Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King, born Billie Jean Moffitt in 1943, rose to prominence as a world Number 1 tennis player and a vocal pioneer for gender equality. Across a career spanning from the late 1950s to the 1980s, she dominated the court, winning 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. In 1972, she won the French Open to complete her career Grand Slam in singles, securing her place as one of the most formidable competitors of her era.

King is best known for her tireless work to elevate women's sports and her victory in the famous 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" match, where the 29-year-old defeated 55-year-old Bobby Riggs. She also founded the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation. To secure stable financial backing for her peers, she successfully persuaded the cigarette brand Virginia Slims to sponsor women's tennis in the 1970s, later serving on the board of its parent company, Philip Morris, in the 2000s. Her achievements earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Congressional Gold Medal in 2024, and the renaming of the USTA National Tennis Center in New York City in her honor in 2006.

Early Struggles and Focus

Her worldview was shaped by her athletic family in Long Beach, California, and her early friction with the conservative tennis establishment. The daughter of a housewife and a firefighter, she excelled at softball before her parents suggested she switch to a more "ladylike" sport at age 11. She saved eight dollars of her own money to buy her first racket and took free lessons on public courts. King faced early pushback when she was barred from a tournament group photograph for wearing tennis shorts sewn by her mother instead of a traditional white dress. When she was 13 or 14, her minister, Olympic champion Bob Richards, asked what she would do with her life. She told him directly that she would be the best tennis player in the world.

The Mindset of a Champion

King made good on that promise through intense focus and mental toughness. She won a record 20 career titles at Wimbledon and maintained an 11-2 record in deuce third sets in Grand Slam singles tournaments. Her words continue to offer guidance to those facing pressure, reflecting her belief that success is built on persistence. As she noted, "Champions keep playing until they get it right."