American tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and led advocacy for equal prize money in women's tennis.
Background
Born Billie Jean Moffitt in Long Beach, California, King began competing as a teenager and won her first Wimbledon title at age 17 in 1961.
Career
She won six Wimbledons, four US Opens, one Australian Open, and one French Open. In 1973 she co-founded the WTA and beat Bobby Riggs in a nationally televised match at the Astrodome. She campaigned for equal prize money at the US Open, which was implemented that year.
Style of play
A right-handed serve-and-volleyer with sharp net play, King combined an attacking forecourt game with the doubles instincts that helped her win 39 Grand Slam titles overall.
Find more athletes by letter
Billie Jean King starts with B and ends with G. Browse other athletes along the same letter.
Athletes that contain a letter from "Billie Jean King":