"I don’t think other sports necessarily had that person, that one person" - Serena Williams credits Billie Jean King for putting tennis on the map

Serena Williams recently credited Billie Jean King for role in elevating tennis to prominence . Williams said that no other sport has a figure as iconic and representative of the sport as King.

King is one of the greatest tennis players of all time . She ha s won 39 Grand Slam titles - 12 singles titles, 16 women's doubles titles and 11 mixed doubles titles. She was also ranked the World No.1 during her career

Apart from her success on the tennis court, Billie Jean King has also been an advocate for women's rights in sports and LGBTQ+ rights. She has been a vocal champion for gender equality in tennis, especially regarding prize money distribution.In 1971, King made history by becoming the first female athlete to earn over $100,000 in a single season

The former World No.1's commitment to equality was further demonstrated in 1973 when she threatened to boycott the US Open unless equal prize money was offered to male and female players. As a result of her advocacy, the US Open became the first Grand Slam tournament to provide equal prize money for both genders. King also founded the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) in 1973

Recently while speaking with Vanity Fair, Serena Williams discussed the growing recognition of women's sports . Williams stated that women's sports have always been present, but is now receiving the attention it deserves.

“Women’s sports have been around forever. Basketball has been around forever. Women have been doing so amazing for so long, so for me, I’m like, There is no resurgence. It was always here. You guys just started paying attention,” Serena Williams said.

Serena Williams credited the impact of Billie Jean King for elevating tennis to new heights . She said that King's influence on tennis is unparalleled and that no other sport has that "one figure" that represents it like tennis has King.

“We had Billie Jean King, and not every sport had that. I think I would be remiss not to say that, because Billie did so much for women’s tennis and put it on the map. I don’t think other sports necessarily had that person, that one person, but now they have media; now they have a lot of people. But I think we were so fortunate to have that,” she added.

"Serena Williams has changed how tennis is played, she has pushed the other players to improve" - Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King (L) and Serena Williams (R)

Earlier in a column for the New York Times in 2022, Billie Jean King called Serena Williams the greatest of all time (GOAT), or at least of her generation. She said that the 23-time Grand Slam singles champion set the bar higher for excellence while also crediting her for inspiring other players to improve

"She’s the GOAT, the greatest of all time — or at least the greatest of her time, since every generation gets better. Serena has changed how tennis is played . In her time, the serves have gotten so much better in women’s tennis, and I think she’s the reason: She has pushed the other players to improve. When you have a great serve, it keeps you out of trouble," King said .

King praised Williams for championing women's rights, especially for women of color .She also commended the 23-time Grand Slam champion for speaking her truth and using her platform to advocate for equality

"She has been an amazing representative, a fantastic leader helping women, particularly women of color . She’s not afraid to speak her truth," she added .

Serena Williams' career includes an impressive 39 Grand Slam titles, with 23 in singles, 14 in women's doubles, and two in mixed doubles . She has also held the World No.1 ranking for 319 weeks. Her career came to an end after the 2022 US Open where she reached the third round before losing to Ajla Tomljanovic.