In a video clip released Sunday, John
McEnroe takes a swipe at tennis great Margaret Court's opposition to
LGBT rights.
Seventy-four-year-old tennis great
Court, now a Christian pastor, late last month announced a boycott of
Qantas over its support for marriage equality in Australia.
Court defended her views during an
interview last week with a Christian radio station and went on to say
that “tennis is full of lesbians” and transgender people are
influenced by the devil. Tennis legend Navratilova, who is openly
gay, responded by calling on tennis officials to rename the arena
that bears her name at Melbourne Park, home to the Australian Open.
(Related: Margaret
Court says transgender people influenced by the Devil, Tennis full of
lesbians.)
In the 3-minute video, McEnroe, often
rated among the greatest tennis players of all time, reiterates his
support for marriage equality – “I actually don't see any reason
why we shouldn't give them the right to be as miserable as everyone
else” – before offering his opinion on whether to rename Margaret
Court Arena.
“Keep the name,” McEnroe said.
“And when same-sex marriage becomes legal in Australia I will
personally call my good friend Elton John to host the biggest
same-sex mass marriage ceremony ever seen in Margaret Court Arena.”
“Margaret, that's just the kind of
guy I am,” he added.