Margaret Court lashes critics, opens door to her charity

Tennis superstar Margaret Court has lashed out her critics saying ‘they don’t know the real me’ – a charity operator who feeds and clothes hundreds of needy people a week. 

The former world no.1, now a Western Australian evangelical pastor, 75, is adored by her Perth congregation but is abhorred by critics for her outspoken views on sexuality and gender issues.

Her former competitor Billie Jean King called for Court’s name to be stripped from Margaret Court Arena about a week ago.

But former Labor politician Mark Latham has said Court should be ‘Australian of the Year’ for her lesser known charity issues.

In an emotional interview where she flung open the door of her community outreach centre, Court told Daily Mail Australia she had been ‘persecuted’ in the marriage debate and reflected upon her personal story.

‘I’m going to start crying – I came from nothing,’ she said.   

‘Our family had nothing. We didn’t own our own home. We didn’t have a car.

‘But I lived across the road from 24 grass courts …

‘If somebody’s good at something, you can help them.’ 

‘I came from nothing’, Court said. Her humble beginnings inspired her to found Margaret Court Community Outreach in 1999. It serves food and supplies to the needy

To this day, Court (left at Wimbledon many years ago; right at her community outreach centre in Perth this week) holds the record number of singles titles for any woman

Clothes donated for the homeless at the Margaret Court Community Outreach centre

It was that and her well-documented Christian beliefs which led her to start her charity effort, now known as Margaret Court Community Outreach, in 1999.

It’s not well known outside her home state but Court’s workers and volunteers feed, clothes, helps and (unsurprisingly, prays for) about 500 people each week.

Three centres around Perth provide the needy with basic supplies like bread, milk, fruit and vegetables, as well as clothing and counselling. 

‘We had a young lady come in here who is a druggie with a baby down at community services,’ Court recalled. 

‘Today she is a policewoman in the community. We’ve helped lots of different people like that.’

Daily Mail Australia witnessed people pile into her centre for lunch on Thursday morning. 

Among the visitors included a transgender woman – an elderly lady irate about King’s attacks on Court.  

Court, with warehouse supervisor Bryam Serna and racks packed with donated clothes. Recipients ‘want to hug you, to say thank you,’ Mr Serna said

‘I wanted to be a part’: Pat Robertson (left) got help from the centre with food ‘quite awhile ago’ and now works at the centre 

AUSTRALIAN TENNIS PLAYER MARGARET COURT’S CAREER

Margaret Court is pictured at the height of her career

• Court first gained attention after winning 1960 Australian Open singles title
• The Australian tennis legend won the title for six consecutive years  
• Court won 24 single Grand Slam titles, 19 Grand Slam double titles and 21 mixed Doubles titles – a tennis record – throughout her career
• The record maker won 192 single titles before and after the Open Era 
• Court, nee Smith, retired from tennis to marry Barrymore Court in 1967 
• The 75-year-old made a quick return to tennis and won several double titles
• Court won Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open and French Open all in 1970, making her the second woman to do so 
• The Australian is the only player to win Grand Slam in doubles and singles
• Court is also the only woman to win the mixed double Grand Slam twice 
• The tennis star was female world number one in 1962-65, 1969-70 and 1973
• Not distracted after having her first child, Court went on to win a number of matches including the US Open in 1973
• The 75-year-old lost 106 singles games in her career and won 1177 – another record – with a winning rate of 91.74 per cent
• Court stood out with her powerful serves, volley and incredible endurance  
• Retiring from tennis in 1976, Court was put on International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1979

Court admitted was ‘disappointed’ and ‘surprised’ her friend Billie Jean King went public with her criticism. 

King said: ‘I was fine until lately, (but) she says so many derogatory things about my community.

‘When she talked about children of transgenders being from the devil, that put me over the edge …’ 

‘If you were talking about indigenous people, Jews or any other people, I can’t imagine the public would want somebody to have their name on something.’

Court claimed: ‘I never said that. Somebody who phoned in (to a radio interview) said that and I got blamed for it’. 

In the interview with Vision Radio last year, Court spoke about children thinking about their gender identities.

She said: ‘You can think, ‘I’m a boy’ and it’ll affect your emotions and feelings and everything else. That’s all the devil.   

‘That’s what Hitler did and that’s what communism did, got the minds of the children.

‘It’s a whole plot in our nation and in the nations of the world to get the minds of children.’ 

Billie Jean King (left) and Court were the world’s top women’s tennis players – and are friends – but that didn’t stop King from calling for Court’s name to be removed from her arena

Court said she does not hate gay people and pointed out she had gay men ‘who do our flowers’ at her Victory Life Church.  

‘People think you hate them and you don’t and they know. 

‘One (florist) said “if you come over to the tennis I’d be the first to walk in with you,” she claimed.   

Court said she believed there wasn’t enough ‘honour’ in society. 

‘I think we’re not here to pull everybody down and tear them apart. ‘

‘I think that’s very sad that’s come into the press, it’s very sad its come into our political (world).

‘We don’t honour or respect anybody anymore’.

INTERVIEW: TENNIS LEGEND MARGARET COURT SPEAKS ON… 

US tennis legend Billie Jean King called for Margaret Court’s name to be stripped from the arena at the Melbourne Park  

Billie Jean King calling for Margaret Court Arena’s name to be changed: ‘I’m very surprised she came out with that to others. 

‘I’m disappointed in that.

‘I had no intentions of going (to the Open) even before that … 

‘I have nothing against her and her lifestyle, that’s her choice.’

Staying away from this year’s Australian Open: ‘I had a retreat on! I don’t get invited every year. 

‘People think you go every year. I don’t go every year.

‘The only time I ever get to see grandchildren or anything is the school holidays. 

‘We had a day with all our executives and we timed it (for January) because this is not a real busy time.’

Maria Sharapova: ‘I thought they were very hard on her (over her failed drug test). All of a sudden you’re illegalising things that used to be legal.

‘I’ve stuck up for her. I don’t think she deserved that, because it had been legal and all of a sudden it became illegal.’

Bernard Tomic, who crashed out of the Australian Open qualifiers: ‘My heart goes out to him’.

Court speaks with a mother who came to the centre to take away a cart of fresh food 

Court said she was often called names in the press – but said there was a ‘real side’ to her that was rarely seen.

‘They don’t know me. They don’t know the true me. And I think that’s important.

‘I’ve always helped people – even when I played tennis.

‘I see people with a backhand not working and struggling and I go and help them’.