Australian Open 2018: Laura Robson suggests renaming Margaret Court Arena
- Published
Laura Robson (above) and American Coco Vandeweghe were knocked out of the Australian Open women's doubles in the first round
Britain's Laura Robson has suggested that Margaret Court Arena at the Australian Open should be renamed.
Margaret Court, whose 24 Grand Slam singles titles is a record, opposes same-sex marriage.
The 75-year-old is an 11-time winner of the Australian Open, but fellow legend Billie Jean King has said the stadium in Melbourne should be renamed.
"It's a tough one because she achieved so much. I would kind of lean towards renaming it," said 23-year-old Robson.
"But if someone is being asked to play on that court and they don't maybe feel comfortable, or people in the crowd feel a little awkward about sitting on there, then people need to have more of a think about it and decide what is best going forward."
Margaret Court won 11 Australian Open singles titles
Robson and American Coco Vandeweghe were knocked out of the women's doubles in the first round with a 7-6 (7-3) 6-4 defeat by Hao-Ching Chan and Katarina Srebotnik.
Robson, ranked 228 in the world, wore a rainbow hair band in the 2012 Australia Open in support of equal rights.
A ball boy from that match messaged Robson on Twitter this week to say how much her stance meant to him.
"It just seemed like a nice thing to do at the time," said Robson. "I didn't think too much about it before I went on court.
"It's so nice, so many years later that someone reaches out to you and says 'that actually made a difference'."
- Published18 January 2018
- Published1 February 2018
