Tennis champion Margaret Court, who has had a tense relationship with the Australian Open on her views on sexuality and same-sex marriage over the years, says she was not invited to this year’s competition in a radio interview with 3AW.
The grand slam winner, who has won her home grand slam 11 times, said she would not have accepted the invitation if she had received it.
“I’m not coming to the Australian Open. No, I’m not invited,” Court told Australian radio station 3AW on Tuesday.
“With coronavirus, we were very busy with our community work. I never thought about it.”
CNN reached out to the editors of the Australian Open to ask why Court was not invited.
Court’s Controversial Viewpoints
While Court’s success in court was unparalleled – her 24 major titles are the most in tennis history – her views on LGBT society and opposition to same-sex marriage have been criticized.
A Pentecostal pastor in Western Australia, she has likened LGBTQ teaching in schools to the work of “the devil” and previously said tennis is “full of lesbians”.
“I’ve always said what the Bible says,” she said on Tuesday when quizzed about her views. “I don’t hate anybody. I love people, and I love gay people and transgender people, and we get them into our community services. We never turn anybody away.
“A lot has been said that I never really said, which I think was a painful part.
“I’ve been bullied a lot in the last few years, and I don’t mind. That’s alright. But if I say anything, then I’m a bigot and I’m everything else, and I don’t like that.”
At last year’s Australian Open event, she was invited by the tournament to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her competition victories ceremony but organizers say they do not agree with her “degrading” personal viewpoints.
Career Achievements
She won all four grand slams — the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon and the US Open — in 1970.
During last year’s Australian Open, tennis players Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe revolted against the Margaret Court Arena title in Melbourne.
Navratilova unfurled a banner reading “Evonne Goolagong Arena” in reference to Australia’s seven-time grand slam champion and paraded it around the court with McEnroe.
Goolagong, who wore 13 slam degrees, grew up in Barrellan’s wheat town in New South Wales, one of eight children. He was born into an Australian heritage, and the only such family in the city, the Goolagong children suffered discrimination, according to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Last week it was announced last week that Margaret Court would receive the Companion to the Order of Australia (AO) award, the country’s highest honor.
The decision to give Court the honor was however criticized, with Australian journalist Kerry O’Brien actually rejecting his Australian Day award to challenge the decision. Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews called the Court’s views “disgraceful and” painful. “
However, Court said she did not regret accepting the honor.
“No, because I loved representing my nation,” she said. “When I got the AO it was for my community reach area. We put out 75 tons of food a week. And this was for my tennis, and I think it was a long-time coming.
“I’m not the one who wanted it. I didn’t know I got it. I was very respected when I was told I was there. There wasn’t much debate about it, but there was a lot of other people working a great deal about it.”
Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles is unmatched in both the men’s and the women’s game. Serena Williams is second on the all-time list with 23, ahead of Steffi Graf’s 22.
Australia Day 2021 was marked on Tuesday.
