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1971: Billie Jean King Wins $100,000

On By Teresa Merklin

In 1971 Billie Jean King was the first woman to win $100,000 playing professional sports in a single year. It was a goal that she had personally set and announced. Talking about money openly was a calculated strategy intended to draw attention to the women’s tour. It gave the media a story to follow and was great publicity. When Billie Jean King cleared the mark by defeating Rosie Casals at the last Virginia Slims tournament, it was a defining moment for women’s professional sports. Legitimacy had arrived.

1968 US Open: Prize Money Distribution

On By Teresa Merklin

The total prize purse for the first U.S. Open tennis tournament in 1968 was $100,000. Thus started a tradition of USLTA one-upmanship of offering more prize money than any of the other Grand Slam events. Leading into the tournament in 1968, the pressing public question was the source of the funds to be awarded. In retrospect, the distribution of prize money was more culturally and socioeconomically significant. It established the precedent for how money would be allocated between the men and women in the Open Era.

The Battle of the Sexes

On By Teresa Merklin

“All In: An AutoBiography” by Billie Jean King was released two days ago. I am in the middle of a very busy week at work and haven’t yet completed my initial reading. Last weekend, in anticipation that I would not be able to turn around a review in two days, I hedged my bets by rewatching the “Battle of the Sexes” movie starring Emma Stone as Billie Jean King and Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs. My review of “All In” will run next Thursday.

A Hella Hindrance in Toronto

On By Teresa Merklin

There was an unusual call last week in a match between Daniil Medvedev and Alexander Bublik. Medvedev lost a point for apologizing to Bublik after almost decapitating him with an overhead. Miraculously, Bublik got a racquet on the ball and returned it. The umpire called hindrance on Medvedev for saying “Sorry” when the point was still in play.

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Signs of the Times: Get Out and Play

On By Teresa Merklin

The July Challenge of the USTA Tennis Champions initiative was to put up yard signs to promote tennis participation. I am concentrating my efforts in my childhood hometown of Wichita Falls, Texas. It isn’t my permanent residence, but recently I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time here. Once upon a time, Wichita Falls was a tennis hotbed with an abundance of courts. Unfortunately, one of the tennis centers is currently shuttered due to lack of public interest. It’s a modern tennis tragedy.

Trivia Time: What Year was the US Open First Conducted?

On By Teresa Merklin

Here is a great trivia question to spark conversation and, more importantly – potentially win a bar bet. If you ask a person what year the US Open tennis tournament was first held, they are likely to come up with a date in the 1880s. It is a trick question. The US Open wasn’t played until the start of the Open Era, which was 1968. Before that year, the US Open wasn’t “Open.” That may prompt the question of what came before.

The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center

On By Teresa Merklin

The US Open is played at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Throughout her playing career, Billie Jean King was in frequent conflict with the USLTA (later USTA) and one of its most outspoken and colorful critics. As an organization, the USTA has a long history of an extremely insular culture that ostracizes dissenters. That makes the decision to say “Thank You” to Billie Jean by naming the National Tennis Center in her honor all the more momentous. That recognition of her enormous contributions to the sport was an act that was entirely out of character for the USTA.

Game, Set, Match: Billie Jean King and the Revolution in Women’s Sports

On By Teresa Merklin

“All In: An Autobiography” of Billie Jean King will be released in five days on August 17. In the interim, I am passing the time by revisiting previously published books on her life. This week’s selection is positioned as a history book on the revolution in women’s sports. Interweaving the biography of Billie Jean King with the emergence of women’s athletics makes the history more accessible than when presented as a standalone topic. That story is virtually inseparable from the life of Billie Jean anyway.