5 Women Who Changed The Face Of Tennis

#5 Gladys Heldman - Pioneer Of Professional Women's Tennis

Gladys Heldman - Career Highlights

Gladys Heldman started playing tennis quite late. She discovered tennis after marriage and two kids. But she revolutionized the game from outside the court. She founded 'World Tennis' a magazine about tennis written by players. It was well-received by players and fans. It also played a key role in popularizing tennis around the world. She realized that there was a significant disparity in the prize money between men and women, and women's tennis was reduced to the sidelines in dual-gender tournaments. She started a women's tennis tour along with Joe Cullman, CEO of Philip Morris as the sponsor, and nine disgruntled tennis players. The players signed one-dollar contracts with Heldman to compete in the event which was called the Virginia Slims Tour. The first tournament was a big success and was followed by many tournaments across the United States. Traditional tournaments were forced to follow suit to remain relevant. This paved the way for WTA and gave women an opportunity to prosper professionally in tennis.