With the US Open just days away, WTA legend Billie Jean King took some time to reflect on the golden anniversary of WTA players receiving equal prize money as their male counterparts.

It's been 50 years since King demanded that female tennis players get paid the same as men, and the 1972 US Open champion's efforts have seen women's tennis become one of the most lucrative professional sports for women.

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King reminds people that investing in women's sports could be rewarding

"[Fifty years ago], people probably went, 'Huh? What? The women are going to make as much as the guys?' This is a huge event to do that. It starts to change the hearts and minds of people," she said.

"People think there's money in women now. That's why they're buying soccer teams. That's why they're buying basketball teams. That's why they really are investing now. There's no question, the values have gone way up. People think it's a good investment. That never used to happen, at least in women's sports.

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"We're going to keep pushing [for equality], because you want it for everyone. If they guys were making what we were making, I would've been pushing for them. But that's not the way it is. Sport is a microcosm of society ... so we have an amazing opportunity to lead and let people think about things, and maybe they'll change.

"Sports give women, particularly, a chance to truly define themselves in a big way. With sports as a platform, we can help make the world a better place."

Billie Jean King

@BillieJeanKing

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