Tom Elliott has a crack at John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova over their Australian Open protest

Tom Elliott has taken aim at John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova over their Australian Open protest aimed at Margaret Court.

And he says the pair of tennis greats would do well to consider their own past, with both McEnroe and Navratilova coming under fire over their own behaviour previously.

McEnroe and Navratilova courted controversy on Tuesday after they walked onto Margaret Court Arena with a sign reading “Evonne Goolagong Arena”.

It comes on the back of calls for Margaret Court’s name to be removed from the arena due to her opposition to same-sex marriage.

Tom Elliott said those views had nothing to do with the court being named after the most successful female player of all-time.

“I don’t know how many times I have to say this,” a frustrated Tom Elliott said on Wednesday.

“Margaret Court Arena is named Margaret Court Arena, after Margaret Court, because she was a great tennis player.

“Irrespective of her beliefs on gay marriage, or indeed any other popular topic of the day, will never change the fact that she was a fantastic tennis player.

“It is entirely appropriate, therefore, that the arena is named after her.

“We don’t name sporting arenas after people based on their views on modern day issues.

“We name them after people who have done great things in that particular sport.

“And no matter what John McEnroe, who is one of the worst behaved sports people you’ll ever encounter, or Martina Navratilova, who can’t quite  decide whether she’s for transgender people in tennis or not, no matter what they think – it will not change.”

McEnroe was famously disqualified and kicked out of the Australian Open in 1990 due to misconduct.

Navratilova, meanwhile, came under fierce scrutiny herself last year after she described the thought of playing against a transgender woman as “insane and cheating.”

She later apologised.

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