Tennis legend Court says she was treated unfairly at Australian Open

Margaret Court was invited to this year's Australian Open to mark the 50th anniversary of her 1970 career grand slam achievement when she won all four the of the grand slams in one calendar year. The 77-year-old is somewhat of a controversial figure in the tennis world due to her outspoken views.

So it sparked a lot of controversy when it was announced that she would be honoured. Tennis Australia distanced themselves from her views saying they are honouring her achievement not her as a person. The ceremony went ahead but she was denied the opportunity to speak to the public. In a recent interview she talked about the situation:

"They think because I’m a preacher I’m going to preach the gospel. There is a time to speak and a time to not. I think they (Tennis Australia) said they were going to honour me but not celebrate me because of my stance and my views on gay marriage and all those areas, which I’ve got nothing against people who are gay. From the tennis side of it, where they pointed the finger at me and tried to discriminate against everything that I’ve done."

Tennis Australia has since come out with a statement denying any hint of unfair treatment:

"TA covered the cost of flights, accommodation, breakfasts and executive club access, for the family, along with hospitality at the event, which included more than 100 tickets over the two weeks,” the statement said.

“Margaret agreed to all these arrangements … prior to her arrival in Melbourne. We are very disappointed to hear now of her complaints, none of which were expressed to us during her time at the Australian Open."

While the situation is calming down at the moment it sparked quite a row in a community that is usually not smeared with controversies often. Interesting times indeed.

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