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Article: King, Billie Jean 1943-
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- American Decades
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KING, BILLIE JEAN 1943-
Champion of women's tennis
Billie Jean King transformed women's tennis into a professional sport. When she won her first Wimbledon singles title in 1966, the prize was a gift certificate for clothes. King's response was to begin a campaign, along with leading men's tennis players, to demand prize money at all U.S. Lawn Tennis Association tournaments. Five years later she was the first woman to earn $100,000 in a year as a professional tennis player. Rod Laver, the leading money
winner on the men's tour, won $290,000 that year, suggesting the next inequity King challenged.
In 1972 she complained loudly when she received only $10,000 for winning the U.S. Open, ...