Inside Look: Tennis Icon & Activist Billie Jean King
Published to Tory Burch Foundation on June 30, 2017
Billie Jean King is a former World No. 1 tennis player, with 39 Grand Slam titles. But her record extends far beyond the tennis court.
In 1970, after competing in the Italian Open and winning the women’s singles champion, she received $600 in prize money while the men’s singles champion received $3,500 – almost six times the amount of prize money she earned. This prompted Billie Jean along with 8 other female tennis players to form the ‘Original 9’. Going against the United States Tennis Association, they formed their own tour. This eventually evolved into what we know today as the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA).