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Margaret Court will be a "special guest" at next year's Australian Open, which will feature a celebration of her completing a Grand Slam 50 years ago.
Key points:
- A series of events are planned during the tournament to commemorate Court's 1970 Grand Slam
- Tennis Australia said the champion's off-court views did not align with its values
- Court said she was looking forward to the celebrations
In a statement announcing the arrangements, Tennis Australia distanced itself from Court's controversial views on homosexuality.
"Tennis Australia respects Margaret's unmatched tennis career and welcomes her to the Australian Open, particularly in this milestone anniversary year," its statement read.
"As often stated, Tennis Australia does not agree with Margaret's personal views, which have demeaned and hurt many in our community over a number of years.
"They do not align with our values of equality, diversity and inclusion."
Court won 24 grand-slam single titles in her career including the Australian Open, Wimbledon, French Open and US Open in 1970.
Only two other women have won those four titles in a calendar year: Maureen Connolly in 1953, and Steffi Graf in 1988.
To mark the 50th anniversary of her achievement, Tennis Australia said Court and her family and friends had been invited to next year's Australian Open as special guests.
In June, Tennis Australia spent a day with Court at her home in Perth, filming for a short documentary which will be released during the tournament.
Tennis Australia is also planning in-stadium entertainment celebrating Court's playing achievements.
Court looking forward to 'incredible milestone'
In a statement, Court said she was looking forward to celebrating the anniversary at the Open.
"This is an incredible milestone for me, and I can't quite believe how quickly the time has gone," Court said.
"It's always wonderful to catch up with my fellow legends and I'm grateful to Tennis Australia.
"Tennis is a wonderful sport and I'm proud to be part of the history of our great game."
Court's stance against same-sex couples
In recent years, the on-court achievements of Court, who is now a pastor at Victory Life Church in Perth, have been overshadowed by her views on social issues including her opposition to same-sex marriage.
She attracted fierce criticism from LGBTIQ allies in 2017 when she wrote an open letter stating she would boycott Qantas over its support of same-sex marriage.
The 76-year-old wrote that she believed in the traditional definition of marriage as stated in the Bible and that the airline had left her "no option but to use other airlines [where] possible for my extensive travelling".
Earlier in 2013, she wrote a letter to the editor in a newspaper lamenting the birth of Australian tennis player Casey Dellacqua's child in a same-sex relationship.
"It is with sadness that I see that this baby has seemingly been deprived of a father," Court wrote.
During this year's Australian Open, Vogue magazine editor-in-chief Anna Wintour used a speech to call for the Margaret Court Arena to be renamed, echoing earlier calls including by fellow tennis greats Martina Navratilova and American tennis great Billie Jean King.
"It is inconsistent for the sport for Margaret Court's name to be on a stadium that does so much to bring all people together across their differences," she said.
"Intolerance has no place in tennis.
"Margaret Court was a champion on the court but a meeting point for players of all nations, preferences, and backgrounds should celebrate somebody who was a champion off the court as well."
Topics: tennis, sport, community-and-society, sexuality, marriage, religion-and-beliefs, christianity, melbourne-3000, vic
First posted