The Australian Open-Margaret Court Drama
The first Grand Slam on the tennis calendar had to deal with some more controversy in 2019, from a now-familiar culprit—one who still has her name on an Australian Open arena. Margaret Court, the 24-time Grand Slam champ (all-time record), has not been to the event in Melbourne since 2017, following her comments about same-sex marriage. However, she was back in the news in November, frustrated that Tennis Australia has not announced plans to recognize her grand slam 50th anniversary in the same way fellow Australian tennis star, Rod Laver, received last year. While both parties square off and “the attend or not attend” war carries on, the news has reignited—and to some, introduced—the issue of equality and inclusion to many tennis fans and sports in general.