Tennis Industry News

Few players, male or female, have had the large-scale impact of Billie Jean King, on or off the court—and none can claim to have her continued influence.

King’s impact on the sport and industry of tennis are so significant that she is the newest member in the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame. She will be honored at the Tennis Industry Association’s Tennis Forum, held in New York City Aug. 31 during the 2010 US Open.

King began playing Grand Slam tournaments as a teenager in the 1960s. She won her first doubles title at Wimbledon at age 17, and went on to rack up 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles, including a record 20 titles at Wimbledon (six singles, 14 doubles and mixed doubles).

It wasn't enough just to play the game, though; King made it better. She campaigned for equal prize money for men and women; her efforts helped make that goal a reality at the US Open in 1973, and she stayed with the case for the next 34 years, until each of the four major tournaments offered equal prize money.

She led efforts among players to support the first women's professional tour, the Virginia Slims Series. (King was one of nine players who accepted $1 contracts from promoter Gladys Heldman, a move that led not only to the women's tour, but also to the formation of the Women's Tennis Association).

One defining moment for King, for tennis and for women in sports came in 1973, when she beat Bobby Riggs in the nationally televised Battle of the Sexes match. Her 6–4, 6–3, 6–3 win was a pivotal point for tennis, and it cemented her status as an icon in the sports world and in pop culture in general.

She founded the Women's Tennis Association in 1973, the Women's Sports Foundation and Women's Sports Magazine in 1974, and also in 1974, co-founded World TeamTennis, the groundbreaking co-ed professional tennis league. She also founded the WTT Recreational League, one of the most popular recreational tennis formats in the U.S.

Her involvement with the sport continues today; she is a member of the board of directors of the Women's Sports Foundation, a member of the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition, and remains involved in the USTA, where she is currently the honorary chairman of the Tennis in the Parks Committee.

King continues to push barriers, both inside and outside of tennis. In 2007, she co-founded GreenSlam, an environmental initiative for the sports industry. She was named Global Mentor for Gender Equality by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2008. She continues to be a leader in the fight for equality and recognition in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community, and has been honored by organizations including the Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD and the Lambda Legal Foundation. She currently serves on the board of the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Her honors and awards include the NCAA President's Gerald R. Ford Award (2009) and Major League Baseball's Beacon of Change Award (2010). In 2009, at the White House, President Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, making her the first female athlete to be so honored. 

King's significant contributions on the court, to the sport itself, and to society were noted when in 2006, the National Tennis Center was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The court on which generations of players will set their own milestones and break their own barriers now carries the name of one of the first players to do that.

About the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame
Created in 2008, the TI Hall of fame recognizes those individuals who have made a significant impact on tennis, from the 1960s to the present. Nominations can be made in four categories—inventors, founders, innovators and contributors. The first two inductees were Dennis Van der Meer and the late Howard Head. Last year, Alan Schwartz was the sole inductee. A plaque is on permanent display at the International Tennis Hall of Fame of all Tennis Industry Hall of Fame inductees. For more information, visit TennisIndustry.org/HOF.