World number one Andy Murray has spoken out against Margaret Court's criticism of gay marriage, insisting that everyone "should have the same rights".
The Australian 24-time Grand Slam champion is now a Christian pastor and recently caused controversy by claiming that she will avoid flying with Qantas airlines due to their support of same-sex marriage.
Players are due to compete on Margaret Court Arena in next January's Australian Open, but the 74-year-old's comments have sparked calls for a boycott, while Martina Navratilova is among a handful who want the retired professional's name stripped from the arena in Melbourne.
"I don't see why anyone has a problem with two people who love each other getting married," Murray told reporters. "If it's two men, two women, that's great. I don't see why it should matter. It's not anyone else's business. Everyone, in my opinion, should have the same rights. I don't agree with [Court's comments]."
Asked if he would support a boycott, Murray said: "If something was to be done, I think it would be a lot more beneficial to do it before the tournament starts. For players to be in a position where you're in a slam and boycotting playing on the court, I think would potentially cause a lot of issues.
"So I think if something was going to be happen and the players come to an agreement, if they think the name should be changed or whatever, that should be decided before the event starts. But I would imagine a lot of the players would be pretty offended. So we'll see what happens."
Court has also claimed that tennis is "full of lesbians" and that transgender children are the work of the "devil".
Danielle Joynson
