Sports · Tennis · 12 hrs ago
Billie Jean King’s career and fight for equality feature in new documentary
Billie Jean King, now 82, won 39 Grand Slam titles during her tennis career.
She also won Wimbledon 20 times across singles, doubles and mixed doubles, a record matched only by Martina Navratilova.
In 1970, King helped lead nine women players who founded a major professional tennis tour to challenge unequal prize money.
They signed symbolic $1 contracts with tennis publisher Gladys Heldman as a protest.
The fight helped push women’s tennis towards equal prize money, while King’s 1973 win over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” became a landmark moment for the sport.
A new documentary, Give Me the Ball!, tells the story of the nine players and focuses in part on that pivotal year; King has also spoken about the personal struggle she faced then as she grappled with her sexuality.
Billie Jean King’s career and fight for equality are the focus of the new documentary Give Me the Ball!.
The film tells the story of the “original 9” women tennis players, who founded the first major women’s professional tennis tour in 1970.
King won 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles titles.
She led efforts to secure equal prize money for women and men.
The documentary also focuses on King’s 1973 victory over Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes”.
- Who
- Billie Jean King and the “original 9” women tennis players.
- What
- A new documentary, Give Me the Ball!, tells the story of King’s tennis career and fight for equality.
- When
- It covers events including the founding of the tour in 1970 and King’s match against Bobby Riggs in 1973. The documentary’s release date is not stated.
- Where
- The tour and match are part of the story; the match’s location is not stated.
- Why
- The film documents King’s career and the women players’ efforts to challenge unequal prize money.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
King and the “original 9” founded the first major women’s professional tennis tour and signed symbolic $1 contracts to protest prize-money inequality.
King beat Bobby Riggs in the “Battle of the Sexes” exhibition match.
- Documentary
- Give Me the Ball!
- Original 9
- Nine female tennis players
- Tour founded
- 1970
- Symbolic contracts
- $1 each
- Grand Slam titles
- 39
- Singles titles
- 12
What people are saying
the pivotal year in women’s tennis
a mess, emotionally
You get to run, jump and hit a ball.