The Australian tennis legend wants the trophies won during her career, which included an unrivalled 62 grand slam titles, to be relocated from Perth to her hometown to form part of a multi-million dollar museum and regional tennis academy proposed by Tennis Australia.

But funding is the biggest stumbling block, with significant federal government and Tennis Australia backing needed to make the project a reality.

Mrs Court said her nephew and Border-based tennis coach Phil Shanahan remained a driving force behind the museum and academy.

“It’s supposed to be moving and we would like that to happen but you don’t want to be waiting for years and years,” Mrs Court said.

“I think it would be more a case of Melbourne if something didn’t happen in Albury.

“It’s my hometown and it’s already a tennis centre and produces quite a lot of young champions.

“I would like to see it become a real thriving centre and it’s time to move on it, I feel.”

The museum and academy is proposed to be built where Mrs Court started her career, the Albury Grasscourts, with the present courts to be modified to accelerate the development of young players on different surfaces.

The trophies will be housed in a separate building, with four major display rooms incorporating an interactive personal tour by another Australian tennis champion, Rod Laver.

Albury Council’s community and cultural committee chairman Rob Angus said council remained supportive but conceded the proposal had stalled.

“Tennis Australia wants to build a regional tennis training centre and they want state-of-the-art, with a gymnasium, indoor pool and the museum a part of it,” Cr Angus said.

“At the moment they are putting little money towards it, so it’s up to the federal government.

“I’m also told members of the tennis club aren’t horribly excited about the grasscourts being turned into a multitude of different surfaces.”

The Margaret Court Museum, if built, will rival the Don Bradman Museum at Bowral but no council funding was allocated in the recent draft budget.

“It’s something we’d all love but ... it’s not looking likely,” Cr Angus said.

Editorial — page 38