Tennis legend Martina Navratilova served up some hard truths as she explained in a blistering new ad exactly why she is “pissed off as hell” about the state of America under Donald Trump, and also urged people not to sit on the sidelines and “keep protesting.”

“I defected from a totalitarian regime and like hell am I going to be cowed again and have to be careful about what I say,” said the Czechoslovakia-born sports icon, who famously defected to the United States in 1975 aged just 18, in a video released Wednesday by the conservative-led nonprofit Home of the Brave, which via its videos seeks to highlight the harm Trump is causing during his second term.

“I grew up in a communist country, Czechoslovakia,” continued the 18-time Grand Slam champion, who battled breast and throat cancer in 2023. “So I know what it looks like and feels like to live in a totalitarian regime where you cannot speak your mind, or worse yet, be put in prison for political opinions.”

“I’m so proud to be an American, but I’m embarrassed for what Trump is doing to our country,” she added. “I am pissed off as hell about people capitulating to Trump, whether it’s the legal firms, or schools, politicians or companies. We are too big to fail if we stand together, but divided we fall and that’s what Trump is counting on. Chaos, fear.”

“This was the freest country in the world when I defected in 1975. If this was the situation for me now, I would definitely not choose to live here,” said Navratilova, revealing her worry that complacency or fear means people don’t want to stand up against the current president.

“When you leave a totalitarian regime and you come to a freedom-loving country, of course you have to speak up. Speaking out is the actual patriotic thing to do when you see something wrong. Don’t be afraid. You can find ways to make a difference.”