Tennis Australia to keep Serena well away from Court
Tournament organisers are set to avoid awkwardness of biblical proportions at any formal trophy ceremony involving Margaret Court and Serena Williams.
Tennis Australia is set to avoid awkwardness of biblical proportions by keeping Margaret Court away from the trophy presentation at the Australian Open. A formal ceremony involving Court and Serena Williams has loomed as the biggest clash of religious personalities since Mary and Martha — but it’s understood TA will put Court on a seat in the grandstand rather than position her on the podium at Melbourne Park.
Williams is a poster girl to Billie-Jean King, Martina Navratilova and the rest of the anti-Court brigade, and she’s rather anti-Court herself. She’s as headstrong as the West Australian pastor, who’s as headstrong as it gets, and so any interaction between them is fraught with consequences. In avoiding potential drama, TA cannot be accused of treating Court differently to Rod Laver. The men’s singles trophy last year was handed over by Ivan Lendl despite it being the 50th anniversary of Laver’s calendar-year grand slam; the same anniversary, of the same feat, being marked by Court and TA this year. The official line from the governing body is that it never announces trophy presenters until the tournament has begun, but multiple sources say Court will not be involved. TA’s use of Lendl has given them an out. Phew.
The Open is less than a fortnight away. Only a singles wildcard to Al Pacino can make it more dramatic. Fedal is the name given to the Roger Federer/Rafael Nadal phenomenon, but Novak Djokovic has gatecrashed their little love-in to the extent that he deserves a mention at the tail of their portmanteau. Fedalovic will be a belter. So, too, will be Nick Kyrgios versus his greatest foe, Nick Kyrgios. So, too, will be Ash Barty versus the sort of favouritism and expectation that has paralysed her mate Sam Stosur in the past. So, too, will be Alex Zverev versus an unfathomable case of the yips. Watching him hit second serves is like watching, over and again, the shower scene from Psycho. So, too, will be Alex de Minaur versus blokes with twice his size and power but only half his heart. So, too, will be Williams versus Margaret Court on the all-time majors tally. So, too, will be Court versus the world.
She is a strong woman who will never back down from expressing her beliefs. If she was a Wallabies fullback, Rugby Australia may have sacked her by now, or taken her name off the show court at Melbourne Park. And yet in tennis, with a collective gulp, they’re all being rather brave. Court is brave to go to the Open when there’s bound to be howls of angry protest. TA has been brave in meeting with her in Perth before agreeing to roll out the red carpet in Melbourne. On the prospect of her benchmark of 24 majors falling to Williams, who has 23, Court has said: “If she beats my record, she deserves it. I’m not going to lose any sleep over it.”
Williams will be motivated by the sight of Court at her matches. She takes a dim view of the hardline religious views. And she rolls her eyes at Court’s record, thinking too many of the 24 triumphs have come in the amateur era and/or substandard fields at the Australian Open. Williams is also a woman of God, a Jehovah’s Witness who says she won’t allow her daughter to celebrate birthdays, for instance, because that goes against her faith. After behaving deplorably in the 2009 US Open final, screaming profanities and threatening to shove a ball down a lineswoman’s throat, she had to meet with elder witnesses.
“They had to have a talk with me,” she said at the time. “And I knew it was coming. I just felt really bad, though, because it’s like, that’s not who I am. They just talk to you. They show you Scriptures. Not ministers, they call them elders. It’s almost like a reprimand, but it’s not bad, because in the Bible it says God loves you, and if someone reprimands you, they love you.”
Williams’ faith also regards homosexuality as a sin, but says homosexual individuals should not be ridiculed or harassed. In a perfect world, Court and Williams would get together in Melbourne. Because isn’t that a cornerstone of faith? The willingness to break bread? Don’t hold your breath. Court has said, “I don’t hate anyone.” King and Navratilova, for starters, are not inclined to return the favour. Before Williams’ US Open final last year, King has said: “She (Williams) gets nervous. The main thing is to not think about anything. Just play one ball at a time. But it would be great if she won this, and then went on to win the Australian, and actually broke the record in Australia. That’s my prayer.”
American Pam Shriver, doing the interview for ESPN, has said: “I understand why that’s your prayer.” When the match has begun inside the Billie Jean King National Tennis Centre, broadcaster Chris Fowler has said: “I don’t think Billie would mind having Serena just zoom right past Margaret Court’s record.” To which Chris Evert has added: “No, I don’t think so, either.”
Navratilova has accused Court of “hiding behind the Bible” and of being “pathetic … in every way.”
There hasn’t been this much angst in tennis since Lleyton Hewitt was playing Davis Cup against Argentina.
Williams played her first match of the year on Tuesday in Auckland. The 38-year-old beat Camila Giorgi 6-3 6-2.
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