Billie Jean King

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Billie Jean King (born November 22, 1943 in Long Beach, California) is a retired tennis player from the United States. During her career, she won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 14 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. She is generally considered to be one of the greatest tennis players and female athletes in history. King has been an outspoken advocate against sexism in sports and society. The tennis match for which she is best remembered by the public is the "Battle of the Sexes" in 1973, in which she defeated the former Wimbledon men's champion Bobby Riggs.

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Biography

King was born Billie Jean Moffitt. She was the daughter of a firefighter father and homemaker mother. Her younger brother Randy Moffitt pitched 13 years in the major leagues for the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Toronto Blue Jays. She learned to play tennis on the public courts of Long Beach, California, and first gained international recognition in 1961 when, aged 17, she won the women's doubles title at Wimbledon in her first attempt (partnering Karen Hantze Susman). At Wimbledon in 1962, King toppled the number one player in the world and top seed, Margaret Court, in a stunning first round match.

In 1965, Billie Jean married law student Lawrence King.

In 1966, King won the first of her six singles titles at Wimbledon. She followed up by winning the singles titles at both Wimbledon and the US Championships in 1967. She developed a reputation as an aggressive, hard-hitting net-rusher, with excellent speed and a highly competitive personality. King once said, "Victory is fleeting. Losing is forever."

King was a significant force in the opening of tennis to professionalism. Before the start of the Open era in 1968, she earned US$100 a week as a playground instructor and student at Los Angeles State College in between playing at major tennis tournaments. In 1967, she criticized the United States Lawn Tennis Association in a series of press conferences, denouncing what she called the association's practice of "shamateurism," where top players were paid under the table to guarantee their entry into tournaments. King argued that this was corrupt and kept the game highly elitist. When the open era began, King campaigned for equal prize money in the men's and women's games. As the financial backing of the women's game improved, King became the first woman athlete to earn over US$100,000 in prize money in 1971. But inequalities continued. In 1972, King won the US Open but received US$15,000 less than the men's champion Ilie Nastase. She stated that if the prize money was not equal by the following year, she would not play. In 1973, the US Open became the first major tournament to offer equal prize money for men and women.

Despite King's achievements at the world's biggest tennis tournaments, she is best remembered by the public for her win over a 55-year-old man in 1973. Bobby Riggs had been a top men's player in the 1930s and 1940s in both the amateur and professional ranks. He then went on to become a well-known tennis hustler who made a living promoting himself and playing in challenge matches. In 1973, he took on the role of male chauvinist and, claiming that the women's game was so inferior to the men's game even a 55-year-old like him could beat the current top female players, he challenged Margaret Court to a match and beat her 6-2, 6-1. King, who previously had rejected challenges from Riggs, then accepted a lucrative financial offer to play him at the Houston Astrodome in Texas on September 20, 1973, in an event dubbed the "Battle of the Sexes." The match garnered huge publicity. In front of 30,492 spectators and a worldwide television audience estimated at 50 million people in 37 countries, King beat Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. The match is considered a very significant event in developing greater recognition and respect for women's tennis. King said, "I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn't win that match. It would ruin the women's [tennis] tour and affect all women's self-esteem."

King was instrumental in establishing the women's tennis tour in the 1970s, and worked tirelessly to promote it. She became the first president of the women's players union – the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) – in 1973. In 1974, she founded "Womensports" magazine and started the Women's Sports Foundation. She also helped to found World Team Tennis.

King's triumph at the French Open in 1972 made her only the fifth woman in tennis history to win the singles titles at all four Grand Slam events, a "career Grand Slam." She also won a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles. In women's doubles, only the Australian Open eluded her. She won a record 20 career titles at Wimbledon – 6 singles, 10 women's doubles, and 4 mixed doubles. (Martina Navratilova also has 20 career titles at Wimbledon).

King retired from competitive play in singles at the end of 1983. She reached the semifinals in her final appearance at Wimbledon, losing to Andrea Jaeger 6-1, 6-1 after beating Kathy Jordan 7-5, 6-4 in the quarterfinals, Wendy Turnbull 7-5, 6-3 in the fourth round, and Rosie Casals, her longtime doubles partner, 6-3, 6-4 in the third round. The final singles match of her career was a second round 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 loss to Catherine Tanvier at the 1983 Australian Open.

King played doubles sporadically from 1984 through 1990. She retired from competitive play in doubles in March 1990. In her last competitive doubles match, King and her partner, Jennifer Capriati, lost a second round match to Brenda Schultz-McCarthy and Andrea Temesvari 6-3, 6-2 at the Virginia Slims of Florida tournament.

According to the end-of-year rankings compiled by the London Daily Telegraph from 1914 through 1972, King was ranked first in the world three times: 1966, 1967, and 1968. King also was ranked first for 1972 and 1974, when the official rankings were produced by the Women's Tennis Association.

During her career, King won 67 professional and 37 amateur singles titles and helped the United States win the Fed Cup seven times. Her career prize money totalled US$1,966,487.

King played 51 Grand Slam events in singles from 1959 through 1983 (197-39 .835 win-loss record): 21 at Wimbledon (96-15 win-loss record), 18 at the US Championships/Open (63-14 win-loss record), 7 at the French Championships/Open (22-6 win-loss record), and 5 at the Australian Championships/Open (16-4 win-loss record). She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles: 6 at Wimbledon, 4 at the US Championships/Open, 1 at the French Open, and 1 at the Australian Championships. All but one of her Grand Slam championships were on grass. She was the losing finalist in 6 Grand Slam singles events. She reached at least the semifinals in 27 and at least the quarterfinals in 40 out of her 51 attempts.

King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1990, Life magazine named her one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century."

In the mid-1990s, King became the captain of the United States Fed Cup team and coach of its women's Olympic tennis squad. She guided the US to the Fed Cup in 1996 and helped Lindsay Davenport, Gigi Fernandez, and Mary Joe Fernandez capture Olympic Gold Medals. In 2002, King dismissed Jennifer Capriati from the Fed Cup team, saying Capriati had violated rules that forbade bringing along personal coaches and practicing with them. Opinion was sharply divided, with many supporting King's decision but many feeling the punishment was too harsh, especially when Monica Seles and Lisa Raymond were then promptly defeated by lower-ranked Austrians Barbara Schett and Barbara Schwartz. The following year, Zina Garrison succeeded King as Fed Cup captain.

In 1971, King began an intimate relationship with her secretary Marilyn Barnett. When the relationship became public in a lawsuit ten years later, King acknowledged it and became the first American athlete to openly admit to having a homosexual relationship. She received an award from GLAAD - an organisation devoted to reducing discrimination against gays, lesbians, and bisexuals - in 2001 for "furthering the visibility and inclusion of the community in her work." The award noted her involvement in production and the free distribution of educational films, as well as serving on the boards of several AIDS charities.

King currently resides in New York and Seattle. In 1987, she divorced Lawrence King. On a PBS program on March 20, 2005, she discussed the fact that her sexual side has been the greatest struggle of her life. She pointed out that she came from a personally conservative background, which worked against her being open about her orientation, as constrasted with less inhibited players such as Martina Navratilova.

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Trivia

The Elton John song "Philadelphia Freedom" is a tribute to King[1]. John was and is a friend of King's. On the aforementioned PBS program, John talked about how he brought a demo copy of the record to spin for her right after he had recorded it.

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Grand Slam singles finals

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Champion (12) 

Year     Championship                   Opponent in Final       Score in Final
1966     Wimbledon                      Maria Bueno             6-3, 3-6, 6-1
1967     Wimbledon                      Ann Haydon Jones        6-3, 6-4 
1967     US Championships               Ann Haydon Jones        11-9, 6-4
1968     Australian Championships       Margaret Court          6-1, 6-2
Open Era
1968     Wimbledon                      Judy Tegart-Dalton      9-7, 7-5
1971     US Open                        Rosemary Casals         6-4, 7-6 
1972     French Open                    Evonne Goolagong        6-3, 6-3 
1972     Wimbledon                      Evonne Goolagong        6-3, 6-3
1972     US Open                        Kerry Melville          6-3, 7-5
1973     Wimbledon                      Chris Evert             6-0, 7-5
1974     US Open                        Evonne Goolagong        3-6, 6-3, 7-5
1975     Wimbledon                      Evonne Goolagong        6-0, 6-1
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Finalist (6) 

Year     Championship                   Opponent in Final       Score in Final
1963     Wimbledon                      Margaret Court          6-3, 6-4
1965     US Championships               Margaret Court          8-6, 7-5
Open Era
1968     US Open                        Virginia Wade           6-4, 6-2
1969     Australian Open                Margaret Court          6-4, 6-1
1969     Wimbledon                      Ann Haydon Jones        3-6, 6-3, 6-2 
1970     Wimbledon                      Margaret Court          14-12, 11-9
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Grand Slam doubles finals

  • Australian Championships / Australian Open:
    • Women's Doubles champion – none
    • Women's Doubles finalist (2) – 1965, 1969
    • Mixed Doubles champion – 1968
    • Mixed Doubles finalist – none
  • French Championships / French Open:
    • Women's Doubles champion – 1972
    • Women's Doubles finalist (2) – 1968, 1970
    • Mixed Doubles champion (2) – 1967, 1970
    • Mixed Doubles finalist – 1968
  • Wimbledon:
    • Women's Doubles champion (10) – 1961, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1979
    • Women's Doubles finalist (2) – 1964, 1976
    • Mixed Doubles champion (4) – 1967, 1971, 1973, 1974
    • Mixed Doubles finalist (3) – 1966, 1978, 1983
  • US Championships / US Open:
    • Women's Doubles champion (5) – 1964, 1967, 1974, 1978, 1980
    • Women's Doubles finalist (7) – 1962, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1973, 1975, 1979
    • Mixed Doubles champion (4) – 1967, 1971, 1973, 1976
    • Mixed Doubles finalist (3) – 1975, 1977, 1978
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Wimbledon singles record

King's overall win-loss record at Wimbledon was 96-15 .865 in 21 years (1961-1975, 1977-1980, 1982-1983). (Her win total includes one walkover but does not include any first round byes.)

King was 6-3 in finals, 9-5 in semifinals, and 14-6 in quarterfinals. King failed to reach the quarterfinals only once, in 1961 during her first Wimbledon. After receiving a bye during the first round, King lost to the fifth seed, Yola Ramirez, in the second round.

King was 23-7 in three set matches, 73-8 in two set matches, and 5-1 in deuce third sets, i.e., sets that were tied 5-5 before being resolved.

King was seeded 18 times out of 21 years. (Wimbledon seeded 8 players from at least 1961 through 1976, 12 players in 1977, and 16 players from 1978 through the end of King's career.)

  • Seeded #1 in 1974 (quarterfinalist), 1968 (champion), 1967 (champion).
  • Seeded #2 in 1973 (champion), 1972 (champion), 1971 (semifinalist), 1970 (finalist), 1969 (finalist).
  • Seeded #3 in 1975 (champion) and 1964 (semifinalist).
  • Seeded #4 in 1966 (champion).
  • Seeded #5 in 1980 (quarterfinalist), 1978 (quarterfinalist), 1977 (quarterfinalist), 1965 (semifinalist).
  • Seeded #7 in 1979 (quarterfinalist).
  • Seeded #10 in 1983 (semifinalist).
  • Seeded #12 in 1982 (semifinalist).
  • Unseeded in 1963 (finalist), 1962 (quarterfinalist), 1961 (lost second round).

King was 31-15 .674 against seeded players. She never lost to an unseeded player (65-0). Her worst loss was to #8 seed Olga Morozova in 1974.

  • Versus #2 seeds, King was 2-1 (wins: Maria Bueno (1966), Lesley Turner Bowrey (1963); loss: Chris Evert (1982)).
  • Versus #3 seeds, King was 6-2 (wins: Tracy Austin (1982), Evonne Goolagong (1973), Virginia Wade (1970), Ann Haydon Jones (1967, 1963), Lesley Turner Bowrey (1965); losses: Andrea Jaeger (1983), Evonne Goolagong (1971)).
  • Versus #4 seeds, King was 3-2 (wins: Evonne Goolagong (1975), Chris Evert (1973), Ann Haydon Jones (1968); losses: Tracy Austin (1979), Ann Haydon Jones (1969)).
  • Versus #5 seeds, King was 0-2 (Ann Haydon Jones (1962), Yola Ramirez (1961)).
  • Versus #8 seeds, King was 3-1 (wins: Judy Tegart-Dalton (1969), Lesley Turner Bowrey (1968), Virginia Wade (1967); loss: Olga Morozova (1974)).
  • Versus #14 seeds, King was 1-0 (Sue Barker (1978)).

Against her major rivals at Wimbledon, King was 4-2 versus Ann Haydon Jones, 3-0 versus Rosie Casals, 3-0 versus Virginia Wade, 3-0 versus Francoise Durr, 3-1 versus Evonne Goolagong, 3-1 versus Maria Bueno, 2-3 versus Margaret Court, 2-3 versus Chris Evert, 1-0 versus Christine Truman Janes, 1-0 versus Hana Mandlikova, 1-1 versus Olga Morozova, 1-1 versus Tracy Austin, and 0-1 versus Martina Navratilova.

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United States Championships/Open singles record

King's overall win-loss record at the United States Championships/Open was 63-14 .818 in 18 years (1959-1969, 1971-1974, 1977, 1979, 1982). She was 55-11 on grass, 5-2 on hard courts, and 3-1 on clay. (Her win total does not include any first round byes. Her loss total includes two retirements.)

King was 4-2 in finals, 6-1 in semifinals, and 7-3 in quarterfinals.

King was 8-4 in three set matches, 55-10 in two set matches, and 4-1 in deuce third sets, i.e., sets that were tied 5-5 before being resolved.

King was seeded 14 times out of 18 years.

  • Seeded #1 in 1973 (lost third round), 1972 (champion), 1971 (champion), 1968 (finalist), 1967 (champion).
  • Seeded #2 in 1974 (champion), 1966 (lost second round).
  • Seeded #3 in 1969 (quarterfinalist), 1964 (quarterfinalist), 1963 (lost fourth round).
  • Seeded #5 in 1965 (finalist).
  • Seeded #7 in 1977 (quarterfinalist).
  • Seeded #9 in 1979 (semifinalist).
  • Seeded #12 in 1982 (lost first round).
  • Unseeded in 1962 (lost first round), 1961 (lost second round), 1960 (lost third round), 1959 (lost first round).

King was 12-8 .600 against seeded players and 51-6 .895 against unseeded players.

  • Versus #3 seeds, King was 1-0 (Ann Haydon Jones (1965)).
  • Versus #6 seeds, King was 1-2 (win: Rosie Casals (1974); losses: Nancy Richey Gunter (1969), Virginia Wade (1968)).
  • Versus #8 seeds, King was 1-0 (Virginia Wade (1972)).

Against her major rivals at the United States Championships/Open, King was 3-1 versus Virginia Wade, 2-0 versus Maria Bueno, 2-0 versus Ann Haydon Jones, 2-0 versus Rosie Casals, 1-0 versus Evonne Goolagong, 1-0 versus Francoise Durr, 1-1 versus Margaret Court, 1-2 versus Chris Evert, 0-1 versus Christine Truman Janes, and 0-2 versus Nancy Richey Gunter.

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French Championships/Open singles record

King's overall win-loss record at the French Championships/Open was 22-6 .786 in 7 years (1967-1970, 1972, 1980, 1982). (Her win total does not include any first round byes but does include one walkover.)

King was 1-0 in finals, 1-1 in semifinals, and 2-4 in quarterfinals. She failed to reach the quarterfinals only once, in 1982 when she lost to Lucia Romanov in the third round.

King was 3-3 in three set matches, 19-3 in two set matches, and 1-0 in deuce third sets, i.e., sets that were tied 5-5 before being resolved.

King was seeded all 7 years she entered the tournament.

  • Seeded #1 in 1968 (semifinalist), 1967 (quarterfinalist).
  • Seeded #2 in 1980 (quarterfinalist), 1970 (quarterfinalist), 1969 (quarterfinalist).
  • Seeded #3 in 1972 (champion).
  • Seeded #10 in 1982 (lost third round).

King was 5-3 .625 against seeded players and 17-3 .850 against unseeded players.

Against her major rivals at the French Championships/Open, King was 1-0 versus Virginia Wade, 1-0 versus Maria Bueno, 1-0 versus Evonne Goolagong, 1-1 versus Helga Niessen Mastoff, 0-1 versus Lesley Turner Bowrey, and 0-1 versus Nancy Richey Gunter.

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External links

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