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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 10: Martina Navratilova of United States of America and Cara Black of Zimbabwe (not pictured) in action during the Ladies Invitational Doubles against Mary Joe Fernandez of United States of America and Ai Sugiyama of Japan (not pictured) at The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club at Wimbledon on July 10, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 10: Martina Navratilova of United States of America and Cara Black of Zimbabwe (not pictured) in action during the Ladies Invitational Doubles against Mary Joe Fernandez of United States of America and Ai Sugiyama of Japan (not pictured) at The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club at Wimbledon on July 10, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Simon Bruty/Anychance/Getty Images)
Martina Navratilova, the Czech-American tennis veteran, recently shared her views on an important matter. The American Hall of Famer advocated for renaming the Margaret Court Arena, which hosts the Australian Open. Navratilova had criticized Court on several occasions for her archaic views on the LGBTQ+ community. What did she say now?
Margaret Court had publicly declared in 2017 that she would not fly with the Australian airline Qantas because it supports same-sex marriage, infuriating the LGBTQ community. Thus, many have wanted Court’s name to be removed from one of Melbourne Park’s most prestigious stadiums. With each passing year, the push has grown stronger.
Martina Navratilova shares her views on Margaret Court Arena on Twitter
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John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova unfurled a small banner reading “Evonne Goolagong Arena” at the 2020 Australian Open. The idea was simple, to name the court after Evonne Goolagong, the former Australian world number one player. Navratilova recently tweeted, ” It’s Evonne, what is not to love?:)”
It’s Evonne, what is not to love?:)
I have been saying that for years- change the Margaret Court Arena to Evonne Goolagong Arena. For obvious reasons…— Martina Navratilova (@Martina) December 17, 2022
Many tennis players from all over the world have condemned Court’s views over the years, like John McEnroe, who expressed his support for the name change. In the past, McEnroe has criticized the 24-time Grand Slam title winner as he expressed his desire for Serena Williams to break the Australian’s all-time record. He wanted to honor the first Native-Australian to win a Grand Slam.
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SHANGHAI, CHINA – OCTOBER 16: Tennis legend Martina Navratilova, speaks during the Australian Open Women In Focus Lunch at M on the Bud on October 16, 2015 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Hu Chengwei/Getty Images for Tennis Australia)
After her “Legends” doubles match, Navratilova climbed into the umpire’s chair to address the crowd. However, the television feed was interrupted while she was speaking.
Martina #Navratilova makes a statement about changing the name of #MargaretCourt Arena after her legends doubles match on that court. Tennis Australia cuts off the feed to @Eurosport. Let's share her message here.#AusOpen #AusOpen2020 #LGBT pic.twitter.com/ZdI92ZS6Za
— Kevin Chang 🌏⚖️ (@KevinCChang) January 28, 2020
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In the 2020 match, she unfurled a banner honoring Australia’s seven-time grand slam winner. Navratilova and McEnroe later paraded it around the court. The 59-time Grand Slam champion further added in her recent tweet, “I have been saying that for years- change the Margaret Court Arena to Evonne Goolagong Arena.”
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Navratilova has long criticized Court. Tensions between the tennis players rose when Court claimed in 1990 that Navratilova was a bad role model and that her open homosexuality sets a bad example for the younger generation.
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