In an exclusive interview with the Daily Telegraph newspaper, the Australian former player Margaret Court, winner of 24 Slams, focused on the treatment reserved to her by the tennis world after her retirement, after some shocking statements made against the LGBT world and against the gender diversity.
She told: “I was in Wimbledon this year and hardly anyone spoke to me. I thought: Ah, interesting. It’s very sad, because a lot of press and television today, especially in tennis, don’t want to mention my name.
And if they do it it’s only because they have to, because I still hold so many records.In 2020, I was supposed to come to Wimbledon for the 50th anniversary of the Grand Slam. But then Covid arrived. The French Open didn’t invite me, the US Open didn’t invite me.
I haven’t lost sleep on it. I am still being bullied by LGBT groups. Even when I help the poor, some companies are not allowed to give things to my church because of my name. We should be able to say what we believe.”
The controversial words of Margaret Court
Margaret Court, the player with the most career Grand Slam tournaments, has received several criticisms in recent years for expressing drastic views on gender diversity and the LGBT issue.
The former Australian champion has stood firmly against the LGBT community, which she strongly opposed at the time of the referendum on same gender marriage. The Albury native, in one of her interviews, made a clear reference to Martina Navratilova defining women’s tennis as a sport ruined by lesbians.
Navratilova was one of the first athletes to come out. For all these reasons and despite her successes on the court, Margaret Court has never found great consideration from the world of tennis. Her name was often mentioned only in reaction to Serena Williams’ possible Grand Slam record.
