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The Battle of the Sexes is a legendary tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs, which saw the former register a famous victory and win $100,000.
The Battle of the Sexes was an event proposed by Riggs, who felt he would still be able to defeat a top female tennis player despite being 55 years old. The Welshman was among the top players of his time and won three Grand Slam singles titles. He also triumphed at three Majors on the doubles circuit, one in men's doubles and two in mixed doubles.
Riggs retired in 1962 in his 40s but made a brief return to tennis to challenge the best female tennis player in the world, claiming that women's tennis was inferior to men's.
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Why did the Battle of the Sexes happen?
The Welshman initially asked Billie Jean King to be his opponent but the American rejected calling the match "a fatuous gimmick". He then decided to face Margaret Court, who was the World No. 1 women's player at the time.
The match took on May 13, 1973, in Ramona California, and the Aussie was supposed to win $20,000, a prize money less than what she earned for winning both the Australian Open as well as the French Open that year.
Riggs beat Court 6-2, 6-1 in less than an hour, which resulted in him being featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated and Time magazines.
Battle of the Sexes saw Billie Jean King take on Bobby Riggs
Bobby Riggs was eventually able to challenge Billie Jean King for the match, which was billed the "The Battle of the Sexes". The Houston Astrodome was the venue for the fixture that attracted a crowd of 30,429, with an additional 50 million people viewing it.
The 30-year-old King beat the 55-year-old Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 to register a sensational win, which has gone on to be a key moment in women's tennis.
Billie Jean King won 100,000 for winning The Battle of the Sexes
The American won the $100,000 winner-takes-it-all prize money and said after the match that she thought losing the match would ruin the women's tennis tour and affect the self-esteem of every woman.
"I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn't win that match. It would ruin the women's tour and affect all women's self-esteem," King said.
Billie Jean King went on to enjoy a successful career that saw her win 12 Grand Slam singles titles.
