King fires angry volley at old foe Court over gay views

When Margaret Court beat Billie Jean King in the women’s final at Wimbledon in 1970, it was a long, desperate battle that broke the record for the longest set in a Wimbledon final.

Later, a magnanimous Court would say of her American rival: ‘‘Billie Jean was the best I ever played against.’’

Nearly half a century later relations between the two women are not so cordial. On the eve of the Australian Open, King has called for the Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne to be renamed because of the Australian’s controversial and divisive views on gay marriage. King, a pioneer of the WTA tour, also said she would have refused to compete in the arena if she was still playing.

King, 74, spoke out at a media conference at Melbourne Park after being honoured by Tennis Australia as the Australian Open woman-ofthe-year for her ‘‘tireless work for equality’’.

Few, on the other hand, would be likely to honour Court, 75, for her work on equality. She was ordained as a Pentecostal minister and has criticised gay rights and threatened to boycott Qantas Airways for its support of same-sex marriage.

At the conference King was asked if the name of her former rival – who won 64 grand slam titles, including a record 24 in singles – should still adorn the second show court.

King did not hold back. ‘‘I think it’s really important if you’re going to have your name on anything that you’re hospitable, inclusive, open arms to everyone that comes,’’ she said.

‘‘It’s a public facility. I was fine until lately when she said so many derogatory things about my community – I’m a gay woman – and that really went deep in my heart and soul.

‘‘It’s really up to the people of Australia. I know this is a government park and you [Tennis Australia] are a tenant, so I know it’s not as easy as people think. I personally don’t think she should have her name [there] any more.

‘‘If you were talking about indigenous people, Jews or any other people, I can’t imagine the public would want somebody to have her name on something. We’re all God’s children, so I probably don’t think it’s appropriate to have her name.’’

Asked whether she have would boycotted the Margaret Court Arena if she had still been on the circuit, King said: ‘‘If I were playing today, I would not play on it.’’

Public comments from Court include claims that tennis is ‘‘full of lesbians’’ and homosexuality is ‘‘a lust of the flesh’’. She has also suggested that transgenderism is the work of the devil. The equivalent of Wimbledon’s No 1 court has carried Court’s name since 2003 and King revealed that she had originally lobbied for her rival to be honoured in this way.

‘‘I was really a proponent of trying to get her to have the best possible court and situation,’’ King said.

‘‘She won 64 grand slams, more than anybody else. I used to talk to the people in Australia when Rod Laver got the [main] arena, and I said, ‘What you going to do for Margaret?’

King – who has a stadium complex named after her at Flushing Meadows in New York – changed her stance over Court after her criticism of LGBT rights.

‘‘I have my name on the whole facility in the US,’’ King said.

‘‘I remember that day and how much responsibility.

‘‘Every time I see my name up there, I can hardly breathe because of the responsibility that goes with it.

‘‘I would welcome Margaret, I would welcome Pentecostalists, I would welcome whoever, whether I agree with them or not is not important. I just think she’s gotten really derogatory.

‘‘When she talked about children of transgenders being from the devil, that put me over the edge because we’re all God’s children, all the best we can be.

‘‘It took me until I was 51 to feel comfortable in my own skin. Shame-based things are very difficult so that’s the last thing we need.’’

Craig Tiley, the tournament director of the Australian Open, admitted there was ‘‘an ongoing conversation’’ about the renaming of the arena, but said it was only one of a number of stakeholders involved because the site is owned by the Melbourne and Olympic Parks Trust. ‘‘Margaret’s views are her views,’’ Tiley said. ‘‘They are not the views of our organisation and not the views of our sport. We’ve been consistent with our view, even to the point of contacting Margaret and telling her that.’’