Billie Jean King

Birth Name:

Billie Jean Moffitt

Birth Place:

Long Beach, California, United States

Profession

Actress, Producer, Production manager

During her tennis career, she won a record 20 Wimbledon titles, including the women's doubles title with Karen Hantze Susman in 1962, which was her first attempt
Was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest U․S․ civilian honor, in August 2009, and was the first female athlete to be honored with it
Was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987
Was the first female athlete to win more than $100,000 in prize money in 1971 during her campaign for equal pay for men and women
Began playing tennis at a young age when she learned to play on public courts near her home
Quote: "A champion is afraid of losing․ Everyone else is afraid of winning․"
Quote: "(On being a member of the U․S․ delegation to the 2014 Sochi Olympics): "I think our presence is really important․ I take this very seriously․ The responsibility to stand and possibly speak for those who don't have a voice runs deep․""
Best known as a former tennis champion and proponent for equal rights
Faced Bobby Riggs in a highly-publicized 1973 match referred to as the "Battle of the Sexes," which she won despite Riggs's claims that the women's game was inferior
Was the first president of the Women's Tennis Association in 1974 and was the head of the first professional women's tour, the Virginia Slims, in the 1970s

Fast Facts