It shouldn't be left to Novak Djokovic to shine a light on the legacy of Margaret Court

Only a select few have a world-famous tennis court named after them. Novak Djokovicwon Sunday's U.S. Open final playing on Arthur Ashe, named after the pioneering black star of the 1970s. The court is located near Louis Armstrong Stadium, a tribute to the New York jazz musician.

And there is the Margaret Courtarena,which stands next to the Rod Laver Arena at Melbourne Park. But repeated calls to rename the stadium to the name of someone who does not express racist, homophobic, or transphobic attitudes have so far fallen on deaf ears at Tennis Australia. It is not only that Cote harbors deeply racist views on many topics, but that she actively seeks controversy and reaction to her prehistoric beliefs.

Despite this, Court, now a Pentecostal minister in Perth, continues to be honored in Melbourne and even received an invitation to this year's tournament, which she declined. Tennis Australia "does not agree" with her views. She repeats the line that the stadium is to honor her sporting achievements and not her personal beliefs, which would be like naming the Spanish FA headquarters the Luis Rubiales Convention Center.

The Court is living proof that the cancellation culture does not exist, or at least does not really work, yet they object to it despite Likes. Despite her protestations, removing Court's name from the stadium does not edit her sporting achievements. Whose accomplishments are honored is a choice, and being chosen is a privilege. It's not hard to find someone else more deserving: Billie Jean King has led calls for the arena to be renamed in honor of another great athlete and Indigenous Australian icon, Ebon Goolagong.

That doesn't look likely anytime soon, so instead Djokovic will have her fame lowered just a bit. On Sunday, he won 24 singles titles alongside Court. He will probably win one more title, and then another, each time a little less shady, and overtake her record, which has been untouched for nearly half a century.

Djokovic is not the undisputed king of tennis. Djokovic's constant references are Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, two of the most beloved athletes of our time. Federer, like a glorious shire horse in a cashmere cardigan, is always poised and flawless, while Nadal, with his puppy dog eyes and huge arms, is polite, humble, and embarrassed to shatter his rivals' dreams.

In this light, Djokovic was sometimes a bit calculating, robotic, and often like steel that could never warm up. Djokovic regularly played against these two icons, but the crowd was rooting for the other one. Or he was pitted against an opponent who was not as good as him, and the crowd cheered for the other. He sometimes felt insulted on the world's biggest stage.

Then the 2022 Australian Openand his views on vaccines have damaged his reputation as, at best, an oddball and eccentric and, at worst, a bit sinister. However, Djokovic was used as a political pawn when he was detained and interrogated by the authorities over paperwork issues at a time of heightened tensions, not only in Australia but around the world. When Nigel Farage joined his cause ,he may have thought he had picked the wrong fight.

So perhaps it is timely that his point of reference has finally changed and opinions have softened just a bit now that his career is entering its winter. Federer retires, Nadal retires. Federer retires, Nadal retires. [Djokovic's speech after losing to Carlos Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final was full of tenderness and gratitude to his conqueror, even though he must have been hurting. Tennis Australia could at least rename the Margaret Court Arena after Djokovic, the 10-time Melbourne champion. Certainly, we should not leave it to Djokovic to take the spotlight off her, but he will be doing the tennis world a favor when he finally wins Slam No. 25.