Tennis is incompatible with bloc politics. Its stars are individualists with styles and temperaments as distinctive as those of ballet dancers. Most important, there are millions of dollars and oodles of glamour to be had on the international tour.
So it was no great surprise that in 1975 Czechoslovakia's Martina Navratilova jumped the fence to begin her independent quest for U.S. citizenship and a ranking as the world's No. 1 woman tennis player. As shaped by New York Times Sports Columnist George Vecsey, this appealing Reds-to-riches story is as impatiently direct as Navratilova's game. Points are made quickly, aggressively and with...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
