Australian Open: Martina Navratilova apologises over Margaret Court banner stunt

Martina Navratilova says she’s sorry for breaking Australian Open security protocols during a public protest against Margaret Court.

Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe protest for Margaret Court Arena to be renamed in honour of Evonne Goolagong. Source: Twitter

Martina Navratilova has apologised for breaking Australian Open security protocols during a public protest where she called for Margaret Court Arena to be renamed in honour of Evonne Goolagong.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame member said that while she stood by her statement regarding Court and the impact her views have had on members of the LGBTIQ community, it was clear she had broken tournament guidelines in place for security reasons.

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“I got in trouble. I am sorry. I broke protocol. I had no idea there was this kind of protocol,” she told the Tennis Channel.

“Had I known, I would have done it differently. I would have still tried to make my statement which is that you name buildings after not what people did on the court but also off the court, the whole body of work.

“I said my piece. You can see my whole statement. I stand by that. But I apologise about breaking protocol. I did not need to do that.”

It is not the first time Navratilova has called on authorities in Australia to change the name of the stadium, having done so initially in 2017.

She took the opportunity after playing a legends doubles match on the court to climb into the stand to make a statement to the few fans watching the match.

Fellow American legend John McEnroe then joined her on the court, where she unveiled a banner she had made in her hotel room in Melbourne that read “Evonne Goolagong Arena”.

Tennis Australia released a statement on Tuesday night stating it was investigating a protocol breach by “two high-profile guests”.

The statement said the tournament embraced “diversity, inclusion and the right for people to have a view, as well as their right to voice that view”.

“But the Australian Open has regulations and protocols with respect to how any fan, player or guest can use our facility, the event and the global stage it provides. This is to ensure the integrity of the event,” it read. “Two high-profile guests have breached these protocols and we are working through this with them.”

In a letter published on Tennis.com, Navratilova said the views of the 24-time major winner were extremely hurtful to people with the LGBT community.

The 18-time major champion said that while it was understandable venues were named after sporting legends, generally those athletes were on the “right side of history”.

“But Margaret Court does not belong in that company or category,” she wrote.