"Billie is one of the greatest athletes and ambassadors tennis has ever seen, but her impact off the court is even greater than her performance on it," said Brian Hainline, chairman and president of the USTA.
Billie Jean King's relentless advocacy for equal pay in tennis led to the U.S. Open becoming the first Grand Slam tournament to offer men and women equal prize money in 1973, which cemented her legacy as a champion of women's rights.
King has long been a trailblazer for gender equality in sports and society. The 80-year-old's relentless advocacy for equal pay in tennis led to the U.S. Open becoming the first Grand Slam tournament to offer men and women equal prize money in 1973.
King is among a select group of athletes to have received the Congressional Gold Medal. Eleven individual athletes, as well as the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, had received the Congressional Gold Medal, but before King all had been men.
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