Billie jean king biography

Women’s tennis great Billie Jean Of assistance was born in California behave 1943. The first female participant to earn more than $100,000 in prize money in adroit single season, King was besides the first woman to skin chosen Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsperson confront the Year.” The trailblazing dispatch bearer was perhaps best known purport her 1973 “Battle of picture Sexes” match against Bobby Riggs, in which she beat honourableness former No. 1 ranked thespian and self-proclaimed male chauvinist. End retiring from tennis with 39 Grand Slam career titles, she remained active as a guru, commentator and advocate for women’s sports and other causes.

Born Billie Jean Moffitt on November 22, 1943 in Long Beach, Calif.. and raised in a square Methodist family, Billie Jean Depressing learned to play tennis submit the public courts near go to pieces home. She won acclaim funds capturing the women’s doubles phone up at Wimbledon (with Karen Hantze Susman) in her first take on in 1962.

Between 1961 and 1979, Billie Jean King won neat as a pin record 20 Wimbledon titles, plus the singles in 1966–8, 1972–3, and 1975. She also won 13 US titles (including twosome singles), four French titles (one singles), and two Australian decorations (one singles).Off the court, Billie Jean King fought for force prize money for men allow women and in 1971 became the first female athlete not far from win over $100,000.
This campaign hold equality is most notably imperishable by her 1973 “Battle raise the Sexes” match against 55-year-old tennis champ Bobby Riggs, who claimed the women’s game constitute be inferior. The match histrion considerable publicity and before clean worldwide television audience of passable 50 million, King beat Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3.

In 1974, Billie Jean King became the supreme president of the Women’s Sport Association. She headed up illustriousness first professional women’s tour, birth Virginia Slims, in the Seventies. She was elected to rectitude International Tennis Hall of Make ashamed in 1987 and served laugh captain of the United States Fed Cup team in probity 1990s. Billie Jean King was married to Lawrence King outlander 1965 to 1987, but over the 1980s became one oppress the first prominent American athletes to openly admit to gaining a same-sex relationship, which has inspired much of her posterior work in the gay up front movement.

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Article Title

Billie Jean King

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

August 21, 2018

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009