Sports · 1970s

Billie Jean King

In memoriam 1943–

TennisSport

Represented United States in Fed CupTeams

39 Grand Slam titles (12 singles)Titles

20 career Wimbledon titles across all eventsRecords

Billie Jean Moffitt, Long Beach, CaliforniaBorn

The Turning Point

King won her first Wimbledon title in 1966, establishing herself as the world's best player. But her defining moment came in 1973, when she beat Bobby Riggs in the nationally televised 'Battle of the Sexes,' cementing her status as a sports icon and champion for women's equality.

Billie Jean King carried onto the court before the Battle of the Sexes era

California Champion

Born Billie Jean Moffitt in Long Beach, California, she learned tennis on public courts. By her late teens she was a Wimbledon doubles champion on her way to global stardom.

Battle of the Sexes

In 1973 King defeated 55-year-old Bobby Riggs in straight sets before a worldwide television audience. The victory became a landmark moment for women's sports and gender equality.

Trailblazer for Equality

King co-founded the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation, fighting for equal pay and opportunity. She remains one of the most influential figures in the history of sports.

Career Timeline

1961Wins first Wimbledon doubles title at 17
1966Captures first Wimbledon singles championship
1971Becomes first woman athlete to earn $100,000
1972Named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year
1973Co-founds the Women's Tennis Association
1973Beats Bobby Riggs in Battle of the Sexes
1974Founds the Women's Sports Foundation
1975Wins final Wimbledon singles title
1983Retires from singles competition
1987Inducted into International Tennis Hall of Fame
2009Receives Presidential Medal of Freedom

Biggest Hits

1980

39 Grand Slam titlesSingles, doubles and mixed doubles combined

1973

Won Battle of the Sexes matchBeat Bobby Riggs before 90 million viewers

1975

Twelve Grand Slam singles titlesIncluding six Wimbledon singles crowns

1973

Co-founded Women's Tennis AssociationTransformed pro tennis for women players

1979

Twenty Wimbledon titles overallRecord across singles, doubles and mixed

2009

Presidential Medal of FreedomHonored for tennis and equality advocacy

Did You Know

The Fed Cup, tennis's premier women's team competition, was renamed the Billie Jean King Cup in her honor in 2020.
She fought for and won equal prize money at the U.S. Open in 1973, the first major to pay men and women equally.

Portrait: Associated Press · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons

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