John McEnroe says he doesn’t regret his protest against Margaret Court
Tennis commentator John McEnroe says he would be happy to sit down with Margaret Court and discuss her views.
It comes after McEnroe and fellow commentator Martina Navratilova apologized for breaking Australian Open protocol by protesting for the name of Margaret Court Arena to be changed.
The two commentators and former tennis stars oppose 24-time grand slam winner Court’s views on homosexuality and want the arena renamed after Evonne Goolagong.
McEnroe says he doesn’t regret the protest.
“I think it could’ve been done better and more effectively but in terms of regret? no,” he told 3AW’s Neil Mitchell.
But the tennis commentator said he would be happy to sit down and discuss Court’s views with her.
“I would absolutely be open to discussing it with her. I don’t know what that would do for either side, but she is a great tennis player and I don’t see why that would be a bad thing at all,” he said.
“She’s entitled to her view.
“I believe the government owns this land and it’s up to them to decide whether or not they think it’s appropriate, with all of these comments she’s made in the past … that she would continue to have her name on the arena.
“I think her comments about race in the past, her comments about homophobia … those are the types of comments that I find go over the line, when there’s people that are already quite marginalised.”
McEnroe says Tennis Australia never threatened to remove his accreditation over the protest.
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Tom Elliott has a crack at John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova over their Australian Open protest