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What makes her wins all the more impressive was that King was even busier off the court trying to change the world. And in many ways, she was successful. When tennis became an open professional sport in 1968, King realized the female players were just an afterthought and playing for far less prize money than the men.
"In the 60s, we were always together," King said. "But when the men formed the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals), I said, ‘You’re going to include the women aren't you?' They said no. They said no one is going to pay to watch the girls play. It was really a sad time for us."
Rather than just complain, King took action and teamed with World Tennis magazine publisher Gladys Heldman to launch a separate women's professional tour that was sponsored by Virginia Slims cigarettes.
King was the star attraction in the early days of the tour and won everything in sight as she also successfully fought for equal athletic funding in schools (Title IX), established the women's professional tennis union, launched World Team Tennis and founded the Women's Sports Foundation.
"It was impossible, crazy, sad, and wonderfully exhilarating,” she told me. “I was averaging four hours of sleep a night. Every time I sleep in I say, 'Thank God it's not the 70s.' I'm still tired from the 70s."
In 1973, for example, King managed to win the singles, doubles and mixed titles at Wimbledon while at the same time forming the union and preparing to play Bobby Riggs in the legendary "Battle of the Sexes" match which came at the height of the women's liberation movement.
King felt she had no choice but to lead. "It's who I am," she said. "Anytime there is an injustice, I want to do whatever I can."
Something that continues to bother King immensely is that Wimbledon, the tournament where she won a record 20 titles overall in singles, doubles and mixed, has steadfastly refused to give women equal prize money despite the fact that the other three Grand Slam tournaments do so. The tournament pays the men slightly more because they play 3 out of 5 sets while the women play 2 out of 3.
"It's about freedom and responsibility," said King. "It goes way beyond tennis."
After spending decades as a television commentator during Wimbledon and being the captain of the U.S. Olympics and Fed Cup teams, King is now busy working on Team Tennis and the Women's Sports Foundation and gives inspirational speeches around the country.
"Team Tennis is so dear to my heart, I wish I could get the tennis community more behind it," she said. "I have kept saying we should have more team situations. I've been preaching team forever, that's the way we grow out sports."
With the retirement of American stars like Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, the popularity of tennis has declined with fewer kids picking up a racket.
“We're not doing well, we're at our worst level," King said with typical frankness. "Our hey-day was in the 1970s. We have to be in the schools because young kids identify more quickly with a sport now, at 5 or 6 where it used to be 10. Kids don't play tennis in elementary or middle school. We need to have our public parks and the tennis clubs work hand-in-hand. In youth soccer, you sign up and get your T-shirt, a schedule, the sites. We need to have that with tennis as well."
In addition to tennis-related activities, King also works with old pal Elton John on an annual fundraiser for the singer's AIDS foundation that combines the worlds of tennis and music.
"He's so cute! I love him!' she says of Elton, who has been her friend for more than 30 years and wrote the song "Philadelphia Freedom" about Billie Jean.
She visited John in England recently and said: "He has no plasma TV, he's got a little TV in the kitchen, 12-15 inches and he sits in a chair like a little schoolboy and watches his football. He stands up and screams. He's a riot. He's in a good mood again."
But it was King who was in a good mood when the site of the U.S.Open was officially named after her, a kid from Long Beach, CA. who knew after her first tennis lesson that she wanted to be the number one player in the world. "It's going to be the USTA Billie Jean King Tennis National Center," she said as she stood on the center court. "I still cannot believe it!"
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