Saw this on the Advocate web site - apparently Margaret Court has come out (all puns intended) in support of El Senor Dokic's comments regarding lesbians in women's tennis.

The Advocate states:

Of course her comments are not as harsh as Garrison Hearst or Mr. Shockley - but the woman runs a ministry to change people? Give me a break (is she that bitter that people remember Billy Jean more than they remember her?)

Advocate - Daily News

Not to mention that she was fairly butch too. I think she's repressing. Though we shouldn't pretend that there aren't a lot of lesbians on the tour, but of course, so what? would be the reply to it.

The ironic thing is that all this hubbub is over a player who is obviously straight. That's the funny part.

It is bizarre. Maybe she's *projecting*? Court was a great player, but she's obviously projecting.

From that era, I always like Evonne Goolagong Cawley, Chrissy, Tracy Austin, and especially Martina better, though.

(BTW, would Mary Carillo and Pam Shriver be two of the lesbians active in those years on the tour?)

I am not sticking-up for Margaret Court! However she was indeed a great player! 66 Grand Slam titles, 24 in singles, the 1st Woman to hit a serve at 100+ MPH (note w/ a wooden racket) she deserves her place in history, but has been just about blacked-balled over her comments about Navratilova! What ever you wanna say about her Margaret Court was a gr8 player! If not the best! Yes she won 11 Austrillian Opens, that is less than 1/2 of her over-all singles titles. She won a Grand Slam and almost did a few other times! What ever she says shouldn't tarnish her accomplishments! Martina Navratilova made some very harsh statements when Magic Johnson announced he had AIDS, but they are forgotten! I don't care how many WTA players are lesbians and nobody else should! As fans we should acknowledge the accomplishments and leave the politics alone!

Hi, fantomas - Carillo is married and has several children, Shriver is a widow. I'm sure others will insist they know otherwise, but by all outward appearances both women are straight.

It would be easy to leave the politics aside if Court weren't trying to "change" people; an obviously screwed up mission. No one's doubting her career statistics but as an active anti-lesbian, she deserves all the flack that she gets and more.

What exactly did Martina N. say about Magic Johnson?

Pardon me, but I believe that words of this sort are much harsher than anything Hearst or Shockey have said.

Whatever their true feelings, Hearst's & Shockey's remarks could be dismissed as unrehearsed expressions of ignorance. Whereas in the case of Margaret Court, her words are deliberate expression of religious/ideological opposition to considering us as people like everyone else. Her remarks were no mere expression of reflexive lockerroom homophobia. She apparently has no idea what it is to be lesbian yet feels justified in pronouncing moral judgments against us all. Hearst, Shockey & John Rocker I can laugh off; statements like hers make my blood boil.

Ignorance is bad. Self-righteousness is far worse.

Navratilova stated that it is ok for Magic to say he has the HIV virus, and everybody has sympathy for him, but if a women athlete came out saying she had HIV the fans would say: "The slut deserves it" or something along those lines!

I think a lot of stupid people would say that about a woman athlete. If that's what Martina said, I have no problem with it.

[ December 20, 2002: Message edited by: Joe in Philly ]

Despite Court's accomplishments, what she will be best remembered for was bringing utter disgrace upon the women's game in her fiasco against the aging Bobby Riggs. It took the "unnatural" Billie Jean King to undo the blight Court left upon women's tennis, by showing that not all women athletes were weak-hearted spastics. Court's "ministry" is just one more blight.

Pam Shriver is currently married to the 2nd James Bond actor. Whe hosts a fairly successful tennis tournament here in Maryland, Brady Anderson often plays. ChevyChaseTennisclassic.com I think. She is not a widow.

Court's remarks are ridiculous, but I do think quentinc's judgement on her legacy is absurdly harsh. Court was inarguably the greatest player of her era. The Riggs match was embarrassing, but I think most people remember Court as the all-time slam-titles holder, not the loser of an exhibition match.

Lakersdabomb, was she really clocked at 100 mph? I realize she was tall, and don't doubt that her serve was harder than anybody else's, but hardly any men served that hard with a wooden racket.

Hi, shore - If Shriver has remarried I say good for her. However, she is, indeed the widow of Joe Shapiro, who died in 1999. A link:

Shriver's memories

Margaret Court served over 100 mph I am sure of it! I read it in World Tennis magazine, back in the 70's (I'll go to my Dads and look for the issue this Christmas) I think Virgina Wade was the only other female to reach 90 mph! I believe Roscoe Tanner was the men's champion that year as well! BTW all the nonsence about the Riggs match, who really cares? The thing that pisses me off is the WTA barely acknowledges Courts accomplishments, one site even seperates her championships as Margaret Smith, as opposed to Margaret Court! Yet Billie Jean King's accomplishments are included with Billie Jean Moffit's, Kerry Reid gets credit for her victories as Kerry Melville etc...

I say if Pam wants to marry men significantly older than her who are ill or just way older, as George Lazenby also is I believe, then that's up to her. She tries so hard to fit in to the Republican conservative lifestyle, according to her, or at least she said that is how she sees herself, so maybe being married is part of that, or maybe that's just her taste. Either way, hilarious forehand she had, hilarious hair, but I'll hand it to her, I think she is getting prettier every year, growing into her looks and figuring out what works for her. Her commentary isn't too bad either. Repetitive, but most of them are.

Court has long been a conservative Christian -- criticizing King for admitting to an abortion -- but as most posts have said, she was easily the player of her era and is probably the only one who could fit in today's game if HG Well's lent her his time machine. Navratilova's comments about Magic Johnson were right on -- she did not criticize him, she attacked the attitude many would have had if he had said he got it from gay sex (which in my opinion, he probably did). Court has been "iced out" by women sports historians because of her conservative opinions. She did not even support equal pay for the women players even though she, of course, benefited from King's work.

Chris Evert didn't support equal pay either!

Evert did not support equal pay for the female players when she was young. She was, however, supportive of the planned boycott of Wimbledon by the female players (not sure of the year) even though her father was greatly opposed to her taking part in it. Wade was another who didn't support the equal pay issue. Even though I have disagreed with Evert on alot of her opinions (big Bush supporter), I have always admired her integrity.

We've discussed it before, but both King and Navratilova have gone on record saying that Margaret Court could compete in the modern game. She had a huge serve and big reach at the net.

A funny thing from the Open a couple of years ago. I watched Martina play in the mixed doubles. She was serving about 60 ml/hr. Then I watched Virginia the next morning. She was serving at about 75. I know Martina has picked it up some since then.