Billie Jean King Says Men Are Not Held to the Same Strict Standards As Women in Tennis
Published to New York Magazine on August 29, 2018
In May, Serena Williams sported an all-black bodysuit while competing during the French Open — and it was recently revealed that the tournament decided to ban such outfits afterward. Once she heard the news, tennis legend Billie Jean King took to Twitter to call for the end of the “policing of women’s bodies.”
On Tuesday night, the Cut caught up with King at the U.S. Open, during a benefit for the CityParks Foundation’s tennis programs. The Battle of the Sexes icon explained to the Cut that the ban falls in line with the tennis world’s long history of controlling and criticizing women’s attire— often while not holding men to the same strict standards.