Billie Jean King: My Heroes

The stars of our sport shared stories about their heroes, both in life and on the court, and how these idols shaped who they are today. For more "My Hero" submissions, click here.

I don't have just one hero, or “she-ro.” I have a lot, because I love history. When I walk on Centre Court, or any court, I think about all the great players that played tennis there. But I also know that there were people who only got to play there once, and a lot of players who played at Wimbledon never got to play on that court. All these things flash through my brain when I walk out. How lucky am I?

I read all the history books. Suzanne Lenglen was huge to me, because she was the first superstar of the sport. The reason we play at Wimbledon is because of her—they built Centre Court because they were selling too many tickets at the old place and they had to move. They moved in 1922. I have a bench from the old place. HBO gave it to me, it's fantastic. The seats I got were 67 and 68, and I asked if they gave it to me because of the numbers. They said no. I said, You have no idea what you gave me! 1968 is Open tennis! I love it.

Darlene Hard was really good to me when I was 13. She's from southern California and went to Pomona College. Because she went to Pomona, I wanted to go there. She actually came and hit with me a couple times because she knew my coach at the park. That really meant a lot to me, because she didn't have to do that. That was a pain for her. Looking back, I'm thinking that she had to drive in from Pomona, and hit with this stupid little 13-year-old. That's a day of her life. She changed my life. I don't think she realized how much I remember from those days. I really appreciated her giving me the time. And then she started talking about this Margaret Court who was going to be a great player.

Alice Marble helped me when I was 15. Margaret Dupont I loved; I was on Wightman Cup with her. Louise Brough was great. I liked them all, and I really appreciated them. I saw Althea Gibson when I was 13. The first autograph I ever got was Tony Trabert's. I went to the Pan Pacific Auditorium when he was a contract pro, and I knew at 12 years old that the pros were the best in the world, not the amateurs playing at Wimbledon where they weren't al-lowed to play. Most kids don't know any of this. If I have time with the kids, I go through it a lot with them.

I admire all the great champions after me as well. I love watching each generation, and I hate it when each generation retires. It kills me.

When people tell me I'm their hero, I get all weirded out. I'm kind of like, really? I'm not good at connecting with that. I'm always looking at today and tomorrow. It means a lot to me, but I want them to really be their own selves. As long as they're their own selves, then I love it. It's adorable how many kids do so many reports at school on me. You can't believe how many requests I get, from girls and boys. It's very interesting that way, and it's totally cool.