Billie Jean King - Former Women's Tennis Champion, Career and Life
Billie Jean King's Personal Details
Billie Jean King is a former U
| Information | Detail |
|---|---|
| Birthday | November 22, 1943 |
| Nationality | American |
| Famous | Lesbians, Sportspersons, Tennis Players, Former Women's Tennis Champion |
| Height | 164 |
| Gender | Female |
| Father | Bill Moffitt |
| Mother | Betty |
| Net Worth | $16 million as of Sep 9,2016 |
| Sun Sign | Scorpio |
| Famous as | Former Women's Tennis Champion |
Billie Jean King's photo
Who is Billie Jean King?
Billie Jean King is a former world No. 1 professional tennis player. She dominated women’s tennis with 39 Grand Slam -12 singles, 12 doubles and 11 mixed doubles titles. In non-Grand Slam events she recorded 129 wins in 183 finals. She let go a golden opportunity to win all four Grand Slam events in a single year. She was attracted to tennis at an early age and shot to limelight partnering with Karen Hantze to win the doubles final at Wimbledon. Her name is associated with the iconic Battle of Sexes match that she played and won against Bobby Riggs. The much publicized event did much to prove the equality of sexes and had a positive impact on women’s self-respect. Continuing her role as a crusader for women’s cause, she protested the unequal prize money given to male and female players. She staked her career and joined 8 other women to form the rebel Virginia Slims Tour. Their efforts bore fruit and the U.S Open offered equal prize money to men and women players. In her personal life, she did not shy away from placing her lesbianism in public. After her retirement, she became a television commentator and coach. She continues to be involved in tennis in various ways.
// Famous Tennis Players
Serena Williams
Serena Williams is an all-time great women's tennis player. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about her.
Jim Courier
Jim Courier is an American former professional tennis player who won four Grand Slam singles titles. This biography of Jim Courier provides detailed information about his childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.
Gabriela Sabatini
Gabriela Sabatini is an Argentine former professional tennis player, one of the leading players of her generation. This biography of Gabriela Sabatini provides detailed information about her childhood, life, achievements, works & timeline.
Childhood & Early Life
Billie Jean was born Billie Jean Moffit to Bill Moffit, a fireman, and Betty, a homemaker. Her younger brother, Randy, became a baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants.
She went to the Long Beach Polytechnic High School and then to the California State University, Los Angeles. The free Public Courts in Long Beach helped her practice and hone her tennis skills.
Career
In 1959, King made her first Grand Slam appearance at the U.S. Championships. Her first round opponent, Justina Bricka retrieved the match after having a match point against her in the second set.
In 1960, she won the Philadelphia and District Women's Grass Court Championships - her first senior title. She defeated Karen Hantze Susman, who had reached the U.S Championship Quarter finals the previous year.
In 1961, the Long Beach Tennis Patrons, Century Club, and Harold Guiver raised $2,000 to pay for her trip to Wimbledon. She did not disappoint and partnering with Susman, she won the doubles title.
In 1963, she claimed her first Southern California Championships title, defeating Darlene Hard in the final. At Wimbledon, she overcame Maria Bueno and Ann Haydon-Jones, but lost in the final to top-seeded Margaret Court.
Margaret Court was her nemesis during most of 1964. Court defeated her in the Wimbledon semifinals and in the Federation Cup final. King decided to become a full time tennis player that year.
In 1965, she lost in the semifinals of the Australian Open and the Wimbledon. In the U.S. Open, she suffered a demoralizing loss to Court in the finals, after being in a winning position.
In 1966, she won her first grand slam title overpowering Maria Bueno in the final at Wimbledon. Her newly acquired forehand skills had helped defeat Margaret Court in the semifinals in straight sets.
In 1967, she won her second Wimbledon and her first U.S. singles Championships. Significantly, she won the women's doubles and mixed doubles titles at both the events.
She denounced the United States Lawn Tennis Association, in 1967, for its practice of covertly paying top players to take part in various tournaments. She termed the practice "shamateurism".
In 1968, she won her first Australia Open title while she lost in the French Open semifinal. She recovered to win her third consecutive Wimbledon singles finals, but could not retain her U.S Open title.
In 1970, she joined 8 other players to play in the newly formed Virginia Slims Circuit, protesting the unequal prize money paid to male and female players. They boycotted the USLTA Pacific Southwest Championships.
In 1971, her only Grand Slam win was the US Open singles. It was the best year of her career – she won 17 of the 31 tournaments she played, with a 112-13 match record.
In 1972, she won three Grand Slam titles, but skipped the Australian Open as it was a minor tournament then. Thus, she missed an opportunity to win all four events in a calendar year.
Between 1973 and 1980, she won five Grand Slam singles titles – two Wimbledon and three U.S Opens. During the period, she also won four mixed doubles and four Grand Slam doubles titles.
In 1983, she announced her retirement from competitive singles after a second round loss to Catherine Tanvier in the Australian Open. She continued to play doubles occasionally for seven more years.
She became the captain of the U. S Federation Cup team and the coach of its women's Olympic tennis squad. In 1996, the U.S. lifted the Fed Cup and added 3 Olympic gold medals.
Major Achievements
In 1974, her win against Bobby Riggs in the sensational ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match, brought gender equality, especially in sports, to the fore. The game was watched by 50 million on TV.
The 1975 Wimbledon finals was one sided. King overcame the fourth seeded Australian born Evonne Goolagong Cawley 6-0, 6-1. The match lasted only 19 minutes. King described her performance a “near perfect match”
Awards
Billie Jean was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987 and was also inducted to the California Hall of Fame and the Southern California Tennis Hall of Fame.
A recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, she was awarded the Champion of Justice Award by the Public Justice Foundation, and in 2009, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian award.
In 2000, King received an award from GLAAD, an organization that fights discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people. She was also inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame.
Personal Life & Legacy
Billie Jean was married to Larry King between 1965 and 1987. She was attracted to Marilyn Barnett, her secretary, and shared a lesbian relationship with her. Marilyn sued her for palimony after the matter became public.
She dropped out of the delegation for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, to be near her ailing mother. Her mother passed away on February 7, the date of its opening ceremony.
Trivia
According to this tennis champion, “Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility”.
Elton John’s song, ‘Philadelphia Freedom’ was a tribute to this tennis star who coached a team called the Philadelphia Freedoms. She was the first women ever to coach men.
// Famous Lesbians
Gia Carangi
Gia Carangi was one of the very first supermodels from the USA. Check out this biography to know about her birthday, childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about her.
Bella Thorne
Bella Thorne is an American actress and singer. Let’s have a look at her personal and family life including age, net worth, relationships and fun facts.
Susan Mikula
Susan Mikula is an American artist and photographer. Check out this biography to know about her childhood, family life, achievements and fun factsabout her life.
Billie Jean King biography timelines
- // 22nd Nov 1943Billie Jean was born Billie Jean Moffit to Bill Moffit, a fireman, and Betty, a homemaker. Her younger brother, Randy, became a baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants.
- // 1959In 1959, King made her first Grand Slam appearance at the U.S. Championships. Her first round opponent, Justina Bricka retrieved the match after having a match point against her in the second set.
- // 1960In 1960, she won the Philadelphia and District Women's Grass Court Championships - her first senior title. She defeated Karen Hantze Susman, who had reached the U.S Championship Quarter finals the previous year.
- // 1961In 1961, the Long Beach Tennis Patrons, Century Club, and Harold Guiver raised $2,000 to pay for her trip to Wimbledon. She did not disappoint and partnering with Susman, she won the doubles title.
- // 1963In 1963, she claimed her first Southern California Championships title, defeating Darlene Hard in the final. At Wimbledon, she overcame Maria Bueno and Ann Haydon-Jones, but lost in the final to top-seeded Margaret Court.
- // 1964Margaret Court was her nemesis during most of 1964. Court defeated her in the Wimbledon semifinals and in the Federation Cup final. King decided to become a full time tennis player that year.
- // 1965In 1965, she lost in the semifinals of the Australian Open and the Wimbledon. In the U.S. Open, she suffered a demoralizing loss to Court in the finals, after being in a winning position.
- // 1965 To 1987Billie Jean was married to Larry King between 1965 and 1987. She was attracted to Marilyn Barnett, her secretary, and shared a lesbian relationship with her. Marilyn sued her for palimony after the matter became public.
- // 1966In 1966, she won her first grand slam title overpowering Maria Bueno in the final at Wimbledon. Her newly acquired forehand skills had helped defeat Margaret Court in the semifinals in straight sets.
- // 1967In 1967, she won her second Wimbledon and her first U.S. singles Championships. Significantly, she won the women's doubles and mixed doubles titles at both the events.
- // 1967She denounced the United States Lawn Tennis Association, in 1967, for its practice of covertly paying top players to take part in various tournaments. She termed the practice "shamateurism".
- // 1968In 1968, she won her first Australia Open title while she lost in the French Open semifinal. She recovered to win her third consecutive Wimbledon singles finals, but could not retain her U.S Open title.
- // 1970In 1970, she joined 8 other players to play in the newly formed Virginia Slims Circuit, protesting the unequal prize money paid to male and female players. They boycotted the USLTA Pacific Southwest Championships.
- // 1971In 1971, her only Grand Slam win was the US Open singles. It was the best year of her career – she won 17 of the 31 tournaments she played, with a 112-13 match record.
- // 1972In 1972, she won three Grand Slam titles, but skipped the Australian Open as it was a minor tournament then. Thus, she missed an opportunity to win all four events in a calendar year.
- // 1973 To 1980Between 1973 and 1980, she won five Grand Slam singles titles – two Wimbledon and three U.S Opens. During the period, she also won four mixed doubles and four Grand Slam doubles titles.
- // 1974In 1974, her win against Bobby Riggs in the sensational ‘Battle of the Sexes’ match, brought gender equality, especially in sports, to the fore. The game was watched by 50 million on TV.
- // 1975The 1975 Wimbledon finals was one sided. King overcame the fourth seeded Australian born Evonne Goolagong Cawley 6-0, 6-1. The match lasted only 19 minutes. King described her performance a “near perfect match”
- // 1983In 1983, she announced her retirement from competitive singles after a second round loss to Catherine Tanvier in the Australian Open. She continued to play doubles occasionally for seven more years.
- // 1987Billie Jean was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987 and was also inducted to the California Hall of Fame and the Southern California Tennis Hall of Fame.
- // 1996She became the captain of the U. S Federation Cup team and the coach of its women's Olympic tennis squad. In 1996, the U.S. lifted the Fed Cup and added 3 Olympic gold medals.
- // 2000In 2000, King received an award from GLAAD, an organization that fights discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgender people. She was also inducted into the National Gay and Lesbian Sports Hall of Fame.
- // 2009A recipient of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award, she was awarded the Champion of Justice Award by the Public Justice Foundation, and in 2009, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian award.
- // 2014She dropped out of the delegation for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, to be near her ailing mother. Her mother passed away on February 7, the date of its opening ceremony.
// Famous Sportspersons
Ted Williams
Ted Williams was an American baseball player. Read this biography to learn more about his profile, childhood, life and timeline.
Jürgen Klopp
Jürgen Klopp is a German football manager, and a former professional football player. Check out this biography to know more about his childhood, family, personal life, etc.
Yao Ming
Yao Ming is a retired Chinese basketball player who played for Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him.
Brock Lesnar
Brock Edward Lesnar is a popular American wrestler, American football player, as well as a martial artist. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and other facts about his life.
Brandon Burlsworth
Brandon Burlsworth was a football player who played for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Check out this biography to know about his childhood, family life, achievements and fun facts about him.
Whitney Bjerken
Check out all that you wanted to know about Whitney Bjerken, the famous gymnast & YouTuber; her birthday, her family and personal life, fun trivia facts and more.
Billie Jean King's FAQ
What is Billie Jean King birthday?
Billie Jean King was born at 1943-11-22
What is Billie Jean King nationalities?
Billie Jean King's nationalities is American
How tall is Billie Jean King?
Billie Jean King's height is 164
Who is Billie Jean King's father?
Billie Jean King's father is Bill Moffitt
Who is Billie Jean King's mother?
Billie Jean King's mother is Betty
What is Billie Jean King's sun sign?
Billie Jean King is Scorpio
How famous is Billie Jean King?
Billie Jean King is famouse as Former Women's Tennis Champion