"She chose freedom, to live life on her own terms" - Chris Evert hails Martina Navratilova's decision to defect from Czechoslovakia as teenager

Chris Evert has hailed fellow American icon Martina Navratilova on her decision to defect from erstwhile Czechoslovakia as a teenager in 1975, marveling at the courage she exhibiting in doing so.

Navratilova was awarded the silver medal by the President of the Senate of the Czech Republic last week, recognising her "outstanding achievements" in tennis as well as the courage she exhibited in being herself.

Upper house chief Milos Vystrcil, who presented the honor to the 18-time Grand Slam champion, took to social media to congratulate her, praising Martina Navratilova for breaking out of the "cage" and gaining her freedom:

"We lived in a cage, and you had the strength and courage to break that cage and fly out of it," he said. "You gained your freedom and became the best tennis player in the world. And you suffered and your family suffered. But you stuck to your guns. Sometimes, you have to suffer when you get your way. We should remember that."

Reflecting on the same, Evert highlighted the fear and pain Navratilova and her family must have gone through before moving to the States. Eventually, Navratillova chose freedom and to live life on her own terms -- a decision Evert respected.

"Martina’s defection was courageous, especially at such a young age. We forget about the fear and pain she and her family had to go through. This was not an easy decision for her. She chose freedom, to live life on her own terms…huge respect," Evert tweeted.

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"Martina Navratilova was one of the first people I told about my cancer" - Chris Evert

BNP Paribas WTA Finals: Singapore 2016 - Day Seven

In a recent essay where she reminisced about her cancer survival, Chris Evert said that Martina Navratilova was one of the first people informed about the diagnosis. Interestingly, it was true the other way as well, as Evert was one of the first people to know when Navratilova was stricken with cancer.

Chris Evert recalled how they were both in tears when they got to know they got cancer at the same time, revealing that they texted each other a lot at the time and became closer as a result of the shared experience.

"Martina Navratilova was one of the first people I told about my cancer, and I think I was one of the first people she told when she was diagnosed with cancer," Chris Evert said.

"It's just ironic that both of us experienced that at the same time. We had tears over it, and we visited each other. We text each other a lot, and we have gotten closer as a result. I'm looking forward to seeing her in Paris as well," she added.