The name “Billie Jean King” is synonymous with the tennis legend. She is one of the most iconic figures in the history of tennis. The American was a mainstay in the sport, and her success extended to various formats throughout the early 1970s till the 1980s.
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She has an impressive list of accomplishments, including 39 Grand Slam titles in total and 20 titles at Wimbledon. Throughout her career, she was victorious over several notable competitors. But her historic triumph came in 1973. She came out on top in the so-called “Battle of the Sexes,” beating Bobby Riggs.
Billie Jean King shares an interesting ‘funny’ incident
Back in 2014, Billie Jean King was interviewed by Radio Times. She talked about her life, career, and a few more exciting conversations regarding her game.
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RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE US former tennis player Billie Jean King (R) sits in front of Czech former tennis player Martina Navratilova (L) as they watch the women’s singles final match between France’s Marion Bartoli against Germany’s Sabine Lisicki on day twelve of the 2013 Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament at the All England Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, on July 6, 2013. AFP PHOTO / GLYN KIRK – RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USEGLYN KIRK/AFP/Getty Images
During the conversation, there was an instance, where the host asked her if she beat herself over a loss, for which she said, “I think Steffi Graf used to go to bed for 3 days after a point when she had a horrible loss. We hate losing. Champions hate to lose.”
She further continued, “The pain is unbearable. It’s horrible. Oh! I can’t stand it. I know I would be the same. I’m a perfectionist…I have gotten better. Not much, though.“
In 1971, Billie broke the record for highest prize money won by a female athlete, with a total of over $100,000. Right after 2 years, In 1973, she was announced as the first president of WTA.
The all-time best ‘Battle of the Sexes’
One of tennis’ greatest matches took place in 1973 when legendary player, Billie Jean King, faced off against the champion player, Bobby Riggs. There were more than 30,000 spectators who came to witness the match in person that day at the Houston stadium. Close to 90 million people around the globe were watching the game from their homes.
It was that intense and was more than just a game. However, King made it look easy. She won straight sets against Riggs, scoring 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, and won the match quite comfortably. This match was a potential game changer for women’s tennis.
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Written by
Edited by
Vibhanshu Kumar