Margaret Court dubbed the “racist grandpa” of Australian tennis
Journalist Gideon Haigh has labelled Margaret Court the “racist grandpa” of Australian tennis after reports emerged that Tennis Australia plans to recognise but not celebrate the tennis great’s achievements.
Court won all four majors in a single calendar year in 1970 and ended her career with 24 grand slam singles titles, the most in history.
The former tennis player has called on the sport’s governing body to celebrate her 50th anniversary of grand slam winning year at next year’s Australian Open in the same way it honoured Rod Laver’s 1969 grand slam during this year’s tournament.
However, the 77-year-old has attracted controversy for voicing opposition against homosexuality and same-sex marriage and saying tennis is “full of lesbians”, prompting calls for her name to be removed from Melbourne Park’s Margaret Court Arena.
Court said she had not been invited by the sport’s chiefs to attend the coming Australian Open, which is set to take place from January 20.
“I think Tennis Australia should sit and talk with me,” Court told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. “They have never phoned me. Nobody has spoken to me directly about it. I think they would rather not confront it.”
Speaking on ABC’s Offsiders Sunday morning, Haigh said Court’s achievements should still be celebrated despite of her controversial views.
“Margaret Court is tennis’ racist grandpa at Christmas,” Haigh said. “She’s a bit embarrassing, but, you know, you still love your grandpa and it is Christmas.
“Court is a very great champion. She won more Grand Slams than [Rod] Laver; she’s been comparatively underrecognised too, because so has women’s sport.
“You might find her opinions antediluvian, but if we anathematised every great athlete who had unfortunate opinions, opinions that we disagree with or an unattractive personality, then we might not have too many left, frankly.”
Former Davis Cup champion and current government backbencher John Alexander also said Court’s legacy should not be dismissed.
“What is popular and accepted these days may not be consistent with her views so she has been vilified,” Alexander told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
“But to deprive her of any acknowledgement of what a great player she was is not right.
“If you go back to the time when Billie Jean King was openly gay and left her husband for a woman Margaret would have been seen with her Christian virtue as a pillar of society. She hasn’t changed, but now we totally accept the right of people to marry someone of the same sex. Margaret hasn’t changed, but the times have changed.”