OLYMPICS VERTICAL INFO

BY Surthi, Shriya, Jayna and Alisha

billie jean king

AMERICA FORMER WORLD NO.1 TENNIS PLAYER

September 20,1973 "Battle of Sexes"

Billie Jean king,29 beats Bobby Riggs, 55 a former No.1 ranked men's players. Riggs was a self-proclaimed male chauvinst who boasted that women were inferior and that he could beat any women.The match was a huge media events spectated by 30,000 spectators.This match made a key moment in sports history as Billie Jean proved Riggs wrong.

Awards

Life

Billie Jean King was born on the 22nd November 1943,currently she is 78 years old.King has won 39 Grand Slam title,12 in singles,16 in women's doubles and a record of 20 titles at Wimbledon.King is currently married to Llano Kloss,a former professional tennis player and coach.

Billie Jean King started her career in 1959 King and played 51 Grand Slam singles events from 1959 through 1983, reaching at least the semi-finals in 27 and at least the quarterfinals in 40 of her attempts.n 1959, Billie Jean turned pro, and former women's tennis great Alice Marble became her coach.

How did Billie Jean King change history?

Billie Jean King changed history by protesting for womens equality when it came to equal prize money. She fought against a man named Bobby Riggs and she beat him as he said "No women can beat me." and Billie beat him She also helped establish the Virginia Slims Tour, founded the Women's Tennis Association and the Women's Sports Foundation, and co-founded World TeamTennis. As a female athlete, King achieved a number of “firsts”. In 1971, she became the first female athlete in any sport to earn more than $100,000 in a single season, and in 1974, she became the first woman to coach a co-ed team in professional sports, the Philadelphia Freedoms. In 1984, King became the first woman commissioner in professional sports history. She is an inspiration to women to this day.