Tennis legend Margaret Court has given her critics an almighty serve, claiming she was discriminated against because of her controversial views on homosexuals, same-sex marriage and transgender athletes.
Now a Christian pastor, the 24-time tennis grand slam winner is bitterly disappointed over her treatment at the Australian Open last week, when she was not allowed to give a speech at a presentation in her honour.
Fellow tennis legend Rod Laver presented Court, 77, with a replica trophy to mark the 50th anniversary of her calendar-year grand slam in 1970 ahead of the fourth round blockbuster clash between Nick Kyrgios and Rafael Nadal.
A video tribute of her incredible career was also played on the big screens on Rod Laver Arena, but Court was banned from stepping up to the microphone saying a few words.
Margaret Court is disappointed she wasn’t allowed to say a few words when presented with a replica trophy to mark the 50th anniversary of her Australian Open grand slam win in 1970
‘I think they said they were going to honour me but not celebrate me because of my stance and my views on gay marriage and all of those areas, and I’ve got nothing against people,’ Court told Nine News.
‘From the tennis side they’ve pointed the finger at me and tried to discriminate in everything that I’ve done and I think that’s very sad.
‘I think they think because I’m a preacher, they think I’m going to preach the gospel.’
Tennis Australia said they flew Court and 20 family members from Perth to Melbourne, gave them 100 tickets and also held a celebratory lunch in her honour.
Court and her husband also attended the women’s final.
Tennis Australia claimed Court agreed to all the arrangements prior, including not having a chance to speak on centre court.
Margaret Court (pictured) is furious about how she was treated at the Australian Open
Court also slammed former champions Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe, who held an an-court protest calling for her name to be erased from Margaret Court Arena to be replaced with Evonne Goolagong.
The former greats later apologised for their actions.
‘I’d never go to another nation, whatever I thought of a person, I would never say, ‘Hey, you should take their name off a building, or off an arena, or a tennis centre.’ I would never do that,’ Court said.
‘I would never do that …I think that was very, very wrong.’
It comes after McEnroe released a video last month, where he condemned Court for her ‘offensive’ beliefs and described her as Tennis Australia’s ‘crazy aunt’.
‘I always got on quite well with John McEnroe. I always thought we got on and I’ve always respected him,’ Court said.
‘I feel sorry for him that he can’t separate one part of life to another.’
Court described Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe’s protest as ‘ very, very wrong’
Court has previously said she felt sad for children to be exposed to homosexuality through top tennis players such as retired Australian player Casey Dellacqua and Navratilova, who regarded Court as her childhood idol.
Court later apologised to the 18 grand slam winner and tried to arrange a face to face meeting with Navratilova while in Melbourne last week.
‘Just two of us on our own, I would like to speak to her and that didn’t happen,’ she said.
Court’s record of 24 grand slam titles remains intact with US champion Serena Williams unable to equal her record since her winning 23rd grand slam three years ago at the Australian Open.
Margaret Court (pictured at Wimbledon in 1972) won the Australian Open 11 times on home soil
Now a Christian pastor in Western Australia, Court sparked national outrage in 2017 when she penned a public letter urging Australians to vote against gay marriage ‘for the sake of Australia, our children, and our children’s children’.
She remains unapologetic for her strong anti-gay views.
‘I teach that marriage is between a man and a woman, that a child needs a mother and a father,’ she told Nine News.
‘God ordained it that way.’
Margaret Court (pictured in the 1960s) remains one of the greatest tennis players of all time