"We're not done yet!" – Billie Jean King reflects on her historic $100,000 milestone and the fight for equal pay in tennis

Billie Jean King recently marked a significant milestone in her illustrious career. King recalled her historic achievement in 1971 when she became the first woman athlete to earn $100,000 in prize money in a single year.

King made a tweet on October 3, highlighting the progress made in women’s tennis, noting that nine of the top ten highest-paid women athletes today are tennis players.

"53 years ago today, I won $4,000 in a tournament and became the first woman athlete to earn $100,000 in prize money in a single year (in 1971). Today (in 2024), professional tennis players represent 9 of the top 10 highest-paid women athletes. The progress has been wonderful. But we’re not done yet!" King wrote on X.

According to Forbes, the highest-paid women tennis players include Iga Swiatek ($23.9 million), followed by Coco Gauff ($21.7 million), and Emma Raducanu ($15.2 million). Other notable players include Naomi Osaka ($15 million), Aryna Sabalenka ($14.7 million), Jessica Pegula ($12.5 million), Venus Williams ($12.2 million), Elena Rybakina ($9.5 million), and Leylah Fernandez ($8.8 million).

King’s journey towards equal prize money began in the early 1970s when she joined the Virginia Slims Circuit, a tour founded by Gladys Heldman to protest the inequity in prize money between men and women.

Along with eight other women, known as the "Original 9," King signed a $1 contract to join the tour, a bold move that laid the foundation for the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), which she founded in 1973.

King’s relentless advocacy bore fruit when she successfully lobbied for equal prize money at the US Open in 1973, making it the first major tournament to offer equal prize money to both sexes. This landmark achievement set a precedent that eventually led to all four Grand Slam tournaments offering equal prize money.

The American legend won 39 Grand Slam titles (12 singles, 16 doubles, and 11 mixed doubles). King was also the first woman to be chosen as Sports Illustrated’s “Sportsperson of the Year” in 1972. Her legacy is further cemented by the renaming of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in her honor in 2006.

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Billie Jean King was honored with the Congressional Gold Medal and a bronze statue at California State University

Billie Jean King (Image source: Getty)

Billie Jean King recently became the first female individual athlete to be awarded the prestigious Congressional Gold Medal. This award is one of the highest non-military honors bestowed by the U.S. Congress, given to those who have made extraordinary contributions to American society.

On September 26, U.S. President Joe Biden signed the "Billie Jean King Congressional Gold Medal Act" into law, officially granting King this honor. It adds to her impressive accolades, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded by President Barack Obama in 2009 for her significant contributions to U.S. national security, world peace, and culture.

Until King's recognition, nine individual athletes—alongside the 1980 U.S. Olympic team—had been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, all of whom were men.

In another recent tribute to her legacy, Cal State LA honored King, a proud alumna, by unveiling a bronze statue at the Billie Jean King Sports Complex on October 2.