Bizarre Margaret Court twist in Ash Barty's Wimbledon triumph
Margaret Court was at the centre of a bizarre case of mistaken identity on Saturday during Ash Barty's triumph in the Wimbledon final.
Twitter users were left disgusted that Court had seemingly received an exemption to travel to the UK to be in the crowd for the final at the All England Club.
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Many were left questioning why Court had received special treatment when Barty's parents had to watch on TV at home in Australia.
The only problem? Court wasn't even at Wimbledon.
Fans on Twitter appeared to mistake American great Billie-Jean King for Court after a meme went viral featuring King and Martina Navratilova.
The meme showed Navratilova talking animatedly with King as they sat side-by-side in the crowd.
The user who originally posted the clip suggested King and Navratilova were saying: "How the hell did Margaret Court get here?"
Unfortunately, dozens of users interpreted the caption to mean Court was in the clip.
Corrected version to remove confusion….🙄https://t.co/4H6SO5xDRJ
— Pup Fiction (@jjjove) July 11, 2021
OK, again. I’m suggesting that Martina and Billi Jean are unhappy that Margaret Court is there. It’s a joke…🙄
— Pup Fiction (@jjjove) July 10, 2021
That led to dozens of angry comments about why Court was allowed to be there, when in actual fact she was reportedly thousands of kilometres away in Australia.
Court is not at Wimbledon. FFS people are mistaking the wonderful Billie Jean King sitting next to Martina Navratilova as Margaret Court??? WRONG on so many counts.
— Sini Roos (@Kanga561) July 11, 2021
The hilarious part about Ash Barty & her brilliant Wimbledon win - the left were hysterical about Margaret Court sitting next to Martina. Um, no, that was Billie Jean King. They don’t even know what the person they hate looks like 🤦🏼♀️
— Catherine (@catherine___c) July 10, 2021
Some peeps think that Billie Jean King is Margaret Court 😅
— Steve Sagar ⚫🔴⚫ (@SteveSagar) July 11, 2021
Navratilova's stunning confession about Ash Barty
King and Navratilova were among the many to offer tributes to Australia's beloved tennis champ Barty on Sunday.
But Navratilova took it to epic levels when she said: "If I had a kid, I would name her - or him - Ash! Because she's the real deal!"
As the plaudits for the 25-year-old poured in from around the world, Navratilova's homage was evidently heartfelt as she made a point of interrupting the conclusion to BBC's coverage of the final against Pliskova to make her point.
"I want to congratulate both women for playing a great final - and I want to congratulate Ash Barty, who is a fantastic ambassador for our sport," said Navratilova.
"She's a role model through and through."
There was plenty of discussion after Barty's three-set win over whether her second grand slam might be the springboard for her to become a particularly dominant World No.1, just as Serena Williams has been in the past.
And Navratilova is certainly not ruling out the prospect.
"The possibility's definitely there. She should be a triple champion already (after the hip injury at the French Open cost her the chance to compete when she was in top form)," she said.
"Grass favours the athlete - and Ash Barty is certainly that, she's shown that the last few years.
"She's got 10 good years in her. Great years, hopefully."
with AAP
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