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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.

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Martina Navratilova shares her views on Margaret Court Arena on Twitter

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?:)” 

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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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.

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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.” 

READ MORE- 40 Years After Heated Rivalry, Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova Team Up on Brittney Griner Issue

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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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