Andy Murray Joins Tennis Players Calling for Removal of Margaret Court's Name from Australian Arena
Karl Bridgeman/Getty; Morgan Hancock/Getty Andy Murray, Margaret Court
Andy Murray is the latest professional tennis player to call for the removal of Margaret Court's name from the arena at Melbourne Park due to her anti-LGBTQ+ stance.
Murray, a three-time Gland Slam winner, told U.K. publication Pride Life in a recent interview that Court's name should be removed from the arena — which hosts the Australian Open — due to her beliefs not aligning "with what tennis stands for."
"When you get to the Australian Open you want to concentrate on the tennis. Court’s views detract from that," said Murray, 33.
"As far as renaming the venue ... yes, it's something the sport should consider," he added. "I don't know who makes the final decision on that but I don't think her values are what tennis stands for."
Court, a Christian minister who won 24 Grand Slam singles titles during her tennis career, has been criticized for her religious-based comments on homosexuality and transgender people.
"She has obviously offended and upset a lot of people over the years," Murray told Pride Life. "I think the players certainly have spoken up, which is a positive thing."
Ella Ling/BPI/REX/Shutterstock Andy Murray
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In January, Tennis Australia said that it disagreed with Court's "personal views" while holding a ceremony to mark the 50th anniversary of her 1970 calendar-year Grand Slam, Yahoo! Sports reported.
Tony Duffy/Allsport Margaret Court
At the time of Court's ceremony, Tennis greats Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe called for her name to be stripped from the stadium.
According to The Guardian, the pair unfurled a banner calling for Margaret Court Arena to be renamed after Evonne Goolagong, the three-time Australian Open winner.
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Navratilova, 63, and McEnroe, 61, were reprimanded for their actions, with the latter releasing a statement apologizing to Tennis Australia.
"Admittedly, I was never one to study the rule book carefully or, for that matter, even at times abide by the rules,” McEnroe said. "For that I apologize to Tennis Australia and recognize and appreciate the great job they have done to make the Australian Open a great event for the fans, players and myself."
“And will you now please take that gun out of my back," McEnroe added.
