| Revision as of 14:47, 1 November 2003 editAndre Engels (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers20,763 editsm nl:← Previous edit | Revision as of 00:11, 25 January 2004 edit undoWernher (talk | contribs)16,218 editsm fmt; some refactoring; Larry = Lawrence, right? Also, it's not "the" L.K. we're talking about here, anyway...Next edit → | ||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| '''Billie Jean King''' (b. ]), professional ] player | '''Billie Jean King''' (b. ]), professional ] player. Born '''Billie Jean Moffitt''' on ], ] in ], ] she is considered to be one of the greatest female tennis players and female athletes in history. | ||
| ⚫ | In 1965 she married Mr. Lawrence King and since then has been better known under her husband's family name. | ||
| Born '''Billie Jean Moffitt''' on ], ] in ], ] she is considered to be one of the greatest female tennis players and female athletes in history. | |||
| ⚫ | Bille Jean King won the triple crown for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in the ] and ]. She is also credited with being one of the first female athletes to speak out against sexual inequality in organized sports. In what was billed as '''''The Battle of the Sexes''''', she defeated 55 years old ] on ], ] 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 before 30,492 spectators in the ] (reportedly the largest ever live audience for tennis) as well as television viewers in 37 countries. | ||
| ⚫ | Billie Jean King is the only woman to win U.S. singles titles on all 4 surfaces on which it has been played (grass, clay, indoor, and hard.) She is one of only 8 players to hold a singles title in each of the ] events. Billie Jean King was inducted into the ] in ] in ]. In ], ] named her one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century". | ||
| ⚫ | In 1965 she married |
||
| ⚫ | In 1971, King (whilst still married) began an affair with Marilyn Barnett, a hairdresser. When this came to light in a lawsuit ten years later, King acknowledged the affair and thus became the first American athlete to openly acknowledge a ] relationship. Later in life, she divorced. She received an award from ], an organisation devoted to reducing discrimination against homo- and bisexuals, in 2001 for "furthering the visibility and inclusion of the community in her work". The award noted her involvement in production and the free distribution of educational films, as well as serving on the boards of several ] charities. | ||
| ⚫ | Bille Jean King won the triple crown for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in the ] and ]. She is also credited with being one of the first female athletes to speak out against sexual inequality in organized sports. In what was billed as '''''The Battle of the Sexes'''', she defeated ] on ], ] 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 before 30,492 (the largest live audience for tennis) |
||
| ⚫ | ==Major tournaments won== | ||
| ⚫ | Billie Jean King is the only woman to win U.S. singles titles on all 4 surfaces on which it has been played (grass, clay, indoor, and hard.) She is one of only 8 players to hold a singles title in each of the ] events. Billie Jean King was inducted into the ] in ] in ]. | ||
| In ], ] named her one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century". | |||
| ⚫ | In 1971, King (whilst still married) began an affair with Marilyn Barnett, a hairdresser. |
||
| ⚫ | |||
| *] - 1 singles title | *] - 1 singles title | ||
| *] - 1 singles title | *] - 1 singles title | ||
| *] - 6 singles titles (20 titles overall) | *] - 6 singles titles (20 titles overall) | ||
| *] - 4 singles titles | *] - 4 singles titles | ||
| ==External links == | |||
| * (IMDb info on the 2001 TV drama/comedy about ''The Battle of the Sexes'') | |||
Revision as of 00:11, 25 January 2004
Billie Jean King (b. 1943), professional tennis player. Born Billie Jean Moffitt on November 22, 1943 in Long Beach, California, United States she is considered to be one of the greatest female tennis players and female athletes in history.
In 1965 she married Mr. Lawrence King and since then has been better known under her husband's family name. Bille Jean King won the triple crown for singles, doubles, and mixed doubles in the US and Britain. She is also credited with being one of the first female athletes to speak out against sexual inequality in organized sports. In what was billed as The Battle of the Sexes, she defeated 55 years old Bobby Riggs on September 20, 1973 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 before 30,492 spectators in the Houston Astrodome (reportedly the largest ever live audience for tennis) as well as television viewers in 37 countries.
Billie Jean King is the only woman to win U.S. singles titles on all 4 surfaces on which it has been played (grass, clay, indoor, and hard.) She is one of only 8 players to hold a singles title in each of the Grand Slam in tennis events. Billie Jean King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1987. In 1990, Life magazine named her one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century".
In 1971, King (whilst still married) began an affair with Marilyn Barnett, a hairdresser. When this came to light in a lawsuit ten years later, King acknowledged the affair and thus became the first American athlete to openly acknowledge a homosexual relationship. Later in life, she divorced. She received an award from GLAAD, an organisation devoted to reducing discrimination against homo- and bisexuals, in 2001 for "furthering the visibility and inclusion of the community in her work". The award noted her involvement in production and the free distribution of educational films, as well as serving on the boards of several AIDS charities.
Major tournaments won
- Australian Open - 1 singles title
- French Open - 1 singles title
- Wimbledon championships - 6 singles titles (20 titles overall)
- US Open - 4 singles titles
External links
- When Billie Beat Bobby (IMDb info on the 2001 TV drama/comedy about The Battle of the Sexes)