Tennis Australia will ‘honour but not celebrate’ Margaret Court in 2020 according the the Sydney Morning Herald.
Earlier this week the former tennis player publicly demanded that the sport’s governing body show her the same level of attention as they did for champion tennis player Rod Laver earlier this year.
2020 will make 50 years since Margaret Court made history winning four grand slam titles in a single year. Since leaving the sport she has founded her own evangelical church and been an outspoken critic of homosexuality and transgender children.
“They brought Rod in from America,” Court told the Sydney Morning Herald earlier in the week. “If they think I’m just going to turn up, I don’t think that is right. I think I should be invited.
“I would hope they would pay my way to come like they paid for his and honour me. If they are not going to do that, I don’t really want to come.”
The sporting star previously said she was not fly on airlines because of their public support for same sex marriage, and complained that the sport of tennis had been overtaken by lesbians.
Former Tennis player John Alexander, who is know a politician in the Morrison government, said people needed to separate their views on Court’s religious views and her achievements in support. Alexander said Court had been vilified for her religious views which were once what the majority of people believed.
“You have got to celebrate her career,” Alexander told The Sydney Morning Herald. “Everything that she did as a tennis player should be celebrated.
“She is a preacher. She believes devoutly in what she says. What is popular and accepted these days may not be consistent with her views so she has been vilified. But to deprive her of any acknowledgement of what a great player she was is not right.”
OIP Staff
