Billie Jean King was a tennis player from the United States. She was born in 1943. She was a former World No. 1 in the game of tennis. She had won a total of 39 ‘Grand Slam titles’ during the span of her entire tennis career. Her Grand Slam wins include singles of 12 numbers, women’s double of 16 along with mixed doubles of 11. She was the inaugural winner in women’ s single in WTA Tour. She had represented the United States in both the Wightman and Federation Cups.
The passion for tennis was prevalent in King since her childhood. She had learned to play in the public courts, which were free in Long Beach. She is one of the five women in the history of tennis who has won all the Grand Slam trophies in the section of women’s singles. She had not only won titles in Grand Slam, she was also a member of the US Team that won the Federation Cup for seven times and Wightman Cup for nine times. She was the captain of the US Federation Cup Team thrice.
King ardently advocated for sexual equality. She even won the tennis match so-called as ‘Battle of the Sexes’ in 1973 against Bobby Riggs. Her successful career in tennis brought her immense fame and awards. In 1987, she was inducted in the ‘International Tennis Hall of Fame’ and the ‘National Women's Hall of Fame’ in 1990. She retired from tennis in 1990 and has been promoting the game ever since.
