In 1970, at great personal risk, she persuaded eight other female tennis players at the top of their game to form their own professional tour, the Virginia Slims Circuit, which later evolved into the Women’s Tennis Associationâstill the most successful womenâs pro tour in any sport.
As well as winning 39 Grand Slam titles, Billie went on to be the first female athlete to make 100k during a professional competition, defeated Bobby Riggs in the âBattle of the Sexesâ a.k.a. the most famous tennis match in history, and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009.
With Bobby Riggs, 1973Bettmann/Getty Images
At the tail-end of 2024, I flew to Malaga to interview King during the Billie Jean King Cup finals as part of Glamour‘s ongoing mission to change the record on women’s sports, asking elite athletes and changemakers alike what needs to be done to level the playing field. The morning I’m due to meet Billie, I wrangle an interview with her wife, the South African tennis legend and CEO of Billie Jean King Enterprises, Ilana Kloss.
âBillie was always very smart,â she tells me. âShe knew that when you go into the men’s arena, they pay attention [â¦] It started when she played Bobby Riggs in 1973. He was as old as her father, but the fact that she was playing a man, all of the men got interested.â
While men’s attention (and investment) is still vital to the growth of women’s sports, there’s a bigger appetite than ever. Ilana says, âEverybody knows that women can sweat, we can have kids, we can do anything we want to do. And it’s not defined by gender, but we do still have a long way to go.â
âBillie always says that when you live history, it’s slow, but when you read it back, it feels very quick. You have to fight every single day. I mean, if you’re not alert, you go backwards.â
