Billie Jean King
Professional Player & Advocate · Women's Tennis
Tennis · Enshrined Legend
Billie Jean King
Winner of 39 Grand Slam titles, Billie Jean King used her platform off the court to build the infrastructure of women's professional tennis and force equal pay onto the sport's biggest stage.
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Grand Slam Singles, Doubles & Mixed Titles
Founder
Women's Tennis Association
1973
Secured Equal U.S. Open Prize Money
The Backstory
Champion On the Court, Leader Off It
The finest player of her era
Amassed 39 Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
Building the sport's infrastructure
Founded the Women's Tennis Association, co-founded World TeamTennis, and was a major influence in launching the Virginia Slims Professional Tour.
The Battle of the Sexes
Defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets in the nationally televised 1973 'Battle of the Sexes' at the Houston Astrodome, dramatically raising the sport's popularity and credibility.
Fighting for equal pay
That same year, led the successful campaign for equal prize money for men and women at the U.S. Open Championships, part of a broader effort that helped advance women's sports and the passage of Title IX.
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1973
Career Timeline
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1973
Defeats Bobby Riggs
Wins the Battle of the Sexes in straight sets before a national television audience.
On the Court and Beyond
The most decorated women's player of her generation.
39 Grand Slam titles — Combined across singles, doubles, and mixed doubles.
Defeated Bobby Riggs — In straight sets during the 1973 Battle of the Sexes.
Every award, on the record
Honors & Awards
Battle of the Sexes Champion
Defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets before a national television audience.
U.S. Open Equal Prize Money
Led the campaign that secured equal pay for women players.
More To Know
Deeper Cuts on Billie Jean King
She grew up in Long Beach as the daughter of a firefighter, and her younger brother Randy went on to pitch in Major League Baseball.
Of her 39 Grand Slam titles, 12 came in singles — six of them at Wimbledon alone, part of 20 total Wimbledon championships across all events.
In 1973 she became the only woman to sweep the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon in the same year, a feat still unmatched in the Open era.
She was the first female athlete to top $100,000 in prize money in a single season, doing so in 1971.
Sports Illustrated named her co-Sportsman of the Year in 1972 alongside John Wooden, and Time put her on its cover as Person of the Year in 1975.
Decades after leaving college to chase a tennis career, she finally finished her history degree at Cal State LA in 2026 at age 82.
In recognition of her impact, the USTA renamed its National Tennis Center after her in 2006, and the Fed Cup itself was renamed the Billie Jean King Cup in 2020.
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