Looking Back On The Original Nine (2024)

Three years before the Battle of the Sexes, WTA founder Billie Jean King was one of nine courageous women out to take stand for equal rights in tennis.

The Amateur Era had come to an end, and thoughOpen tennis had justbegun,the troubles were hardly over for even the top women in the game.

"I didn't have any idea we were going to get different prize money," King said in an interview for the PBSdocumentaryAmericanMasters.King won the first Open Era Wimbledon Championships alongside Rod Laver, who earned £2000 in prize money to King's £750. "I thought it was totally unfair."

Disparate prize money was only the tip of the iceberg. As the men's game continued to grow, fewer women's events were being held alongside them, leaving fewer opportunities for women to succeed as professional tennis players.

"We were in big trouble if we wanted to keep playing tennis."

King enlisted the help of Rosie Casals and Nancy Richey, who accompanied her to speak with Gladys Heldman, publisher of World Tennis Magazine and mother to pro Julie Heldman. They wanted to boycott an event to be held after the 1970 US Open, one that leveled prize money 12:1 against the women competing.

Heldman decided to go beyond passive resistence and urged the women to start a tour of their own; a tournament was organized in Texas.

"She knew how to get a sponsor, she had great connections," said Valerie Ziegenfuss, one of the nine players who signed up for the Houston Women's Invitational.

Looking to stop the revolution that was quickly unfolding, the USTA - then known as the United States Lawn Tennis Association - threatened to suspend anyone who planned to play this one-off event. Many of the top players stayed away, but nine women were undeterred.

King, Casals, Richey, Heldman, and Ziegenfuss were joined by Judy Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Peaches Bartkowicz, and Kristy Pigeon, all of whom signed onto what would become the Virginia Slims Circuit for one dollar.

"We weren't sure about our destiny but we knew it was in our hands for the first time," King recalled.

Casals went on to win the tournament in Houston, but women everywhere won a whole lot more. The Virginia Slims Circuit became the Women's Tennis Association in 1973, and the world of women's sports would never be the same.

Six members of the Original Nine recently reunited at this year's US Open; check out that story here.

Looking Back On The Original Nine (2024)

FAQs

What is the Original 9 in tennis? ›

The nine women were Americans Peaches Bartkowicz, Rosie Casals, Julie Heldman, Billie Jean King, Kristy Pigeon, Nancy Richey, Valerie Ziegenfuss, and Australians Judy Tegart Dalton and Kerry Melville Reid, and together with Heldman they were committed to creating a better future for female athletes.

Who are the Houston Nine? ›

King, Casals, Richey, Heldman, and Ziegenfuss were joined by Judy Dalton, Kerry Melville Reid, Peaches Bartkowicz, and Kristy Pigeon, all of whom signed onto what would become the Virginia Slims Circuit for one dollar.

Who was Billie Jean King in 1970? ›

In 1970, she was one of nine players who broke away from the tennis establishment in protest. Soon, they organized their own tour, the Virginia Slims Circuit (sharing the sponsor cigarette's slogan “You've Come A Long Way, Baby”). In 1971, King became the first female athlete to earn over $100,000 in a single season.

What was the Virginia Slims tour? ›

The Virginia Slims Circuit was a tennis tour consisting of a group of originally nine female professional players. Formed in 1970, the Virginia Slims Circuit eventually became the basis for the later WTA Tour.

What is a 7.0 tennis player? ›

A tennis rating of a 7.0 indicates the player plays professionally at tournament and makes a living from tournament prize money. While it may take time to move from one tennis rating to another it is important to make sure to use proper body mechanics to reduce the risk of injury setting a player back.

What did the Original 9 do? ›

The Original 9 were a group of nine women's professional tennis players who broke away from the governing bodies of tennis in 1970 to launch their own professional tour, the Virginia Slims Circuit, which later evolved into the modern WTA Tour.

Who were the early female tennis players? ›

1887- Ellen Hansell was crowned the first Women's singles tennis champion at the U.S. Open. 1887- Lottie Dod won the women's Wimbledon championship five times between 1887 and 1893. 1887- First women's French Tennis Championship was held. 1888- Women joined the Chicago tennis club in New York City.

Who founded WTA? ›

Image of Who founded WTA?
Billie Jean King, also known as BJK, is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. King won 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. King was a member of the victorious United States team in seven Federation Cups and nine Wightman Cups.
Wikipedia

Who is the Houston Black leader? ›

Houston History: Meet Jack Yates, a prominent local black leader who was born enslaved. HOUSTON – During the post Civil War era, Rev. Jack Yates was a prominent black who played a significant impact on the black community in Houston.

Who did Billie Jean King defeat in 1973? ›

On Sept. 20, 1973, top women's tennis player Billie Jean King defeated former No. 1 ranked men's tennis player Bobby Riggs in a "Battle of the Sexes" match. King beat Riggs in straight sets, 6–4, 6–3, 6–3.

Has anyone won singles doubles and mixed doubles? ›

Widely considered among the greatest tennis players of all time, Navratilova won 18 major singles titles, 31 major women's doubles titles, and 10 major mixed doubles titles, for a combined total of 59 major titles, the most in the Open Era.

Why did Elton John write Philadelphia Freedom? ›

John was looking to honour Billie Jean King, and so asked Taupin to write a song called "Philadelphia Freedom" as a homage to her tennis team, the Philadelphia Freedoms. In His Song: The Musical History of Elton John, Elizabeth Rosenthal recounts that Taupin said, "I can't write a song about tennis", and did not.

Do they still make Virginia Slims menthol? ›

All varieties are available in both menthol and non-menthol flavors.

Where was the Virginia Slims tennis tournament held? ›

The Virginia Slims of Houston is a defunct WTA Tour affiliated tennis tournament played from 1970 to 1995. It was held in Houston, Texas in the United States and played on indoor carpet courts from 1970 to 1984 and on outdoor clay courts from 1985 to 1995.

What is pro 8 in tennis? ›

Pro-Set o A PRO-SET is one in which the winner is required to win 8 games by a margin of two games. o A JH Match shall consist of ONE PRO-SET. 7 Point Tie-Breaker o Used to complete a set tied at 8 all in a PRO-SET. o The first player to win 7 points and be ahead by 2 points wins the tie-breaker and the set.

What is a 6-0 in tennis called? ›

Bagel – The tongue-in-cheek name given to the score of 6-0 in a set, due to zero being shaped like a bagel. Losing a match 6-0, 6-0 or 6-0, 6-0, 6-0 is known as getting a double or a treble bagel.

What is it called when you win 6 to 0 in tennis? ›

In tennis, a bagel is when the set ends with a score of 6–0. An extremely rare type of bagel, where no point is lost, is called a golden set.

How much did Channel 9 pay for the tennis? ›

Tennis Australia-Nine seal record $425m deal. The largest rights deal in local tennis history was sealed around midnight on Thursday after a months-long negotiation process involved several all-nighters with the teams from Tennis Australia and Nine.

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