Margaret Court will not be barred from the attending the Australian Open.

Margaret Court arrived unannounced at the 2024 Australian Open (Image: Getty)

Margaret Court has escaped a ban from attending the Australian Open after sneaking in unannounced to the surprise of tournament officials last year.

Court, 82, turned up to watch the action from Melbourne last year without being sent an invitation, but still managed to find a way into the at the Rod Laver Arena to see Coco Gauff and Novak Djokovic.

Tennis Australia were caught off guard by her appearance as they did not officially announce that she would be attending on Day 10 of the 2024 event. They didn’t expect her to show up as Court had skipped the event for the previous four years.

Australian Open bosses were even more surprised to see her sitting front row alongside her husband Barrymore, as well as Rod Laver and his partner Susan, in the “Melbourne” end of the main show court.

A report from The Age claimed that her phone went off while Djokovic was playing a point against Taylor Fritz in the men’s singles quarter-final.

But on this occasion, Court was cordially invited to the Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday, where she watched Alexander Zverev beat Tommy Paul to secure his spot in the semi-finals.

Tennis Australia invited players from their glittering past to honour tennis icon Neale Fraser, who died on December 2 at the age of 91. A special tribute will be held in his memory ahead of the night session on Wednesday.

Fraser’s widow, Thea, will be present along with his brother John, a life member of Tennis Australia. Other Australian tennis legends such as Lesley Bowrey, Pat Cash, Judy Dalton, Mark Edmondson, John Fitzgerald, Ken Rosewall and Mark Woodforde will also be joining Court in attendance.

Margaret Court and her husband, Barrymore, watched Alexander Zverev beat Tommy Paul. (Image: Getty)

Despite her long list of achievements during her tennis career, winning 24 Grand Slam singles titles, Court has proved to be a divisive figure in tennis due to her anti-LGBTQ+ views and remarks.

In 2017, Court said she would be boycotting Australian airline Qantas after it showed support for same-sex marriage.

She then went on a Christian radio show, claiming that “tennis is full of lesbians” and transgender children are the work of “the devil”.

Tennis Australia condemned her remarks and insisted they “do not align with our values”, with Australian Open tournament director Craig Tiley clarifying that her “recognition is for her tennis achievements only”.

The Australian Open’s second-biggest arena is named after Margaret Court (Image: Getty)

Court’s comments prompted several high-profile figures including John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova to call for Melbourne Park’s second-biggest showcourt – named the Margaret Court Arena in 2003 – to honour Australia’s indigenous icon Evonne Goolagong instead.

However, the name of the 7,500-seater stadium remains unchanged.

Former British No. 1 Andy Murray backed the suggestion to strip Court’s name from the arena later that year, saying: “I don’t know who makes the final decision on that but I don’t think her values are what tennis stands for.”

Court has since scarcely appeared at the Australian Open since and was left off the list of invitees in 2021. But it appears she will end her official exile from the tournament when she arrives for Fraser’s tribute tomorrow.