home for Trump's America'

The tennis icon tells the BBC she doesn't think a Trump-led government would let her in.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveMartina Navratilova: 'I wouldn't have left home for Trump's America'3 days agoShareSaveAshitha NageshBBC News•@ashnageshShareSaveBBCNavratilova defected from communist Czechoslovakia 50 years ago because she had ambitions of becoming world number oneFifty years ago, Martina Navratilova left everything she knew in communist Czechoslovakia to start a new life in the US.

Then an 18-year-old high school pupil, she was one of the Cold War's most high-profile defectors - and she would go on to become one of tennis's most iconic players.

But speaking to the BBC's Amol Rajan, she says that she fears the US now "wouldn't let me in".

"I'm not loyal to [US President] Donald Trump," she says, adding that she worries the US has become a "totalitarian" state.

Since President Trump took office in January, his administration has carried out sweeping immigration raids, sparking protests in parts of the country. He has also instituted a travel ban for citizens from 12 countries, and there have been reports of tourists being detained at the border.