Serena Williams, the former world number one tennis player, recently announced her retirement. The 41-year-old had a successful and extensive career. Not only did she break records and win accolades, but her story of dedication and hard work served as an example to aspiring athletes. She reached the top despite being from a family with financial difficulties and a lack of adequate training facilities.

In contrast, Billie Jean King’s generation of female tennis players faced different challenges. They failed to close the wage gap between men and women in the sport. In one of the interviews, King discussed the gender pay gap and how situations have changed since her playing days by comparing herself to Serena Williams.

Billie Jean King on the change in privilege in comparison to Serena Williams

Earlier at the C2 Montreal conference, Billie Jean King was invited to discuss equity and equality in sports. She had a forty-minute conversation with journalist Valérie-Micaela Bain, sharing her memories and some keys to success. So during the conversation, King highlighted the pay-based difficulties players of her generation had to face, as opposed to someone like Serena Williams.

“Serena Williams, she made nearly $100 million in scholarships during her career and as much off the field, recalled the American. This is what I dreamed of for a long time.” said the 78-year-old. 

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She further went on to say, “My generation didn’t have that privilege and now I want all women’s sports to get there. For example, right now there is a professional hockey league, but the best ones aren’t there. We have to work on it.”

WTA gave a fitting tribute to Serena with Billie Jean King’s voice

Recently, WTA posted a tribute to tennis great Serena Williams on its official Twitter account. The narration was performed by tennis great Billie Jean King, who said, “Dear Serena, remember when we first met? Courts were missing lines with broken nets. It was nothing but a canvas to paint your dreams, a dream to be the best tennis player in the world.”

The video described how her work had encouraged millions of people all over the world to pursue their dreams by saying, “You weren’t like the other kids, you broke the mold of the future generations. Fearless. You inspired them to dream big, to follow their own path, to be exceptional, and to not be the exception.” 

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In the end, Billie Jean King’s words serve as a reminder that the game has made some progress in terms of equal pay, but there is more left to do.