Woodbridge: Aussie Open Will Not be Platform for Margaret Court's Personal Views
Australian tennis expert Todd Woodbridge says Margaret Court's achievements will be celebrated at the Australian Open on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of her completing the Grand Slam (all four majors in the same year) but the Slam will not be a platform for the tennis legend to express her views opposing same-sex marriages.
According to Brisbane Times, Woodbridge, one of the biggest names in doubles in the 1990s, says, "There are people that have tried to speak to her, to get that message across but it hasn't worked. She is a very strong-[willed] individual, she has been her entire career. She hasn't taken heed of that yet. But what this statement does is that it takes away her platform to use her tennis to drive her other views. That's hugely important. This separates them. You [Court] can take those views elsewhere, you can't use them here at the Australian Open."
On Saturday, Tennis Australia announced it would welcome Court to the tournament to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her Grand Slam, just like they had done for Rod Laver earlier this year.
Woodbridge said he hopes that the crowds would appreciate her achievements in tennis rather than her focus on her personal views. "She will be honored. Tennis Australia went over to her place in Perth and has done a lovely documentary on her tennis career, which will be played during the Australian Open. I would hope the crowd applaud her performances."
from Tennis World USA https://ift.tt/2qm5494
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