Billie Jean King : biography
Billie Jean King (née Moffitt, born on November 22, 1943) is an American former World No. 1 professional tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles, 16 women’s doubles, and 11 mixed doubles titles. King won the singles title at the inaugural WTA Tour Championships. King often represented the United States in the Federation Cup and the Wightman Cup. She was a member of the victorious United States team in seven Federation Cups and nine Wightman Cups. For three years, King was the United States’ captain in the Federation Cup.
King is an advocate for sexual equality. Then 29 years old, King won the Battle of the Sexes tennis match against the 55-year-old Bobby Riggs in 1973, and was the founder of the Women’s Tennis Association, World TeamTennis (with former husband Larry King), and the Women’s Sports Foundation.
King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987. The Fed Cup Award of Excellence was bestowed on King in 2010. In 1972, King was the joint winner, with John Wooden, of the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award and was one of the Time Persons of the Year in 1975. King has also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and was given the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the year lifetime achievement award. King was inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1990, and in 2006, the USTA National Tennis Center in New York City was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
Early life
King was born in Long Beach, California, into a conservative Methodist family, the daughter of a fireman father and housewife mother. Billie Jean attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School. After graduating, she attended California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) because her parents could not afford Stanford or the University of Southern California (USC).
Grand Slam singles finals
18 finals (12 titles, 6 runner-ups)
Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
Runner-up | 1963 | Wimbledon | Grass | AUS}} Margaret Court | 6–3, 6–4 |
Runner-up | 1965 | U.S. Championships | Grass | AUS}} Margaret Court | 8–6, 7–5 |
Winner | 1966 | Wimbledon (1) | Grass | BRA|1960}} Maria Bueno | 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
Winner | 1967 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | GBR}} Ann Haydon-Jones | 6–3, 6–4 |
Winner | 1967 | U.S. Championships (1) | Grass | GBR}} Ann Haydon-Jones | 11–9, 6–4 |
Winner | 1968 | Australian Championships (1) | Grass | AUS}} Margaret Court | 6–1, 6–2 |
Winner | 1968 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | AUS}} Judy Tegart Dalton | 9–7, 7–5 |
Runner-up | 1968 | US Open | Grass | GBR}} Virginia Wade | 6–4, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 1969 | Australian Open | Grass | AUS}} Margaret Court | 6–4, 6–1 |
Runner-up | 1969 | Wimbledon | Grass | GBR}} Ann Haydon-Jones | 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
Runner-up | 1970 | Wimbledon | Grass | AUS}} Margaret Court | 14–12, 11–9 |
Winner | 1971 | US Open (2) | Grass | USA}} Rosemary Casals | 6–4, 7–6 |
Winner | 1972 | French Open | Clay | AUS}} Evonne Goolagong | 6–3, 6–3 |
Winner | 1972 | Wimbledon (4) | Grass | AUS}} Evonne Goolagong | 6–3, 6–3 |
Winner | 1972 | US Open (3) | Grass | AUS}} Kerry Melville Reid | 6–3, 7–5 |
Winner | 1973 | Wimbledon (5) | Grass | USA}} Chris Evert | 6–0, 7–5 |
Winner | 1974 | US Open (4) | Grass | AUS}} Evonne Goolagong | 3–6, 6–3, 7–5 |
Winner | 1975 | Wimbledon (6) | Grass | AUS}} Evonne Goolagong Cawley | 6–0, 6–1 |