Margaret Court returned to the Australian Open on Tuesday as she was seen in the stands of Rod Laver Arena, interrupting Novak Djokovic’s match when her phone rang. However, Tennis Australia reportedly had no knowledge of the former world No. 1’s presence. Court has been a polarising figure in the sport because of her homophobic views, prompting calls for the 81-year-old to be banned from the tournament and for the Margaret Court Arena to be renamed.
Court was back at the Australian Open on day 10 of the tournament following a four-year absence. Seated alongside her Barrymore as well as Rod Laver and Laver’s partner Susan, she watched Coco Gauff defeat Marta Kostyuk in a three-hour marathon match. Later, there were some early disruptions to Djokovic’s match against Taylor Fritz as a baby started crying and a phone went off, with Court said to be the one receiving a call in the stands.
But Tennis Australia did not officially announce that the 81-year-old would be on-site on day 10 of the tournament. And according to The Age, tournament bosses had no idea that Court would be attending – let alone sitting front row in the ‘Melbourne’ end of the main show court.
It was her first outing at the Australian Open since 2020, when tournament bosses marked the 50th anniversary of her Calendar Grand Slam with a special ceremony. The presentation caused controversy given Court’s anti-LGBTQ+ views, and it prompted Tennis Australia to issue a statement clarifying that her personal opinion did not align with their values.
“As often stated, Tennis Australia does not agree with Court’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,” they said at the time.
In 2020, Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley added: “Just to remind everyone that we are a sport that’s open for all, we are a sport that welcomes diversity, inclusivity and equality, and we’ve made that very clear to Margaret that that is our position. Her recognition is for her tennis achievements only.”
The second-biggest showcourt at Melbourne Park, Margaret Court Arena, is named after the 11-time former champion. Several high-profile figures and retired players have called on the tournament to rename the court to Evonne Goolagong Arena in recognition of the Australian tennis legend, who won the tournament on four occasions.
John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova held up a sign saying ‘Evonne Goolagong Arena’ during Court’s ceremonial year in 2020. Andy Murray backed the suggestion to strip Court’s name from the arena later that year, saying: “”I don’t know who makes the final decision on that but I don’t think her values are what tennis stands for.” And in 2019, Anna Wintour criticised Court during a speech at Melbourne Park, stating that “intolerance has no place in tennis.”
In 2017, Court said she would be boycotting Australian airline Qantas after they showed support for same-sex marriage. She then went on a Christian radio show, claiming that “tennis is full of lesbians” and transgender children are the work of “the devil.”
She has since scarcely appeared at the Australian Open, and hit out in 2021 when organisers did not invite her. Court has 24 Grand Slam singles titles to her name, making her the joint all-time record holder alongside Djokovic. However, 11 of these came after tennis entered the ‘Open Era’.
