Australian tennis legend Margaret Court declared herself honored by her promotion in the Order of Australia on Tuesday, a distinction that has sparked controversy for her excessive positions on apartheid or homosexuality.
The 78-year-old former tennis player continues to hold the absolute record for Grand Slam titles with 24 trophies. Turned into a Pentecostal pastor in Perth, Australia, she has come under fire for having praised the apartheid system in South Africa, declaring that tennis is “full of lesbians” or that transgender children are “the work of the devil.”
On Tuesday she was promoted to Companion of the Order of Australia, on the occasion of the national holiday, which has sparked much criticism.
Victoria’s State Prime Minister Daniel Andrews recalled his “scandalous” and “hurtful” views, while Clara Tuck Meng Soo, a lawyer committed to the LGBTQ cause, said she would return her Order of Australia medal.
“No, because I love representing my country,” Court responded to Australian radio 3AW, asked if she would renounce the distinction.
“I was appointed Officer of the Order of Australia for my involvement in the distribution of 75 tons of food in my neighborhood per week,” she explained, before adding that “now it is because of tennis, I think it has been a long time to arrive and I feel honored. “.
Serena Williams, who currently has 23 Grand Slam titles, will try in February at the Australian Open to match Court’s record.
For her part, the latter stated that she would not attend the tournament, in which a court bears her name.
“I have not been invited,” he said, adding that “I have not even thought about it, I have been very busy in my neighborhood with the coronavirus.”
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