Margaret Court has medals stolen in home break-in – after she was a no-show at Australian Open
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Controversial Australian tennis legend Margaret Court allegedly had her medals stolen during a break-in at her home after she failed to appear at the Australian Open.
- Two men were charged with trespassing
- Court was a notable absence from the Australian Open
- The tennis legend has created controversy with religious views
Two people have been charged after awards, medals and other valuables were stolen from the Western Australian home of controversial Australian tennis champion Margaret Court on Australia Day.
The Edgewater men, aged 33 and 34, have been charged with one count of aggravated burglary and committing and one count of burglary and are due to appear in Perth court next month.
The robbers allegedly stole awards and medals from Margaret and Barry Court during the raid. Image: Fiona Hamilton
“It will be alleged that at around 8pm, two men entered the premises through the main entrance gate,” Western Australia Police said in a statement.
Once inside, it will be further alleged that the defendant rummaged through the victim’s property and stole a number of items, including awards, medals, and jewelry.
“Several of the items were located in nearby bushes and gardens.”
Court holds the all-time record for singles Grand Slam championships in the Open era with 24 and has a show court named after him at Melbourne Park, which hosts the Australian Open.
However, Court has not been seen at the Australian Grand Slam in three years after calls by tennis greats Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe to rename Margaret Court Arena after Evonne Goolagong Cawley.
While Court hasn’t appeared at the Australian Open since 2020, she was a special guest at Wimbledon in 2022 (pictured with British champion Andy Murray and John Newcombe)
Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Ash Barty were guests at the 2023 Australian Open at Melbourne Park, but Court was nowhere to be seen.
The arena is named after Margaret Court. There has been a petition and considerable support from the tennis community to change the name to Evonne Goolagong Cawley.
The 80-year-old is a prominent Catholic voice and a prominent Perth-based Pentecostal movement.
He has previously made headlines for his views on same-sex marriage, previously describing gay marriage as a “trend.”
“I think there will be a price to pay in the future in the nation and people will see that it’s not about marriage,” he told the Herald Sun at the time.
‘There will be a genderless generation. My thing was that marriage is between a man and a woman.
Serena Williams kisses Margaret Court after her win against Lindsay Davenport during the 2005 Australian Open women’s final. The pair have also clashed over who is the greatest player of all time.
While the former champion was not present at the Australian Open, she did make an appearance at the Yarrawonga Lawn Tennis Club in the run-up, where she signed autographs for young fans at an All Stars Tennis Tournament.
Court is considered one of the sport’s all-time greats, having won 24 major individual titles and a phenomenal 64 major titles in total.
He retired from tennis in 1977.
Former champions Rod Laver, Evonne Goolagong, John Newcombe, Ken Rosewall and Ash Barty were all spotted at the Australian Open this year, but Court was absent.
Margaret Court of Australia holds up the Venus Rosewater Dish after defeating Billie Jean King of the United States at Wimbledon in 1970
She has not been seen at the Australian Open since she was the guest of honor in 2020 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of her ‘grand slam’ in 1970.
Tennis Australia introduced a Pride Day as part of the 2023 Australian Open to celebrate inclusivity, which included a Pride Hub and all-gender toilets at Melbourne Park.
On top of that, the Open also included a Glam Slam event to celebrate the LGBTI+ community from January 25-27.