Billie Jean King
One of the greatest female tennis players was almost a softball player.
Billie Jean King was born in Long Beach, CA in November of 1943. Her dad tried out for an NBA team before becoming a firefighter and her mom was a prominent swimmer. Billie’s brother was a major league baseball player. It was a family of athletes and Billie Jean was not left behind.
At the age of 10, she played softball on a team of 14-15 years olds and won the city championship. Her parents suggested she try tennis because it was a more ‘lady-like’ sport so, at 11 years old, she took up a new sport.
When she was 15, she really began to shine. Billie Jean won the Southern California championship and started to get noticed. Shortly after, Alice Marble, a great in her own right, started coaching King. After a string of losses to top-seeded players, she tried her odds at a doubles tournament and became the youngest pair, with Karen Susman, to win the Wimbledon women’s doubles tournament.
Her results were up and down for a while until she decided to focus on training and fundamentals. Once she got a solid training regimen, she stayed at the top for quite some time. The thing with Billie Jean was that she wasn’t just a tennis player; there was always something more worth fighting for than just the tennis match at hand.
Tennis, in her view, should not have the country-club image it had become known for. King fought for equal payouts for men and women. She proved that she was not all talk when, in the year she became the first woman to top $100,000 in earnings, she was still very upset by the payouts to her peers versus what the men were earning.
When Billie Jean took the reins of women’s tennis and formed the Women’s Tennis Association, she used her position as a top player to threaten a boycott of the U.S. Open unless pay inequality was addressed. With that, the U.S. Open became the first tournament to make equal payouts for men and women.
All of her push for equality made her a prime target for Bobby Riggs. Riggs was a tennis champion in his own time and was known for baiting top sporting women into playing him. After defeating Margaret Court in May, King stepped in for a 2nd “Battle of the Sexes” in September 1973. After decisively winning the match, she admitted “I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn't win that match. It would ruin the women's tour and affect all women's self esteem."
Overall, Billie Jean King had a singles record of 695-155, a doubles record of 87-37, won 67 singles titles, 101 doubles titles. She topped Wimbledon 6 times and was Runner Up 3 times. She took the U.S. Open 3 times and was runner-up once. She took the U.S. Championship once and was runner-up once. She won the French Open and took one Australian Championship and one runner-up in Australia in Singles.
In Doubles, she took Wimbledon 10 times, took the U.S. Championships twice and was runner-up three times. Billie was runner up twice in Australia, took the U.S. Open 3 times with another 4 times being runner-up and ran away with 1 French Open while being runner up twice.
In Mixed-Doubles, she took Wimbledon 4 times while being runner-up 3 times. Took two in France with one runner-up bid. 4 times she took in the U.S. while being runner-up 3 times.
That’s a total of 39 Grand Slam championships and 26 Runner-Up finishes.
And that wasn’t even the best of her!
One of the greatest female tennis players was almost a softball player.
Billie Jean King was born in Long Beach, CA in November of 1943. Her dad tried out for an NBA team before becoming a firefighter and her mom was a prominent swimmer. Billie’s brother was a major league baseball player. It was a family of athletes and Billie Jean was not left behind.
At the age of 10, she played softball on a team of 14-15 years olds and won the city championship. Her parents suggested she try tennis because it was a more ‘lady-like’ sport so, at 11 years old, she took up a new sport.
When she was 15, she really began to shine. Billie Jean won the Southern California championship and started to get noticed. Shortly after, Alice Marble, a great in her own right, started coaching King. After a string of losses to top-seeded players, she tried her odds at a doubles tournament and became the youngest pair, with Karen Susman, to win the Wimbledon women’s doubles tournament.
Her results were up and down for a while until she decided to focus on training and fundamentals. Once she got a solid training regimen, she stayed at the top for quite some time. The thing with Billie Jean was that she wasn’t just a tennis player; there was always something more worth fighting for than just the tennis match at hand.
Tennis, in her view, should not have the country-club image it had become known for. King fought for equal payouts for men and women. She proved that she was not all talk when, in the year she became the first woman to top $100,000 in earnings, she was still very upset by the payouts to her peers versus what the men were earning.
When Billie Jean took the reins of women’s tennis and formed the Women’s Tennis Association, she used her position as a top player to threaten a boycott of the U.S. Open unless pay inequality was addressed. With that, the U.S. Open became the first tournament to make equal payouts for men and women.
All of her push for equality made her a prime target for Bobby Riggs. Riggs was a tennis champion in his own time and was known for baiting top sporting women into playing him. After defeating Margaret Court in May, King stepped in for a 2nd “Battle of the Sexes” in September 1973. After decisively winning the match, she admitted “I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn't win that match. It would ruin the women's tour and affect all women's self esteem."
Overall, Billie Jean King had a singles record of 695-155, a doubles record of 87-37, won 67 singles titles, 101 doubles titles. She topped Wimbledon 6 times and was Runner Up 3 times. She took the U.S. Open 3 times and was runner-up once. She took the U.S. Championship once and was runner-up once. She won the French Open and took one Australian Championship and one runner-up in Australia in Singles.
In Doubles, she took Wimbledon 10 times, took the U.S. Championships twice and was runner-up three times. Billie was runner up twice in Australia, took the U.S. Open 3 times with another 4 times being runner-up and ran away with 1 French Open while being runner up twice.
In Mixed-Doubles, she took Wimbledon 4 times while being runner-up 3 times. Took two in France with one runner-up bid. 4 times she took in the U.S. while being runner-up 3 times.
That’s a total of 39 Grand Slam championships and 26 Runner-Up finishes.
And that wasn’t even the best of her!