The tennis greats later apologized for breaking the tournament’s protocol.
“I always got on quite well with John McEnroe. I always thought we got on and I’ve always respected him,” Court, the most successful player in history, added.
“I feel sorry for him that he can’t separate one part of life to another.”
‘They’ve pointed the finger at me’
The 77-year-old, the most successful player of all time, won all four grand slams in 1970.
In the same interview, Court said she had been discriminated against during the tournament as she was not allowed to give a speech at a presentation in her honor.
“I think they said they were going to honor me but not celebrate me because of my stance and my views on gay marriage and all of those areas, and I’ve got nothing against people,” Court said.
“From the tennis side they’ve pointed the finger at me and tried to discriminate in everything that I’ve done and I think that’s very sad.
“I think they think because I’m a preacher, they think I’m going to preach the gospel.”