"She won, we won" - Ons Jabeur, Coco Gauff and others reminisce Billie Jean King's 'Battle of the Sexes' on its 50th anniversary

On Wednesday, September 20, the world celebrated the 50th anniversary of the iconic 'Battle of the Sexes' match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. It held immense importance not only for women's tennis but also for the broader women's liberation movement. Tennis stars from across the globe, including Coco Gauff, Ons Jabeur, and Denis Shapovalov, came together to commemorate the historic event.

World No. 7 Jabeur shared a couple of pictures on her Instagram stories to honor Billie Jean King's triumph in the historic match from half a century ago. One of the images featured Jabeur wearing a gentle smile on her face as she stood near the American legend.

“The work is not done, but today we celebrate greatness. She won, we won. Thank you @billiejeanking," Jabeur wrote.

For the second picture, the Tunisian wrote:

“50 years ago today, on September 20, 1973, @Billie Jeanking defeated Bobby Riggs in the Battle of the Sexes, a tennis match watched by 90 million people worldwide.”

The 2023 US Open champion, Coco Gauff, joined others in celebrating Billie Jean King, the driving force behind the movement for gender pay equality in tennis. Gauff and Canadian tennis player Denis Shapovalov shared a picture of King on their Instagram stories to commemorate her contribution.

Reactions to the 50th anniversary of Battle of the Sexes

In the iconic 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" at the Houston Astrodome, Billie Jean King, then 29, defeated 55-year-old Bobby Riggs in three sets, with scores of 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. The televised event drew 50 million viewers in the US and 90 million globally, marking a significant moment in advancing women's tennis.

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Billie Jean King celebrates Coco Gauff's ascent, commends youngster for her commitment to tennis and social justice

Billie Jean and Coco Gauff

The 2023 US Open commemorated its 50th anniversary of ensuring equal pay between male and female players. Half a century ago, Billie Jean King advocated for the United States Tennis Association to establish equal prize money at the tournament, a milestone achieved in 1973 following her victory over Bobby Riggs in the famous "Battle of the Sexes."

Reflecting on the challenges she and her fellow professionals faced five decades ago in the pursuit of equal pay, King recently said that witnessing Coco Gauff's victory at the 2023 US Open made all those efforts worthwhile.

During a recent interview with People magazine, the 79-year-old lauded Gauff's victory in New York, affirming that the young talent is a valuable addition to the world of tennis.

"Coco winning was just fantastic. When I see her, she's the reason we fought so hard 50 years ago. Gauff going to be really fantastic for our sport," King said.

King also lauded the World No. 3 for her resilient mindset and captivating style of play, in addition to her commitment to advocating for social justice causes. She emphasized that Gauff serves as an inspirational role model for the upcoming generation and expressed her aspirations for Gauff to ascend to the pinnacle of the WTA rankings in the years to come.

"I think she's such a force, because of her background and care for social justice. It comes from her grandmother [Yvonne Lee Odom]. Her grandmother was the first Black child to go to an all-white school in Delray. But I want her to be happy, number one. She's really exciting to watch and a great athlete," King added.