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How gay tennis star forgave Court’s ‘hurtful’ jab

“I’ve learned to focus on what’s good for me and my family; to live a good life, a life of kindness, and love,” Dellacqua said at Open4All, an Australian Open event celebrating gay pride, in Melbourne on Wednesday. In 2013, Court, a tennis legend who is now a Pentecostal minister, wrote a letter to a newspaper denouncing the birth of one of Dellacqua’s children in a same-sex relationship.“Personally, I have nothing against Casey Dellacqua or her ‘partner,’” Court wrote. “It is with sadness that I see this baby has seemingly been deprived of his father.”“The comments definitely hurt at the time,” Dellacqua said. “But they don’t affect me anymore. I’ve put the in the past. I’m really glad I stood up for myself and my family, but I’ve moved on.” Dellacqua and her partner Amanda Judd have three children, Blake, Andie and Jesse.“I love being a mum. It’s busy, it’s full on, and it’s the best job in the world,” Dellacqua said. “It’s changed me for the better. When you’re a tennis player, it’s usually all about you. Now I do everything for my children.”

“We’re very 50-50,” she said of the parenting dynamic with Judd. “She carried two of the kids, and I only carried one, so I’ve got to pull my weight a bit. But we have a really good balance.” Asked how she reached a place of “forgiveness” over Court’s comments, Dellacqua, who is now a broadcaster, said: “I don’t think there’s good energy and carrying on (about the issue). I live my life they way I want to, with good values, and I think that speaks for itself. Being a good role model for my kids also helps.”With 24 Grand Slam singles titles, Court is one of the greatest tennis players of all time. But she has drawn repeated criticism for her outspoken position on gay and transgender issues. She opposes same-sex marriage and said LGBTIQ school lessons are “of the devil.” Critics said her comments were homophobic.Dellacqua was part of a discussion panel at the Open4All event.

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