Yesterday, like much of America, we were swept up in the women’s singles tennis finals featuring Coco Gauff and Aryna Sabalenka. In the end, Gauff went on to win an emotional victory – and at the age of 19, winning her first major singles title, she accepted her prize money and thanked Billie Jean King who was up on the stage with her.

King was born 80 years ago, and rose to international fame in the 1960s and 70s, becoming one of the most successful and influential female tennis players in history. As a child she played baseball and softball, among other things, and her brothers and parents were all very athletic. Nonetheless, at around 11, her parents suggested switching to a more “ladylike” sport and she bought her first tennis racket with her own money. A few short years later, she had set her sights on becoming the best tennis player in the world.

King's list of achievements is extensive, including 39 Grand Slam titles, 20 Wimbledon titles, and a remarkable 129 career titles. However, her impact extends far beyond the tennis court – she is a legendary figure in the world of tennis and an iconic advocate for gender equality in sports. Beyond her sporting accomplishments, Billie Jean King has been a tireless advocate for gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights throughout her life. Her dedication to social justice and equality has left an indelible mark on the world of sports, making her not only a tennis icon but also a trailblazer for women and marginalized communities in sports and society as a whole.

In 1973, she famously played in the "Battle of the Sexes" match against Bobby Riggs, a former men's champion who had been making chauvinistic claims about the superiority of male athletes. King's victory in this historic match not only solidified her status as a tennis legend but also symbolized a groundbreaking moment for women in sports, illustrating that women could compete at the highest levels and challenge long-standing gender stereotypes. That year marked an incredible first in the world of gender pay as well – King threatened not to compete in the 1973 US Open if men’s and women’s singles champions did not receive the same paychecks for their feats. And so, the US Open, perhaps ahead of other sports in the world of pay equality, honored her demand in that year and each of the 50 years since.

Photo Credit: Lynn Gilbert, under CC BY-SA 4.0

When Gauff said with a smile yesterday “Thank you, Billie, for fighting for this”, she truly meant it. And speaking under the great lights of New York City, in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, it was hard not to feel gratitude in my own heart, for the way King forged a path for all of the girls and women who came after her.

-Reshma