"We first met when she was six years old, I'll never forget that day" - Billie Jean King on Serena Williams

Serena Williams won her first match at the 2022 US Open and after the win, a legend came out to honour Williams.

Billie Jean King did a lot for women's tennis laying the foundation of the WTA many years ago while inspiring others on and off the court. She took the chance to honour Williams whose impact on tennis is even greater with heaps of praise:

"We first met in April of 1988, when she was six years old and her sister was seven years old at a tennis clinic where we had 1200 kids in Long Beach, California. I'll never forget that day. Here are these two kids that come out, so we have them hit and then I had Serena hit. And then I said, can you serve? She says ‘Yeah, I can serve.’ I said ‘can I see it, please? Can we all see it?’ And mama Oracene [Price] was there. Anyway, Serena serves and I told her don't change a thing. And we saw that tonight. Her serve is by far the most beautiful serve ever in the history of our sport"

King continued with some more well deserved praise:

"You are fearless, I love it and you hate the loss, it is great. You've touched our hearts and minds to be our authentic selves, to use our voices to dream big. Thank you for your leadership and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, especially for women and women of colour. Most of all, thank you for sharing your journey with every single one of us. We love you. God bless you. And guess what? You're just beginning!"