2023-08-08 17:00:36
Billie Jean King, who was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987, is not just a tennis legend, with her 39 grand slam titles, including 12 in singles. As a teenager, she was already thinking big.
The American wanted to change the world, and this, from a young age, she tells Radio-Canada Sports.
I know that since the age of 12, I wanted to make the world a better place, she explains. I didn’t know the word “platform” at that age, but I imagined it. I thought tennis would give me an incredible opportunity to do that.
The opportunity to advance a cause does not take long to present itself: the Californian of origin realizes very quickly that her reality as a tennis player has nothing to do with that of her male counterparts.
In 1968, 24-year-old Billie Jean King won US$1,000 by winning the prestigious Wimbledon tournament, while men’s champion Rod Laver pocketed US$2,500.
The athlete can only see the gap that separates the two sexes in his sport. More and more tournaments are reserved for men only and a large part of the prize money, too. Billie Jean King may put pressure on the high authorities of tennis, nothing changes.
Two years later, a determined King takes matters into her own hands. She convinces eight other players – they will later be known as the Pioneer Nine, the Original 9 – to sign a one-dollar contract with promoter Gladys Heldman in order to create a first women’s tournament.
The risk is great: the bonzes of American tennis, the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA), threaten to retaliate and exclude them from the Grand Slams. But they still go ahead and, a few months later, set up a women’s circuit, sponsored by the tobacco company Virginia Slims.
It speaks very, very loudly, launches today the ex-world number 3 Mary Pierce in an interview with Radio-Canada Sports. I am very grateful. It’s a lesson that shows us that to achieve great things, you have to take risks. You have to have the courage, you have to dare.
The tobacco company has deep pockets and does not hesitate to share its know-how with the players. Virginia Slims also hires a fashion designer for tennis outfits, provides staff at tournaments and multiplies promotions in the newspapers, on the radio and on TV. The players go everywhere, even in supermarket parking lots, to challenge potential spectators, says Billie Jean King.
On Saturday, September 26, 1970, American Rosie Casals beat Australian Judy Dalton on Texas clay and won the Houston Women’s Invitational, the first all-female tournament in history, and her US$7,500 purse.
We have to keep reminding today’s players that this didn’t happen by a miracle, insists Pam Shriver, ex-world number one in doubles. Some people have moved heaven and earth to make sure women’s tennis is a leader.
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