Margaret Court to discuss Grand Slam honours with Tennis Australia executives in Perth
It’s been 50 years since Margaret Court won the Grand Slam but the tennis legend says she will not attend celebrations unless she is feted like her male counterpart, Rod Laver. She is set to meet Tennis Australia executives this weekend.
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Margaret Court may learn as soon as this weekend if she will be feted at next year’s Australian Open when she meets with Tennis Australia executives in Perth.
“It’s been 50 years since I won the Grand Slam and I still hold more records than anybody,” the tennis legend turned Christian pastor said.
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest achievements in women’s sport.
“I won 64 altogether. I love my nation, I played for my nation, represented my nation. It was a huge part of my life. Back in the amateur days you didn’t do it for money, you did it because you played for your nation,” she said.
“I had a call from Tennis Australia today. I am going to the Federation Cup so we’re going to talk about it there.”
Mrs Court said she will not attend any celebrations unless she gets the same treatment as her male counterpart Rod Laver, who was honoured at this year’s Open for his 1969 Slam title.
However she was a vocal opponent of same-sex marriage during the 2017 survey and at the time there were calls to have her name removed from the Melbourne arena named in her honour.
High-profile tennis fans including US Vogue editor Anna Wintour even called for her to be banished from the sport.
Tennis legend Martina Navratilova, who is married to partner Julia Lemigova, Tweeted today she could not celebrate Court’s achievements.
“Nobody is erasing Margaret Courts legacy,” Navratilova wrote.
“Celebrating it is another thing altogether.
“I cannot celebrate someone who thinks I am less than. I cannot and will not.
“This is about human beings, not about political correctness.”
Nobody is erasing Margaret Courts legacy. Celebrating it is another thing altogether. I cannot celebrate someone who thinks I am less than. I cannot and will not. This is about human beings, not about political correctness.
— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) November 7, 2019
Mrs Court, who is still one of the greatest tennis players of all time, believes her personal views against gay marriage should not cloud her professional achievements.
“My beliefs and what I stand for is a different time, different season and this is very much a different season to when my career was,” she said.
“You’d hope that you would have that honour when you did so much for the game. I still go and talk to the young ones. I still watch tennis. I teach today about the mind and helping people and people overcoming cancer, sickness and disease. So you’re helping people and I feel I did a lot of that when I was playing tennis also.
“I did say what I said because I believe a marriage is a Bible way and I should be able to say that. A lot of attacks, things came at me and people don’t see the other side when you’re being persecuted and have horrible things said to you. I would never speak that way or say things that were said to me. I love them. I have them come into the church here. I have nothing against homosexual people but that was my beliefs on marriage.”
Tennis Australia would not comment on Court’s specific claims that she was being sidelined, except to reiterate the organisation’s statement from 2017.
“As a legend of her sport, we respect Margaret Court’s achievements in tennis and her unmatched playing record. Her personal views are her own, and do not align with Tennis Australia’s values of equality, inclusion and diversity,” a spokesperson said.
As well as being honoured for her contribution to the game at the official Federation Cup gala dinner in Perth on Thursday night, she will also be courtside at this weekend’s matches. However players and organisers would not be drawn into the fresh controversy.
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Australian Fed Cup captain Alicia Molik batted away questions about Mrs Court’s conduct on the eve of the tournament in Perth and refused to be drawn on the potential snubbing.
“It’s pretty off topic for our Fed Cup. We’ve worked so hard for this so we want to enjoy every minute and every second of the weekend,” Molik said.
“I read the article buy players are under the instructions to tick the ‘No Newspaper’ column when they check in at the hotel. Our focus remains the same. I don’t think anything out there or anything in the media, any particular headline can really distract us from what we’re trying to achieve this weekend. We’ve worked so hard and we will continue to work hard this weekend and that’s where we stand, as a team.”