Last week, at the opening night of the 2006 U.S. Open, something historic took place: the United States Tennis Association officially renamed the National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. after legendary out tennis player Billie Jean King.
The USTA pulled out all the stops in the ceremony that honored a woman whose amazing off-court accomplishments actually outdistance her considerable on-court achievements during a hall-of-fame tennis career.
"So rarely are women thought of this way, to get something named after them in sports," King said in her speech at the ceremony. "For that I'm so thrilled. You have no idea because this is for all the world. Women, people of color, people with disabilities. I hope it will have an echoing effect. It's tangible, there's a focus, a beacon of hope, a new beginning. I hope people see this and dream big and truly go for it."
On this night, it seemed like virtually everyone important in King's life had shown up. There was Billie Jean's mom, Betty Moffit, wiping away tears. There was Chris Evert, who called Billie Jean the most influential person in her life outside her family. There was Martina Navratilova, cheering from the stands. There were Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe speaking eloquently about a woman who they agree is the most important figure in the history of their sport.
Ilana Kloss, the former tennis pro from South Africa who Billie Jean, 62, has shared her life with for more than two decades, was present, but out of view of USA Network cameras. Kloss stood just outside the tunnel of Arthur Ashe Stadium as her partner received the tribute for the ages. In her speech, Billie Jean called her "the wind beneath my wings."
King and Kloss have been fairly low-key over the years but on the recent HBO special, Billie Jean King: Portrait of a Pioneer, their relationship was front-and-center as King discussed her sexuality with great honesty. The end of the documentary has King and Kloss having lunch with her parents, Betty and Bill. It was filmed shortly before Bill Moffit died over the summer.
In an interview this summer, King told me she isn't sure if she and Kloss would get married even if same-sex marriage were legal. But, she said, "We should have the choice, I'm very adamant about it. You want the same legal rights and to announce your love publicly. We absolutely deserve it."
King has come a long way from the early 1980s when, while still married to college sweetheart Larry King, she was forced out of the closet by former lover Marilyn Barnett who unsuccessfully sued King for palimony. Since the end of her marriage, not long after the Barnett lawsuit, King has been with Kloss, 50, who was the best doubles player in the world in 1976 and is currently the CEO and commissioner of World Team Tennis.
The HBO special aired all summer and succeeded in reminding several generations of King's contributions to sports and to society. Sportswriter Frank Deford said she and Jackie Robinson are the two athletes who stand out the most in terms of having the biggest impact on the culture.
"I got chills up and down my spine," she said of Deford's remarks. "To be in the same category as Jackie Robinson, I do love it, because I admire him so much."
The special highlighted an on-court career that includes being one of the first women to win all four of the sports' grand slam singles titles in her career: Wimbledon (six times), the U.S. Open (four times) and the French Open and Australian Open once apiece. In addition, she has won 27 slam titles in women's doubles and mixed doubles at the four major tournaments.
King also became the first female athlete ever to earn more than $100,000 in a single year and was also the first woman to be named Sportswoman of the Year by Sports Illustrated magazine.
"I didn't have very much time to enjoy it," she said. "If I were playing today, I'd enjoy the victories and enjoy all the money! I would be in heaven. But money would not be my driving force. I want to be the best. That's the way all of us feel."
Page 1 / 2 - Next
