Tennis icon Billie Jean King has done so much for the sport of tennis and for women's sports over the years. Now, the U.S. Tennis Association has recognized her contributions with a unique honor: renaming the National Tennis Center, the world's largest tennis park and home of the U.S. Open, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The official renaming ceremony will take place August 28th, opening night of the U.S. Open tennis tournament.
King is credited with spearheading the women's movement in tennis. She has won 39 Grand Slam titles, including 13 U.S. Open campionships. She is probably best remembered for her victory over Bobby Riggs in the 1973 "Battle of the Sexes."
In an age when corporations can purchase naming rights for sports facilities (e.g., U.S. Cellular Field, the United Center, etc.), it would have been very tempting for the U.S. Tennis Association to sell the naming rights to a sponsor like Wilson or Nike. But to its credit, it did not. Rather, it chose to honor one of its own.
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