Billie Jean King is the stalwart behind the formation of the WTA. Had it not been for her, a much-needed fight for gender equality would have been postponed. One major step in that direction was when she played against Bobby Riggs in the infamous 1973 ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match. It was a huge moment for women’s empowerment. However, Chris Evert was not standing alongside Billie Jean King.

Chris Evert has played a major role in popularizing the WTA circuit. However, it seemed quite impossible for her to see Billie Jean King defeat Bobby Riggs at that point.

Chris Evert infamously chose Bobby Riggs over Billie Jean King

The 18-time Grand Slam champion has been credited to Billie Jean King for her astounding role in setting the course for WTA. However, at the time of the ‘Battle of Sexes’ in 1973, she owed her allegiance to someone else. Bobby Riggs had mocked the female tennis players and had defeated the world no. 1 Margaret Court. So, when he challenged Billie Jean King, she went against him. People were enthralled to know the results, and they had picked sides. Like many people, Evert too sided with Riggs.

In an interview with PBS, Evert once detailed her reasons for choosing Riggs over King. She stated, “Bobby Riggs beats the no. 1 player in the world, Margaret Court. So, then Bobby Riggs was to play no. 2 at that time, Billie Jean King.”

This was an appropriate reason, however, King wanted to prove him wrong not only for the sake of tennis but for all the women around the world. However, Evert did not understand that at that point. She said, “Why would you lose to her when you beat the world no. 1? It was just logic to me at that time. It was sort of common sense to me and I didn’t understand the implications of it.”

Reminiscing about her interview where she picked Riggs, she said, “Whenever that pops up, people laugh. They can’t believe that I picked Bobby Riggs, deserting the female population.”

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King believes firmly that the Battle of Sexes changed the course of women’s tennis. But she was infuriated and scared at the same time when Riggs challenged her.

King mocked Riggs on the court during the ‘Battle of Sexes’

Billie Jean King knew she had to win. She knew the importance of the victory and how it would change the course of women’s tennis. So, when she faced him on the court, she called him “a j*rk”, and “a cr**p.” Consequently, this made Riggs upset but King stayed resilient. However, she also confessed that she was scared out of her wits.

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However, the fruits of her labor paid off and she won the match. This match in 1973 paved the way for equal pay and the growth of WTA.