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Billie Jean King: Us Open
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On Monday night, the U.S. Tennis Association finally acknowledged its own longstanding debt to King, renaming in her honor its national headquarters, the home of the U.S. Open. In days past, given King's bitter feuds with the USTA, such a gesture would've been unimaginable. Disgusted with the piddling pay and scant respect the organization awarded the women's game, King was instrumental in setting up the rival Virginia Slims circuit, unsanctioned by the national body. On Monday, she acknowledged, "I'm one of the suits now." She seemed embarrassed by the transformation, but it was the USTA that should have been uncomfortable: Why did it take them so long to recognize the sport's greatest contributor?
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In 1987, she divorced Lawrence King. On a PBS program on March 20, 2005, she discussed the fact that her sexual side has been the greatest struggle of her life. She pointed out that she came from a personally conservative background, which worked against her being open about her sexual orientation, as contrasted with less inhibited players such as Martina Navratilova.
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The typical City Club format was amended to allow for a Q&A with Billie Jean King and USA Today columnist Christine Brennan in front of the 500+ attendees. Ms Brennan said that in 1973 she was a 15 year old sophomore (in a high school just outside Toledo) and she hid her letter jacket in the closet.
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