Gay Australian tennis star Casey Dellacqua is poised to strike the ultimate blow in the fight for same-sex acceptance, but has just one simple message for homophobic sporting legend Margaret Court.
"It's just normal," Dellacqua said after closing in on a symbolic doubles double at the French Open in Paris.
Dellacqua and Fed Cup teammate Ashleigh Barty on Monday advanced to the quarter-finals of the women's doubles at Roland Garros before the West Australian teamed with American Rajeev Ram to make the semis of the mixed.
Enjoying widespread locker-room support after calling out Court for her vocal opposition to same-sex marriage on the eve of the claycourt grand slam, Dellacqua winning either event would be seen as a major statement of defiance after Court enraged players with her claim that "tennis is full of lesbians".
But Dellacqua - who has two young children with partner Amanda Judd - insists she has nothing to prove to Court, except that she's a regular human being too.
"Honestly, since I've had my family, I've been asked to do lots of stories but, to me, I don't feel like it's a story because it's just my family and I'm just like your family," the 32-year-old said in a candid interview in Paris.
"I don't want to stand up and be a poster girl for any of that stuff. That's the truth.
"I just feel like an every-day person doing the job that I love and I happen to have a couple of kids and that's my family - but I'm also extremely proud of my family.
"So I don't understand why it's a story. I don't even understand why people get so fascinated by the 'thing'."
Offering rare insight, Dellacqua detailed how she - like any other mother - communicated with her toddler son Blake and baby daughter Andie when away on tour.
"Blake, he's almost four, so we have chats on Facetime, proper chats," Dellacqua said.
"He tells me about his day, when he goes to school or swimming lessons. He always just asks if I've won the trophy.
"So he gets a bit disappointed if I haven't won the trophy. He's a quite competitive little boy, so I keep telling him that you've always got to keep trying and never give up because he gets feisty when he's playing little sports.
"My daughter Andie, she just turned one, so she doesn't get it, so she just wants to take the phone and plays around with the phone.
"But Facetime is great and I do spend a few weeks away from them, but it's also my job and it's hard to travel with them all the time.
"When Blake was young, we travelled a lot together. But since Andie's come along, it's a bit harder to manage the both of them."
Dellacqua's family will arrive in London on Friday ahead of Wimbledon preparations, but she plans to fly them to Paris if she makes a Roland Garros final - potentially creating a huge story for photographers clamouring to take shots of the same-sex couple and their children.
"I know that my partner and I do a really good job at parenting and we adore those kids and those kids will always have our love and they see us in a very respectful relationship," Dellacqua said.
"So I just stand by the legacy that I want to leave behind for myself, my tennis, my kids, and those are the things that I value.
"It's obviously becoming an issue because countries are bringing in same-sex marriage.
"But, for me, it's just about being true to myself, being happy. You've got one life, so I'm going to live it to the max and enjoy it and make the most of every day.
"That's it, and I hope that if there are people out there and they are struggling with those issues, hopefully I can be a role model in that sense and they can see it's okay to be happy and be loved and in a loving (gay) relationship.
"I don't mean to normalise it but, to me, it's just normal.
"It's just a real situation where it's just about being loved - giving and loving."
Share
