Retired tennis star, Margaret Court, talks about her journey from sports to the full-time ministry.
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| PHOTO: Margaret Court International |
Margaret Court hails from Australia and is one of the most celebrated tennis players in the world, having garnered 62 Grand Slam Titles during her sporting career. According to an online article, “Court is one of only three players to have achieved a career ‘boxed set’ of Grand Slam titles, winning every possible Grand Slam title—singles, same-sex doubles and mixed doubles—at all four Grand Slam events.”
As a young girl, Court always knew that her talent in this sport was a gift from God. “I had a vision in tennis—to be the first Australian woman to win Wimbledon and to win the Grand Slam (all four majors in one year) and to be the first mother to be Number One in the world. And I fulfilled that vision,” she told City News.
Her first coach was Wally Rutter whose kindness she always remembers. Court added, “He was a good coach and had a wonderful style in tennis. More importantly, he sowed so much of his life into my life.” Court became his name to fame.
The year 1971 was when Court came to know Christ. Recognized as the Number One player in the world at that time, she knew that “there was something else for me after tennis.” After she retired from the sport in 1976, Court shifted her focus to her four small children and husband and took time to build her home. After becoming very ill in 1979 and found life not worth living, she eventually went to Bible school and her life changed; she was healed.
Her call into the full-time ministry came much later. Court was in her kitchen preparing dinner one day when she felt God speaking to her to start a church. She confessed, “I didn’t want to be a pastor and I was praying that someone else would rise up instead.” Court eventually obeyed that Voice and started a church. She received immense support from her family and friends during the foundational years of the new congregation.
Today, Court pastors Victory Life Center, a thriving church of more than 2,000 people in Perth, Australia and is the principal of Victory Life International Bible Training Center. She also heads up Victory Life Community Services— with a feeding program that sees over six tons of food given out a week—and Margaret Court International.
Court will be in Singapore on the second week of March to minister in City Harvest Church. She says, “I have heard many wonderful reports about CHC, how you are a church of prayer and how much you are blessing the nations. This is my first visit to City Harvest Church and I look forward to ministering to the people there!”
Margaret Court will be preaching in City Harvest Church in a fortnight’s time.
Mar. 13, 2010 (Sat)
Jurong West St 91 • 3:30 p.m.
Expo Hall 1 • 5:30 p.m.
Mar. 14, 2010 (Sun)
Expo Hall 1 • 10 a.m.
Jurong West St 91 • 12:30 p.m.
About Margaret Court
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| PHOTO: Margaret Court International |
• Court has 62 Grand Slam victories to her name, including 11 Australian Opens; 5 US Opens; 5 French and 3 Wimbledon Singles titles. No other player, man or woman in the history of the game has broken her record.
• In November 1999, she was named as one of the top Sportswomen of the Century which was held in Vienna, Austria.
• She received an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Laws Degree) in May 2001 from Oral Roberts University, USA, in recognition of her pastoral and community contribution.
• In January 2003, she was honored for her achievements with the production of an Australia Post Commemorative Stamp.
• Show Court One in Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia, was renamed Margaret Court Arena in her honor.
• She was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2007 Australia Day honors in recognition of her pastoral and community contribution.
• Court has written three books, including A Winning Faith, which is an autobiography of her life covering her tennis days, how she found Christ and her faith in God.
