True to her word, tennis great Margaret Court refused to let the backlash over her views on homosexuality keep her away from the Australian Open and attended Wednesday's matches on Rod Laver Arena.
Court's presence at the grand slam, added to her latest comments in an opinion piece published in the Herald Sun, further infuriated gay activists who have called for her name to be stripped from one of the Melbourne Park show courts.
Court is Australia's greatest women's player and the winner of more grand slam singles than any man or woman in history, with 24. She opposes homosexuality on religious grounds and is staunchly against gay marriage.
In her opinion piece, she reiterated her view that homosexuality is a choice, rather than an innate, sexual orientation.
"Let me be clear. I believe that a person's sexuality is a choice. It is not something you are born with," she wrote.
"My concern is that we are advocating to young people that it is OK to have these feelings. But I truly believe if you are told you are gay from a young age, soon enough it will start to impact your life and you will live it."
As Court took her seat next to her husband Barry for the quarter-final between Italy's Sara Errani and Petra Kvitova from the Czech republic, her latest arguments were being ridiculed on Twitter by gay rights supporters including former Australian Medical Association national president Kerryn Phelps.
Phelps, one of Australia's most prominent gay women, has called for Tennis Australia to rename the Margaret Court Arena.
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