The year 1970 was a turning point in women’s tennis history. The official tour of professional women’s tennis players came into existence when the Original 9—Peaches Bartkowicz, Rosie Casals, Judy Dalton, Julie Heldman, Billie Jean King, Kristy Pigeon, Kerry Melville, Nancy Richey and Valerie Ziegenfuss—collectively signed a $1 contract. The movement was led by none other than Billie Jean King, who was the pioneer for women’s rights in tennis. Three years later, this movement led to the foundation of the WTA, and women’s tennis has been on the rise ever since. With the professional women’s tennis tour completing 55 years of its inception, Chris Evert celebrated this occasion in a special way.

Evert took to her official Instagram handle and shared a glimpse of the Original 9, with a message that read “55 years of rallying the world.” The American legend paid tribute to those involved in the foundation of the women’s tour while celebrating 55 years of its inception. Additionally, Evert wrote, “@wta it’s been an amazing 55 years!”

Although Evert wasn’t a part of the Original 9, her contribution to women’s tennis during those early days will never be forgotten. She committed to the early professional tournaments on the women’s tour and became a dominant force in it. Her successes in the Virginia Slims Circuit were crucial to the foundation of the WTA, and they helped legitimize women’s tennis.

Reflecting on those days, Evert said, “The culture at that time was that women athletes were frowned upon. They were strong. That was everything the culture dictated that a woman wasn’t. I came along, a teenager who was trying to be feminine. I wasn’t a Billie Jean King or Martina Navratilova with these big messages, but after I showed up it was OK. `Oh, those are beautiful tennis dresses and those are pretty ribbons. She wears nail polish.’”

While Evert was an important member of that movement, Billie Jean King led the pack to form the women’s tour. The legendary figure in women’s tennis recalled the meeting that led to the foundation of the professional women’s tennis tour.

Billie Jean King shares interesting details of the inception of the women’s tour

Be it fighting for women’s rights or matters of equal pay, Billie Jean King was at the forefront of all. Not only did she identify the concerning areas in women’s tennis, but she also fought for them to get them resolved. One such incident was the meeting among the founding members of the WTA before the launch of the women’s tour.

Recalling the details of that event, Billie Jean King said, “Standing at that podium and telling them, ‘This is it. We have to do this. I’m not going to spend any more time on it if we don’t make it happen now. But I know we’re going to make it.’ I said, ‘This is our moment of truth. It’s probably the most important decision we’re ever going to make for our sport. So let’s get it right. I kept saying, ‘We have to do this. We’ve got to be together.'”

It was a turning point in women’s tennis, and it paved the way for the inception of the women’s tour. 55 years later, women’s tennis is growing at an amazing pace and even outpacing that of the men’s tour. With players like Coco Gauff and Iga Swiatek, women’s tennis is in safe hands and the contribution of the likes of Billie Jean King and Chris Evert will never be forgotten.