"Crazy how I see Billie Jean King more than some of my relatives" - American icon's US Open appearance leaves tennis fans amused

American icon Billie Jean King was recently invited by the USTA to be present at the podium during the 2023 US Open women's singles award ceremony. Her appearance, however, seemed a bit random to the tennis community on social media and they came up with witty comments.

Many fans on X (formerly Twitter) proceeded to crack some hilarious jokes at the expense of the women's rights activist. One of them, named Marty, admitted tongue-in-cheek that he saw King on live TV far more often than he saw his relatives in person.

"Crazy how I see Billie Jean King more than some of my relatives," the fan wrote

Another fan, meanwhile, asserted that if the human race ever undertook an expedition to Mars, the 79-year-old would perhaps be the first person to welcome them on the planet.

"People could go to mars and there would be Billie Jean King to welcome them," they wrote

Here are a few more hilarious reactions on social media:

Coco Gauff thanked Billie Jean King for her equal pay cause after receiving US $3 million check

Billie Jean King poses with fellow Original 9 members

Coco Gauff showed immense mental strength during the women's championship match of the US Open on Saturday, 9 September.

The American teen got off to a slow start, dropping the first set to second-seed Aryna Sabalenka without much resistance. She, however, played some resilient tennis in the next two sets to secure her maiden Major title with a 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 win.

Gauff subsequently received a whopping US $3 million winner's prize money. During her speech, she then noticed Billie Jean King was also present at the trophy ceremony and proceeded to thank the American icon for her efforts in bringing pay parity between male and female tennis players.

"Thank you Billie, for fighting for this," the 19-year-old said

For the uninitiated, it was King who had initially kick-started the formation of the WTA in 1973. She was one of the nine female players that took a stand for equal rights in tennis. Back then, women did not receive an equitable share of money for their efforts.

That, however, changed soon as the WTA founder threatened to boycott the 1973 US Open unless the women’s prize money was made equal to the men’s. The US Open organizers eventually budged and the other three Majors soon followed suit.