Who better to Accelerate Action for gender equality than the iconic Billie Jean King

Former tennis player, Billie Jean King, is one of the most influential figures in sports history. She won 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles, 16 doubles, and 11 mixed doubles, and is an incredible trailblazer for gender equality in sports. She claimed her first singles major win at Wimbledon in 1966, won all three titles – singles, doubles and mixed doubles – in 1972, and sealed a record-breaking 20th Wimbledon title in 1979 in the doubles alongside further tennis great, Martina Navratilova.

Well known for her impressive advocacy for equality in sport, this former world #1 tennis player remains a key role model for women everywhere.

"Happy International Women's Day! Did you know at the current rate of progress, it will take until 2158 to reach full gender parity, according to the World Economic Forum?" she said in her IWD social media post. "We can all take steps in our daily lives to positively impact women's advancement."

Billie Jean King outlined a few ways we can all help to accelerate acceptance of everyone's diversity, such as calling out stereotypes, challenging discrimination, questioning bias, and celebrating women's success.

"Each of us is an influencer, and each of us can make a difference," said the former world No.1 tennis player.

Billie Jean King's career is filled with many remarkable accolades

Billie Jean King made her Grand Slam debut at the US Championships in 1959 at the age of 15 and won her first major title in the Ladies’ Doubles at Wimbledon with Karen Hantze two years later.

She has achieved much recognition, below are just some of her many highlights. 

In 1967 and again in 1973, Billie Jean King was named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year.

In 1971, she became the first female athlete to win $100,000 in prize money in a single season.

In 1972, she became the first woman and the first tennis player to be named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year and, that same year, she won singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at Wimbledon. 

In 1973, she founded the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) and famously defeated Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes".

In 1974, she co-founded the Women's Sports Foundation, a 501 educational nonprofit charity focused on female involvement in sports that has invested over $100 million to help girls and women play, compete, and lead in sports and beyond. She also founded the Women's Tennis Association. 

Two years later, in 1976, she was named Time Magazine's Woman of the Year.

Jump forward to 1987 when she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. 

She was listed in Life Magazine's 100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century in 1990 and received the ITF's Philippe Chatrier Award in 2003.

In 2006, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center was dedicated in her honor, and in 2009 she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama. 

In 2014, she and Ilana Kloss founded the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative, a non-profit dedicated to addressing the critical issues required to achieve diverse, inclusive leadership in the workforce.

In 2018, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award as part of the prestigious BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards.

In 2019, the Billie Jean King Main Library opened in King’s hometown of Long Beach, California, and ESPN established the Billie Jean King Youth Leadership Award.

Also in 2019, she was announced as Global Ambassador for Federation Cup, and then in 2020 (which was the same year she was honored with the release of the Billie Jean King Barbie doll, part of Mattel’s Inspiring Women Series), the competition was renamed in her honor: the Billie Jean King Cup - which is owned by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the world governing body of tennis. Founded in 1913, ITF's purpose is to ensure long-term growth and sustainability of the sport, delivering tennis for future generations. Alongside the Davis Cup, the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge, is one of the largest annual international team competitions in tennis.

In 2021, she received the Laureus Lifetime Achievement Award and the Sports Illustrated Muhammad Ali Legacy Award.

In 2022, she received France’s highest order of merit, the Ordre national de la Légion d’honneur, from President Macron, and was inducted into the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee Hall of Fame as a special contributor.

Furthermore, the ongoing work and impact of the Billie Jean King Foundation is remarkable. The entity is a living extension of the purpose-driven life of Billie Jean King, dedicated to creating an equitable future for all through the power of sport, education, and activism. As a grant-making non-profit, it partners with diverse organizations to create a more equitable and inclusive world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. 

The impressive rally of Billie Jean King continues ...

Flexing biceps and accelerating action

"Accelerating Action together! Thanks to Gainbridge Sport, Billie Jean King Cup champions have received prize money equivalent to their male counterparts in the Davis Cup for three years and counting - #IWD2025 #AccelerateAction," said the women's World Cup of Tennis, the Billie Jean King Cup organization.

"Flexing biceps and blazing trails all over the globe since 1963. Happy International Women's Day from the World Cup of Tennis! #BJKCup #IWD2025 #AccelerateAction," said another of their posts.

So, as Billie Jean King has been quoted as saying: "Champions keep playing until they get it right."

So, let us all keep tenaciously fighting the good fight, until we get it right.