Billie Jean King, a former world No. 1 American tennis player, is considered one of the greatest of all time. She accumulated 39 Grand Slam titles across singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles. King also contributed to the United States' victories in seven Federation Cups and nine Wightman Cups. Beyond her athletic achievements, King is known for her advocacy for gender equality in sports and society.
In 1920, Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers was the oldest female semi-finalist at Wimbledon
In 1939, Bobby Riggs won the Wimbledon men's singles title.
In 1967, Billie Jean King won the singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles titles at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships, becoming the first woman to achieve this feat since Alice Marble in 1939.
In 1941, Bobby Riggs was considered the World No. 1 male tennis player.
On November 22, 1943, Billie Jean King (née Moffitt), the American former world No. 1 tennis player, was born.
In 1946, Bobby Riggs was considered the World No. 1 male tennis player.
In 1947, Bobby Riggs was considered the World No. 1 male tennis player.
On January 28, 1948, Marilyn Kathryn McRae (later known as Marilyn Barnett) was born. She would later become involved in a relationship with Billie Jean King.
From 1959 through 1965, Billie Jean King had thirteen unsuccessful attempts to win a Grand Slam singles title.
In 1959, Billie Jean King made her Grand Slam debut at the U.S. Championships at the age of 15, losing in the first round. Her national tennis ranking was number 19.
In 1959, Billie Jean King started playing in Grand Slam singles events.
In 1960, Billie Jean King won her first tournament at the Philadelphia and District Grass Court Championships. She reached the final of the National Girls' 18 and Under Championships and her national tennis ranking improved to number 4.
In 1961, Billie Jean King graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School.
In 1961, Billie Jean King made her debut at Wimbledon.
In 1961, at Wimbledon, Billie Jean King won the women's doubles title in her first attempt, partnering with Karen Hantze. They were the youngest team to win the Wimbledon Doubles Title. In singles, King lost to Yola Ramírez.
In 1962, at Wimbledon, Billie Jean King upset Margaret Court in a second round singles match. It was the first time in Wimbledon history that the women's top seed had lost her first match. She and Hantze also repeated their doubles victory at Wimbledon.
In 1963, Billie Jean King faced Margaret Court in the Wimbledon final, where Court prevailed.
In 1963, Billie Jean King met Larry King in a library while attending Cal State LA. The pair became engaged while still in school.
In 1963, Billie Jean King was on the winning United States team in the Federation Cup.
In 1964, Billie Jean King left Los Angeles State College (now California State University, Los Angeles) to focus on her tennis career.
In 1964, Billie Jean King won four relatively minor titles but lost to Margaret Court in the Wimbledon semi-finals. She also defeated Ann Haydon-Jones at both the Wightman Cup and Fed Cup but lost to Court in the final of the Federation Cup. She made a full-time commitment to tennis and decided to train in Australia.
On September 17, 1965, Billie Jean King, aged 21, married Larry King in Long Beach. They had met while she was attending Cal State LA.
From 1959 through 1965, Billie Jean King had thirteen unsuccessful attempts to win a Grand Slam singles title.
In 1965, Billie Jean King continued her tour of Australia, losing in the final of the South Australian Championships and the first round of the Western Australia Championships. At Wimbledon, she lost in the semi-finals to Maria Bueno. She finished the year at the U.S. Championships, losing to Court in the final. For the first time in 81 years, the annual convention of the United States Lawn Tennis Association overruled its ranking committee's recommendation to award her the sole U.S. No. 1 position and voted to rank Nancy Richey Gunter and King as co-U.S. No. 1.
In 1969, Billie Jean King did not win at least one Grand Slam singles title, marking the first year since 1965 that she had not achieved this feat.
In December 1967, Billie Jean King returned to the Australian summer tour for the first time since 1965, participating in seven events and facing Judy Tegart in six of them.
From 1966 through 1975, Billie Jean King was the year-ending World No. 1 in six of the ten years.
From 1966 through 1975, Billie Jean King's Grand Slam record was comparable to that of Margaret Court. One or both women played 35 of the 40 Grand Slam singles tournaments held during this period, and together they won 24 of them.
In 1966, Billie Jean King finally won the first of her six singles titles at Wimbledon and the first of twelve Grand Slam singles titles overall, defeating Margaret Court in the semi-finals and Maria Bueno in the final. That year, she also defeated Dorothy "Dodo" Cheney at the Southern California Championships and Margaret Court in the final of the South African Tennis Championships. Also, she won the women's singles in the Ojai Tennis Tournament. She also defeated Virginia Wade and Ann Haydon-Jones at the Wightman Cup.
In 1966, Billie Jean King was part of the victorious United States team in the Federation Cup.
In 1967, Billie Jean King criticized the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) for its "shamateurism", where top players were paid under the table, which she argued was corrupt and elitist.
In 1967, Billie Jean King successfully defended her title at the South African Tennis Championships by defeating Maria Bueno in the final. She also played in the French Championships for the first time, reaching the quarterfinals. A week later, at the Federation Cup in West Germany, she won all four of her matches. King then won her second consecutive Wimbledon singles title, defeating Virginia Wade in the quarterfinals and Jones. At the Wightman Cup, King again defeated Wade and Jones. She won the U.S. Championships, her second Grand Slam singles title of the year, without losing a set.
In 1967, Billie Jean King was part of the victorious United States team in the Federation Cup.
Before the start of the open era in 1968, Billie Jean King earned US$100 a week as a playground instructor and student at California State University, Los Angeles when not playing in major tennis tournaments.
By 1968, Billie Jean King realized that she was attracted to women.
In early 1968, Billie Jean King won three consecutive tournaments, including the Australian Championships. She later had surgery on September 24, 1968, to repair cartilage in her left knee, causing her to miss the rest of the year's tournaments.
According to Billie Jean King, in May 1969, it took her eight months for her knee to completely recover from the surgery that she had in 1968.
In 1969, Billie Jean King participated in the Australian summer tour but did not win a tournament, losing in the final of the Australian Open to Margaret Court. She revealed that she was bothered by a severe tennis elbow for seven months.
In September 1970, at the Pacific Southwest Open, the prize money for men was $12,500, while for women it was $1,500. Billie Jean King and other women did not play in the tournament because of the budget differences, and they were willing to take the risk of expulsion from the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association. King and the other women organized the women-only Houston Virginia Slims invitational.
At the end of 1969, Billie Jean King said that she expect to have a real big year in 1970, because she had the motivation to do it and felt like a kid again.
In 1970, Margaret Court won the Grand Slam.
Although Billie Jean King won only one Grand Slam singles title in 1971, she won 17 tournaments and compiled a 112–13 win–loss record. The International Tennis Hall of Fame considered this to be the best year of her career in terms of tournaments won.
From 1971 through 1975, Billie Jean King won seven of the ten Grand Slam singles tournaments she played. She won the last seven Grand Slam singles finals she contested.
In 1971, Billie Jean King began an affair with her secretary, Marilyn Barnett.
In 1971, Billie Jean King had an abortion, which was later revealed in a Ms. magazine article by her husband Larry without her consent.
In 1971, Larry King created the idea to form a nine player women's group with the financial backing of World Tennis magazine founder Gladys Heldman and the sponsorship of Virginia Slims chairman Joe Cullman.
In 1971, Margaret Court missed significant portions of the tennis season due to childbirth.
In August 1971, Billie Jean King won the US Open without losing a set, defeating Chris Evert in the semi-finals and Rosemary Casals in the final. She also became the first female tennis player to earn $100,000 a year, which prompted a congratulatory phone call from President Richard M. Nixon.
In early May 1971, Billie Jean King lost to Christine Truman Janes at Hurlingham, but recovered to win the German Open in Hamburg. She also lost to Margaret Court at the Queen's Club tournament in London. At Wimbledon, King lost in the semi-finals to Evonne Goolagong.
In late 1971, Billie Jean King played in New Zealand, leading up to the year of 1972 when she did not play in the Australian Open despite being nearby in New Zealand.
In 1972, Billie Jean King was the joint winner, with John Wooden, of the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award.
In 1972, Billie Jean King won the French Open, completing a career singles Grand Slam.
In 1972, Billie Jean King won the US Open but received US$15,000 less than the men's champion, Ilie Năstase, highlighting gender inequality in prize money.
In 1972, Billie Jean King's French Open win made her the fifth woman in tennis history to achieve a "career Grand Slam" by winning the singles titles at all four Grand Slam events. She also achieved a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles, though the Australian Open eluded her in women's doubles.
In 1972, Billie Jean King's dominance was aided by rival Margaret Court's absence due to childbirth. King elected not to play the Australian Open to focus on Virginia Slims winter tournaments.
In 1972, Margaret Court missed significant portions of the tennis season due to childbirth.
In early 1972, Billie Jean King admitted that leg cramps associated with an abortion caused her to retire from a match with Chris Evert after splitting the first two sets.
On September 20, 1973, Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes" at the Houston Astrodome. The match was watched by over 30,000 spectators and an estimated 50 million U.S. television viewers, and 90 million across 37 countries. King won 6–4, 6–3, 6–3. The event is considered significant in promoting recognition and respect for women's tennis.
In 1973, Billie Jean King became the first president of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), advocating for women's rights in tennis.
In 1973, Billie Jean King completed the Triple Crown at Wimbledon, becoming the first player in the Open Era to do so. She also won against Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes. She lost the final match against Court in the Virginia Slims of Nashville tournament. She retired from her fourth-round match at the US Open due to illness. After defeating Riggs, she lost in the semifinals to Casals in the Virginia Slims of Houston tournament. King ended the year with tournament wins in Phoenix, Hawaii, and Tokyo.
In 1973, Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in an exhibition match, winning $100,000.
In 1973, Billie Jean King's husband Larry co-founded World Team Tennis.
In 1973, Margaret Court was the clear world No. 1, winning three Grand Slam singles titles, only missing Wimbledon. Billie Jean King started the year inconsistently due to a wrist injury and mixed tournament results, including a victory against Court at the Virginia Slims of Indianapolis, ending Court's winning streak.
In 1973, at age 29, Billie Jean King famously won the "Battle of the Sexes" tennis match against 55-year-old Bobby Riggs. That same year, King was also the founder of the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation. She also persuaded Virginia Slims to sponsor women's tennis and later served on the board of Philip Morris.
In 1973, the US Open became the first major tournament to offer equal prize money for men and women, a result of Billie Jean King's campaign for equality.
In 1974, Billie Jean King won five of the first seven tournaments she played, including the Virginia Slims of San Francisco and the U.S. Indoor Championships. She won her fourth singles title at the US Open, defeating Evonne Goolagong in the final. She reached the semi-finals of Virginia Slims Championships.
In 1974, Billie Jean King, along with Larry King and Jim Jorgensen, founded womenSports magazine and started the Women's Sports Foundation, promoting women in sports.
In 1974, WTT began. King and her husband used their savings to put on a team tennis event at the Oakland Coliseum.
From 1966 through 1975, Billie Jean King was the year-ending World No. 1 in six of the ten years.
From 1966 through 1975, Billie Jean King's Grand Slam record was comparable to that of Margaret Court. One or both women played 35 of the 40 Grand Slam singles tournaments held during this period, and together they won 24 of them.
From 1971 through 1975, Billie Jean King won seven of the ten Grand Slam singles tournaments she played. She won the last seven Grand Slam singles finals she contested.
In 1975, Billie Jean King only played singles for half of the year, retiring from tournament singles competition after winning her sixth Wimbledon singles title.
In 1975, Billie Jean King was one of the Time Persons of the Year.
Billie Jean King spent the first three months of the year rehabilitating her right knee after surgery in November 1976.
On November 9, 1976, Billie Jean King had her third knee surgery, this time on her right knee, and did not play the remainder of the year.
Billie Jean King reached a Wimbledon final in 1976, marking the last time before 1977 when she failed to reach a final in any of the three championship events for women.
In 1976, Billie Jean King focused on doubles and mixed doubles, winning the mixed doubles title at the US Open with Phil Dent. She underwent knee surgery for the third time in November and did not play for the rest of the year.
In 1976, Billie Jean King was on the winning United States team in the Federation Cup.
In March 1977, Billie Jean King requested a wild card entry to the Virginia Slims Championships but then played the Lionel Cup tournament in San Antonio, Texas, which was criticized by the WTA due to the inclusion of Renée Richards, a transgender athlete. Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, and Betty Stöve criticized King's decision.
In 1977, Billie Jean King lost to Chris Evert in the Wimbledon quarterfinals, marking the first time she didn't reach a final at Wimbledon since her debut in 1961. King reaffirmed her commitment to return to top form despite the defeat.
In 1977, Billie Jean King revealed that doctors had predicted in 1968 that her left knee would allow her to play competitive tennis for only two more years.
During December 1978, Billie Jean King had major surgery on her left foot.
In 1978, Billie Jean King played ten singles tournaments during the first half of the year, but limited herself to doubles after Wimbledon.
In 1978, Billie Jean King teamed with Navratilova to win the women's doubles title at the US Open. She was also undefeated in Federation Cup doubles matches and hinted at retirement due to surgery, but underwent foot surgery in December to return to the tour.
During the first half of 1979, Billie Jean King played only one event – doubles in the Federation Cup tie against Spain – due to surgery on her left foot in December 1978.
In 1979 Billie Jean King lost to Tracy Austin at Wimbledon quarterfinal.
In 1979, Billie Jean King was on the winning United States team in the Federation Cup.
In 1979, the Kings asked Marilyn Barnett to leave their Malibu house, but she refused, threatening to leak private documents.
In 1979, when several top players were asked who they would pick to help them recover from a hypothetical deficit of 1–5 (15–40) in the third set of a match on Wimbledon's Centre Court, Martina Navratilova, Rosemary Casals, and Françoise Dürr all picked Billie Jean King.
In 1980, Billie Jean King competed at Wimbledon, but didn't feature in a final.
In 1980, Billie Jean King played the French Open for the first time since 1972 and lost in the quarterfinals to Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat.
In May 1981, Marilyn Barnett sued Billie Jean and Larry King for half of their income and their Malibu house after Barnett attempted suicide. This suit followed Barnett's refusal to leave the Kings' house and threats to release private correspondence.
In December 1981, a court order stipulated that Marilyn Barnett leave the Kings' house. The court also noted that Barnett's threats to publish private correspondence in exchange for money bordered on extortion.
In 1981, Billie Jean King teamed with Navratilova to win her 39th and final Grand Slam title at the US Open. Afterwards, Navratilova decided she wanted a new doubles partner and started playing with Shriver, causing a rift between King and Navratilova.
In November 1982, Marilyn Barnett's palimony lawsuit against Billie Jean and Larry King was thrown out of court.
In 1982, Billie Jean King became the league commissioner of World TeamTennis, further solidifying her influence in the sport.
In 1982, Billie Jean King began a comeback, winning the Edgbaston Cup in Birmingham. At 38, she reached the Wimbledon semi-finals, defeating Tracy Austin in the quarterfinals, marking her first victory over Austin after five defeats. She lost to Chris Evert in the semi-finals, finishing the year ranked 14th in the world after initially retiring.
In 1982, Billie Jean King competed at Wimbledon, but didn't feature in a final.
In her 1982 autobiography, Billie Jean King claimed she intentionally lost a match in Long Beach to Françoise Dürr due to an argument with her husband.
In March 1983, the Malibu house that had been contested in the palimony suit was destroyed during a series of severe storms along the southern California coastline.
In 1983, Billie Jean King became the oldest WTA player to win a singles tournament, winning the Edgbaston Cup. She reached the mixed doubles final at Wimbledon with Steve Denton, but lost to John Lloyd & Wendy Turnbull. At her final US Open appearance in 1983, she only competed in doubles, reaching the semi-finals in women's doubles. Her final singles match was a loss at the Australian Open.
In 1983, Billie Jean King played her last Grand Slam singles event.
In 1983, Billie Jean King reached the semi-finals in her final appearance at Wimbledon, losing to Andrea Jaeger after defeating Kathy Jordan, Wendy Turnbull, and Rosemary Casals.
In 1984, Billie Jean King became a major owner in World TeamTennis, expanding her role in the organization.
In 1984, Billie Jean King played doubles sporadically. She and Vijay Amritraj were seeded sixth for the Wimbledon mixed doubles 1984, but they withdrew before the tournament began.
In a 1984 interview, just after she had turned 40, King said,
In 1987, Billie Jean King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
In 1987, Billie Jean King's marriage to Larry King ended after she fell in love with her doubles partner, Ilana Kloss.
In March 1990, Billie Jean King retired from competitive doubles play. Her last match was a loss with Jennifer Capriati at the Virginia Slims of Florida tournament.
In 1990, Billie Jean King was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
In 1996, Billie Jean King guided the United States Fed Cup team to the championship and helped Lindsay Davenport, Gigi Fernández, and Mary Joe Fernández capture Olympic gold medals as coach of the women's Olympic tennis squad.
In 1999, Billie Jean King was elected to serve on the board of directors of Philip Morris Incorporated, drawing criticism from anti-tobacco groups.
In 2002, Billie Jean King dismissed Jennifer Capriati from the Fed Cup team for violating rules against practicing with personal coaches, sparking controversy.
In 2006, the USTA National Tennis Center in New York City was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
In 2008, the Sports Museum of America opened, housing the Billie Jean King International Women's Sports Center, a comprehensive women's sports hall of fame and exhibit.
In 2010, Billie Jean King was bestowed the Fed Cup Award of Excellence.
As of 2012, Billie Jean King was involved in the Women's Sports Foundation and the Elton John AIDS Foundation. She also served on the President's Council for Fitness, Sports and Nutrition.
In December 2013, US President Barack Obama appointed Billie Jean King and Caitlin Cahow to represent the United States at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, seen as a signal on gay rights.
On February 7, 2014, the day of the 2014 Winter Olympics opening ceremony, Betty Moffitt, Billie Jean King's mother, died, causing King to withdraw from the delegation.
On June 16, 2017, Billie Jean King delivered the commencement address at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.
In 2017, Billie Jean King sold her majority ownership stake of World Team Tennis to Mark Ein and Fred Luddy.
In September 2018, Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss became minority owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team.
On October 18, 2018, Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss were married in a secret ceremony by former New York City Mayor David Dinkins.
In 2018, Billie Jean King attended the 75th Golden Globe Awards as a guest of Emma Stone.
In 2018, Billie Jean King won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award.
In October 2020, Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss became part of the ownership group of Angel City FC, a Los Angeles–based team set to start play in the National Women's Soccer League in 2022.
In 2020, the Federation Cup was renamed the Billie Jean King Cup in her honor.
In May 2022, the Mark Walter Group and BJK Enterprises, headed by Mark Walter and Billie Jean King, entered a partnership with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association (PWHPA).
In 2022, Angel City FC, which Billie Jean King is part of the ownership group, started to play in the National Women's Soccer League.
In 2022, Billie Jean King was awarded the French Legion of Honour.
On June 29, 2023, the Mark Walter Group and BJK Enterprises, headed by Mark Walter and Billie Jean King, purchased the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) to create a new professional women's ice hockey league in North America.
In 2023, Billie Jean King competed in season ten of "The Masked Singer" as "Royal Hen" and was the first of Group B to be eliminated on "A Celebration of Elton John".
On January 1, 2024, the new women's ice hockey league, formed after the PHF purchase, began with a game between New York and Toronto in Toronto.
In 2024 terms, Billie Jean King saved $8, equivalent to $92.40, to buy her first racket.
In 2024, Billie Jean King received a Congressional Gold Medal.
The $100,000 Billie Jean King won in 1973 equates to $707,000 in 2024 terms.
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