WTA legend Billie Jean King took to social media to share her joy at the state of prize money on the tennis circuit, after battling for equal distribution between both genders.
The 12-time Grand Slam singles champion was one of 10 female players who protested the unequal financial gains for men and women on the tennis circuit. As a group, they would eventually break away to form the Virginia Slims women’s tour, which became the Women’s Tennis Association in 1973.
According to a Forbes report, Naomi Osaka (1st), Serena Williams (2nd), Emma Raducanu (4th), Iga Swiatek (5th), Venus Williams (6th), Coco Gauff (7th), and Jessica Pegula (9th) are all in the top 10 list of the highest-paid female athletes in 2022.
King took to social media to celebrate how far equality on the tennis circuit has come, as seven of the world's top 10 highest-paid women athletes are all tennis players.
"52 years ago today, I won $4K in a tournament, & became the first woman athlete to earn $100K in prize money in a single year. Today, 7 of the top 10 highest paid women athletes are all tennis players (Forbes). We have come so far, but the work must go on," she wrote on Twitter.
Growing up in a household where soccer was king, my earliest memories are filled with chants from packed stadiums and the rhythm of a ball being passed across neighborhood streets. But somewhere along the way, the quiet elegance and raw emotion of tennis pulled me in. What began as a curiosity became a lifelong passion; not just for the sport itself, but for the stories it tells: of grit, of heartbreak, of improbable comebacks and human resilience.
As a tennis writer, I bring the observational lens of someone who didn’t grow up in the sport, but fell in love with it as an outsider; a perspective that lets me see both its technical beauty and its emotional depth. Over the years working with TennisUpToDate, I’ve had the privilege of reaching more than 3.5 million readers worldwide, with one of my features ranking among the site’s top three articles.
With a background in storytelling and a creative mind always searching for meaning beyond the scoreboard, I aim to craft narratives that go deeper than results and rankings. Whether it’s a rising star breaking through or a veteran fighting off Father Time, I try to capture the heartbeat behind the headlines.
52 years ago today, I won $4K in a tournament, & became the first woman athlete to earn $100K in prize money in a single year.
Today, 7 of the top 10 highest paid women athletes are all tennis players (Forbes).
We have come so far, but the work must go on.