Today, June 21st, marks the 50th Anniversary of the formation of the WTA. Up until that point, there was no organization looking after the interests of women who played professional tennis.
21st June 1973
This came three years after “the original nine” formed a breakaway tour, in an attempt to raise the profile and prize money of women players. Having had enough of the inequality at events, the original nine formed their own Tour. Known as the Virginia Slims circuit, the nine players played several events for a lot more prize money than offered elsewhere.
For example, in 1968 Billie Jean King, who won Wimbledon, earned £750 for the win. Her male counterpart, Rod Laver, took home £2000. By 1970 with the differential even higher, the nine women had enough. Having enlisted Gladys Heldman to try and negotiate better pay at the official tournaments, and Heldman being unsuccessful, the nine women boycotted events. Signing “contracts” with Heldman for the nominal amount of $1 each, the nine women played on the Virginia Slims circuit that Heldman had organized.
The prize money for this was much more already than they could possibly earn anywhere else. The unsanctioned circuit meant the women were putting their careers on the line and taking a huge risk. The official tours wouldn’t let these nine into Grand Slams or major events.
The original nine of Billie Jean King, Rosie Casals, Nancy Richey, Kerry Melville, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Judy Dalton, Valerie Ziegenfuss, and Julie Heldman kept on the Virginia Slims circuit, earning more money than they ever did before.
WTA Forms
By 1973 the group had gained traction and had been talking and persuading other women to join them. By the week leading up to Wimbledon 1973, over 60 women from rival tennis tours met at a hotel in London. King wanted the organization formed there and then. Betty Stove was charged with standing at the door to prevent any of the players from leaving until an agreement had been reached.
King was installed as President, Virginia Wade as Vice President, and the rest is history. The same year the US Open became the first tournament to offer equal prize money to women and men. Had it not been for King and the other members of the original nine, this would never have happened, and women would still be behind the men on pay on the tour.
After the US Open spotlight fell on the men vs women debate (as it still does today!) as Bobby Riggs boasted that he could beat any of the top women players. He did beat Margaret Court easily, who at the time was #1 in May 1973. Riggs only lost three games.
King once again had enough of the male attitude to women’s tennis, so agreed to play him. In September 1973 in what was dubbed by the media as “Battle of the sexes” took place in Texas. King defeated Riggs in three straight sets and won a prize of $100,000.
King wasn’t doing it for the money. Afterwards she told the media, “I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn’t win that match. It would ruin the women’s [tennis] tour and affect all women’s self-esteem. To beat a 55-year-old guy was no thrill for me. The thrill was exposing a lot of new people to tennis.”
All of this stems from the nine women rebelling against the attitude of men to women playing the sport, and forming the WTA 50 years ago has gone a long way to changing that viewpoint. Unfortunately, in some quarters it still exists, but in tennis things are far better today thanks to the new Tour.
Main Photo Credit: Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports
