Ever since the Venezuelan government declared a state of emergency following the removal of president Nicolas Maduro by the United States, tensions between the two nations have taken center stage. Now, as tensions continue to escalate, tennis legend Martina Navratilova has weighed in with a blunt response to the unfolding situation.

On January 4, Navratilova stirred the internet after she reacted to a post on X by journalist Lauren Windsor. The post read, “Any American oil company that expropriates oil from Venezuela should be sanctioned by the International Criminal Court.”

And it received Martina Navratilova’s quick approval with just two words, “love it.”

For context, Venezuela isn’t just another oil-rich nation—it’s awash in black gold. Roughly twice the size of California, the country holds the world’s largest oil reserves, estimated at nearly 300 billion barrels.

That’s about 20% of the planet’s supply and almost four times more than the United States. With stakes that high, Venezuela remains deeply entangled in big-power politics. Joining the discussion, Navratilova didn’t hold back.

Soon after her initial remarks, she weighed in again. This time reacting to the U.S. operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela until a power transition was complete. That remark sparked another searing rebuttal online.

“Holding a country hostage while pillaging its natural resources. Next stop- either Greenland or Nigeria,” Navratilova fired back after reading a thread mentioning visits from Wall Street executives in the finance, energy, and defense sectors following the strikes.

While she stood firm on her stance, the backlash came fast. Some told her to “stick to tennis.” But it’s not about to stop the WTA legend, who often talks about politics regardless of backlash and aligns with conservative figures like Riley Gaines, from speaking her mind.

And on the tennis front, the former pro has also been outspoken about a step taken by the WTA World No. 1 ahead of her exhibition match at the Battle of the Sexes.

Martina Navratilova backs Aryna Sabalenka on her stance

Ahead of the Dubai event, things took an interesting turn online. On X, Piers Uncensored dropped a clip stirring up the ongoing debate about trans athletes in women’s sports. Piers Morgan brought up Navratilova’s stand on the issue, then turned to the world No. 1 with a direct question: did Aryna Sabalenka agree that trans women shouldn’t compete in WTA events?

“That’s a tricky question,” Sabalenka admitted with a nervous smile. She was quick to point out that she had nothing personal against transgender women, but as she explained further, her stance became clearer.

Under the current WTA rules, trans women can compete if they have identified as female for at least four years and meet strict testosterone and testing requirements. Still, Sabalenka made it known that she wasn’t convinced by those conditions.

She said she believes transgender athletes retain a “huge advantage” over biological women: “I feel like they still got a huge advantage over the women, and I think it’s not fair on women to face basically biological men.”

“For me, I don’t agree with this kind of stuff in sport,” she concluded.

Martina Navratilova didn’t take long to show her approval. The 18-time Grand Slam legend reposted the clip on X and wrote just three simple words: “Thank you, Aryna!”

The conversation brought back memories of 2019, when Piers Morgan grilled Navratilova about the same subject. She had said then, “In sports, biology matters. And it’s just not fair to have to compete against biological males, no matter how long they have been doing the hormone therapy.” A few years later, the baton of that belief now seems firmly in Sabalenka’s hands.

Now, she’s opening up about the Venezuela debate and standing firm on her thoughts. What’s your take on this? Share it in the comments below!