Fifty years after she helped form a breakaway women’s tour, the Fed Cup is being renamed the Billie Jean King Cup. The champion and campaigner reflects on the honour and that historic moment
Billie Jean King is still not used to seeing her name emblazoned across buildings and titling competitions, but she may soon be. The vast grounds of the US Open have already long been named the Billie Jean King Tennis Center and at the WTA Finals, the governing body’s flagship event, each year the champion gleefully lifts a trophy named after her to the skies.
On Thursday, the International Tennis Federation announced its own addition to that list. Its longtime women’s team competition, the Fed Cup, has been rebranded as the Billie Jean King Cup. The finals of the event will be held next April in Budapest and will feature $12m prize money, meaning the teams will earn the same as players in the Davis Cup.
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It was very nerve-wracking, we were very scared, but we knew we were doing the right thing
