Margaret Court renews verbal tirade on LGBT+ community by claiming transgender people are controlled ‘by the devil’

Record-breaking tennis champion has been a vocal critic of gay rights and renewed her verbal attacks just a month before she is honoured at the Australian Open for her 1970 calendar Grand Slam

Former Australian tennis champion Margaret Court has renewed her verbal tirade on the LGBT+ community by claiming transgender athletes are being controlled by “the devil”.

The 77-year-old has been a vocal critic of gay rights that has seen many criticise her for her views, which stem from the Christian belief, having taken up a role as a pastor at the Victory Life Church that she set up decades ago.

Court is due to be honoured at next month’s Australian Open to celebrate the 50th anniversary of her calendar Grand Slam, when in 1970 she won all four major titles to reign supreme in women’s tennis.

But a video of her Sunday sermon has emerged in which she hits out at transgender athletes as well as children who are unsure of their gender, claiming that the devil is behind the emergence of gender-fluid people.

"It’s so wrong at that age because a lot of things are planted in this thought realm at that age, and they start to question, 'what am I?" Court said.

"And you know with that LGBT, they’ll wish they never put the T on the end of it because, particularly in women’s sports, they’re going to have so many problems," she said, referring to transgender people.

"You know, even that LGBT in the schools, it's the devil, it's not of God," she said, adding that the devil wants to control "people's minds and mouths."

Court remains the most successful women to have competed in women’s singles, having won a record 24 Grand Slam titles, one more than Serena Williams.

But her views have already landed her in hot water after Tennis Australia issued a statement last month to rebuke her comments even though they were announcing the celebration of her 1970 triumph.

"As often stated, Tennis Australia does not agree with Margaret's personal views, which have demeaned and hurt many in our community over a number of years," the governing body said in a statement in November.

Both Billie Jean King and Martina Navratilova have previously hit out at Court for her views, given the Australian has repeatedly angered LGBT+ activists and a number of tennis players, past and present, for expressing her opposition to gay marriage.

Last year, her great rival King added her voice to calls for a name change for the Margaret Court Arena show court at the Australian Open, saying she would boycott the venue if still a player.