Today marks the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest breakthrough moments in tennis history. It did not just play a crucial role in tennis but also influenced sports in general, particularly women’s sports. On June 21st, 1973, after Billie Jean King’s constant efforts, the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) was finally formed. It was one of the most significant moments for women’s tennis as King spoke against the disparity between men and women which was considerably more prevalent more than fifty years ago.

About three years prior to the WTA’s commencement, a group of 9 WTA players including King, signed $1 contracts with the World Tennis Magazine to participate in the first women’s only tournament. It was a stepping stone towards the long-term goal for the formation of WTA and advocating for equal pay.

Rise in prize money for WTA players after King’s movement

Despite winning 39 slams across singles and doubles, King considers the formation of the WTA and the Original 9 as her happiest days. She said via AP News, “Probably the two happiest days of my life — my tennis life, not my real life — were the Original 9 and the WTA. To get people to change. To get people to be together. To get people to have one voice and have power.”

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The WTA progressed with every passing year. Soon Chris Evert became the first woman athlete to breach the $1 million in career earnings.

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We saw a gradual increase in prize money every year and a decade after Evert, Martina Navratilova became the first woman athlete to earn $1 million in a single year.

The difference in career earnings across generations for WTA stars

As mentioned earlier, Evert was the first player to hit the $1 million mark in terms of career earnings but the WTA progressed at an enormous rate. The initial movement also paved the way for modern-day women’s tennis players including Serena Williams to be among the highest earners in the sport. Serena Williams’ career earnings are more than $94 million and sister Venus Williams is currently above $42 million.

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