Billie Jean King: Tennis stars need to learn the business—not just play

Tennis icon, equality champion and trailblazer—all words that spring to mind when meeting Billie Jean King. Tennis Channel DE was one of a select few invited to a roundtable with the 81-year-old at the tournament that now bears her name, and in person, King’s passion for women’s tennis—and sport in general—was as strong as ever.

For the first time in 2024, the Billie Jean King Cup was staged at the same venue and time as the men’s Davis Cup. Although the retirement of Rafael Nadal understandably overshadowed the on-court action in both tournaments, the fact they were held together was for King a sign of both how far we’ve come, but also how far we still have to go:

“We used to be at four percent (coverage). Then we got to five percent. Everybody's starting to get excited now we're around 15 percent. So that shows you. Because media rights, equal money, equal opportunity—you can see how far women are still behind,” she explained.

But women's sports is just beginning now, and I'm glad I'm still alive to see this. It's starting to change, we're starting to get momentum. And people who are very wealthy are starting to invest in women. They believe in us that it's a good investment. It's not a charity, it's an investment, not just being nice to us.

‘Fight for your girls as much as your boys’

For King, the battle for equality starts far away from media rights and prize money—and indeed even the tennis court itself. She sees male allies as key to advancing women’s sport, from the youngest age possible:

“The fathers can really help here to fight for their girls as much as they fight for the boys,” she smiles. “I'd like fathers to really think about making sure their daughters have the same dreams, same opportunities as their sons. And in that we have a long way to go.”

That ‘long way to go’ is the reason King continues to use her platform to champion the cause. This week’s Australian Open illustrates her legacy in the on-court progress made, with equal prize money for both men and women. But it’s matters off the court that King thinks need the most urgent attention:

We need women at all levels coaching. We’re shocking. When the players thank their team and the TV goes to it—you ever see a woman? I hardly ever do. It's pathetic.

“We need women and men helping each other. I just think we need to have more coaches at the introductory level. At the pro level, we need more women administrators. So few women are on the boards of federations.”

“When I talk to the kids, I say, you know, one percent make it to the pros. But there's no reason you can't stay in your sport and be a writer or be in communications or be on the board. There's so many jobs available that'll keep you in something you absolutely love to do.”

‘Not just a player’

This drive to encourage women—and also men—into other areas of tennis is vital to the growth of the sport, in King’s opinion. She’s been involved in the business side of tennis since the beginning of the Open Era and described how her first experience of it in 1968 showed her “the pressure that people have to put on tournaments.”

I'm in the tennis business. Well, I mean, I own tournaments. When players ask me, ‘what do you think I should do?’ I said: learn the business. You're in the tennis business. You're not just a player.

And that’s not the only area she wants the current professionals to take note of. King has been vocal about maximising the appeal of tennis, from simplifying the scoring system to personalised jerseys and an end to five-set matches. It’s a sentiment she’d also like to extend to players and their relationship with fans in the arena.

“We are the least welcoming sport. We say to our friends, come and shut up. Don't sit down to be hospitable. I think they should be able to yell, talk, get in up and down, just play,” she sighs.

“Players are a joke - ‘Oh, I see someone move’. Please. You shouldn't be looking up there. You go, look at the ball, play. It's our job as professional athletes. We are entertainers.”

We are entertainers, which I don't think a lot of them understand. And it's not about them. It's about the fans. It's about the people. Here's what players think: ‘All these people come to watch me.’ No, our job is to take care of them.

“When I walk on a court, that's my stage, like a theater. And my job is to make the fans happy. When they go home tonight, I want them to go, wow, that was great. I'm going to get my kids into tennis. Or they go, wow, now I know why I love tennis.”