Margaret Court is one of Australia's most successful athletes but her comments about same-sex marriage have sparked controversy.

Margaret Court’s Victory Life Church in Perth believes their congregants will not contract the coronavirus because they are protected by “the blood of Jesus”.

The church, which was founded by Court in 1995, released a statement on Friday, saying all their members are “protected” from the deadly virus and therefore nothing will be done to combat the outbreak, other than daily praying and additional hand sanitiser.

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“Your health and safety is a top priority for us and we have taken a proactive approach to keep our church family health and safe,” the statement read.

“We are in agreement that this Convid-19 will not come near our dwelling or our church family. We are praying daily for you, knowing that we are all protected by the Blood of Jesus.

“For your convenience, hand sanitiser readily available at all our sites.

“Our desire is for you to be informed and know that out heart is to protect and ensure the safety of all so we can continue to worship together, all out service will operate as per normal.”

The statement also includes a bible verse from Psalm 91:9-10, which states, “No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.”

The 77-year-old Court is currently the Senior Pastor of the Victory Life Church.

Those defending Margaret Court take a look at this https://t.co/Nt689DBFWk — Luke Dennehy (@LukeDennehy) March 13, 2020

Radio broadcaster Justin Smith tweeted his disgust on Friday.

“This (statement) is from Margaret Court’s church. They’re not afraid of getting the virus because protected by the ‘Blood of Jesus’, the assumption being that anyone who has the virus — including those who died — were not loved by their god,” Smith posted.

“Religion is just plain bloody nasty sometimes”.

As of Friday evening, there are 199 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Australia.

Court has become a controversial figure in Australian sport due to her views on homosexuality and transgender athletes.

American tennis legend John McEnroe released a short video in January via Eurosport UK, condemning Court for her “offensive” beliefs.

“There’s only one thing longer than a list of Margaret Court’s tennis achievements — it’s her list of offensive and homophobic statements,” McEnroe said.

“Margaret Court is actually a ventriloquist, using the bible of the dummy to say whatever she wants.

“Tennis Australia is facing a dilemma – what do they do with their crazy aunt?”

The former world No. 1 was ordained into full-time ministry in 1991. She won 24 singles grand slam titles during a stellar tennis career.