TENNIS great Margaret Court has suggested a conspiracy from the gay lobby in the United States is behind the push to remove her name from a Melbourne arena.

Recent anti-gay marriage comments from Court have led to calls for her name to be removed from Margaret Court Arena.

Asked today if she would be upset if her name was removed, Court said she had won more grand slams than any other man or woman and did not deserve it.

“But I think these times we’re living in, you don’t know what people think — they could probably get 100,000 petitions in 24 hours because that’s how they work — there’s a lot of money behind it and it’s coming from America,” she told 3AW.

Court was then asked if she believed there was a conspiracy.

“Yes I believe there is,” she said.

“I think the lobby yeah, they’re a minority in number, but they do have a lot of money behind them. Well it’s from United States yes.”

Court described transgender as a “choice”.

“That’s their choice what they do with their life,” she said.

“I think it is very sad that people in that area that they feel that that is right. I think the thing is that it’s confusing for children.”

Court also claims her nephew who runs a tennis academy in Albury had his computer and Facebook page trashed.

She said sponsors of a tennis tournament her nephew runs had also been threatened with boycott.

Court hit back at criticism from Martina Navratilova, who called Court was a “racist” and a “homophobe”, saying she was hurt by the comments and loved the African people in her church.

“I think Martina needs to look at her own country, not our country” she said.

“She’s not really up with the times of what I do in the community. I don’t think she’s got any idea with what I do.”

Court denied she was ever a supporter of apartheid and said she played tennis in Africa at the time.