Calls Erupt To Rename Margaret Court Arena After Ash Barty Following Her Retirement

Calls to rename Margaret Court Arena have once again ignited and this time people reckon the iconic landmark should have Ash Barty's name on it.

Aussie sporting heroes have been singing the praises of the 25-year-old world number one female player after she announced she was quitting tennis while at the top of her game.

Tennis legend Todd Woodbridge, netball champion Bianca Chatfield, and former tennis ace Pat Rafter have all praised Barty's decision, with Rafter saying Barty should be awarded Australian of the Year.

But there are plenty more people who reckon Barty's legacy should be immortalised at Melbourne Park.

One person on Twitter wrote: Can we rename the homophobic Margaret Court Arena to the Ash Barty Arena. What a legend!"

Another added: "Suddenly feels like the perfect time to rename Margaret Court Arena? Ash Barty Arena has a great ring to it."

A third said: "There's nothing Australian's would agree on more than changing the name of Margaret Court Arena to Ash Barty Arena!"

This isn't the first time people have called for the renaming of Margaret Court Arena.

Many believe the tennis icon's name should be removed from the arena after the tennis icon shared her incredibly controversial anti-LGBTIQ+ views.

Tennis world number one Ash Barty.

While some want the controversial tennis legend's name to be dumped from the court in favour of Barty, Sheedy disagreed.

"Margaret Court Arena deserves to be that, it shouldn't change,'' he explained to the Herald Sun..

Others, including Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, have said it was not fair to Barty to launch a debate over the possibility of renaming Margaret Court Arena in her honour.

The Victorian Premier said he was open to commemorating the tennis star, but it would be up to the 25-year-old herself and Tennis Australia on how to celebrate her achievements.

"I'm not sure that she necessarily wants a stadium named after her. That'll be driven by her," he said.

Corleve / Alamy Stock Photo

"I reckon she might be much more interested in ... promoting the next generation of young tennis players to come through rather than naming stadiums after herself."

He added that her 'wonderful career' should remain the sole focus of her retirement.

"The naming of that stadium has been quite controversial. Let's not take away from what is a celebration of an amazing tennis career by plunging headfirst into that debate," Andrews said.

"I don't think that we do her justice by diving into (that). That's a separate issue. That's not fair on a wonderful career that we should celebrate. Let's not dredge up that other debate that's pretty controversial."

Some of the suggestions to honour Barty have included naming a show court at Melbourne Park after her, a scholarship, a tennis award, or a boulevard by the MCG.

Topics: Australia