“It’s an honor to be a part of the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame, and to follow in the footsteps of Dennis Van der Meer, Howard Head and Alan Schwartz,” said King in a ceremony at the Tennis Industry Association’s Tennis Forum in New York City, during the 2010 US Open tennis tournament. Van der Meer and Head were inducted in 2008, the inaugural year for the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame. Schwartz was inducted last year.

Jeff Williams, publisher of Tennis Magazine and chairman of the TIA’s Hall of Fame Committee, introduced King at the Tennis Forum. “We are honoring you because you were the spark,” Williams told the crowd, “the spark that caused a boom. A boom that gave rise to the tennis industry as we know it today. We are all part of an industry that is bigger, an industry that is better, and an industry that is stronger because of you.”

King started playing tennis only because a childhood friend in fifth grade asked her to play. “If she hadn’t asked me, I wouldn’t have started playing,” says King, who likens her experience in tennis to life itself. “Tennis teaches you to keep playing, keep going and maintain optimism in life.”

King began playing Grand Slam tournaments as a teenager in the 1960s. She won her first doubles title at Wimbledon at age 17, and went on to rack up 39 Grand Slam singles, doubles and mixed-doubles titles, including a record 20 titles at Wimbledon (six singles, 14 doubles and mixed doubles).

It wasn’t enough just to play the game, though; King made it better. She campaigned for equal prize money for men and women; her efforts helped make that goal a reality at the US Open in 1973, and eventually at all four major tournaments. She led efforts among players to support the first women’s professional tour.

A defining moment for King, for tennis, and for women in sports came in 1973, when she beat Bobby Riggs in the nationally televised Battle of the Sexes match. Her 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 win was a pivotal point for tennis, and it cemented her status as an icon in both the sports world and in pop culture in general.

She founded the Women’s Tennis Association in 1973, the Women’s Sports Foundation and Women’s Sports Magazine in 1974, and also in 1974, co-founded World TeamTennis, the groundbreaking co-ed professional tennis league. She also founded the WTT Recreational League, one of the most popular recreational tennis formats in the U.S. Her involvement with the sport continues today; she is a member of the President’s Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition and remains involved with the U.S. Tennis Association.

King continues to push barriers, both inside and outside of tennis. In 2007, she co-founded GreenSlam, an environmental initiative for the sports industry. She was named Global Mentor for Gender Equality by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 2008. She continues to be a leader in the fight for equality and recognition in the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered community.

In 2009, at the White House, President Obama presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor, making her the first female athlete to be so honored. “We honor what she did to broaden the reach of the game, to change how women athletes and women everywhere view themselves, and to give everyone—including my two daughters—a chance to compete both on the court and in life,” the President said in presenting the honor.

King’s significant contributions on the court, to the sport itself, and to society were noted when in 2006, the National Tennis Center was renamed the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The court on which generations of players will set their own milestones and break their own barriers now carries the name of one of the first players to do that.

About the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame
Created in 2008, the Tennis Industry Hall of Fame recognizes those individuals who have made a significant impact on tennis, from the 1960s to the present. Nominations can be made in four categories—inventors, founders, innovators and contributors. The first two inductees were Dennis Van der Meer and the late Howard Head. Last year, Alan Schwartz was the sole inductee. Plaques for all Tennis Industry Hall of Fame inductees are on permanent display at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. For more information, visit TennisIndustry.org/HOF.

The day offers a full day of action on Center Court, as the match will be followed by the finals of the Hall of Fame Doubles Challenge, a first of its kind amateur event that will feature local players from area tennis clubs competing on Center Court. That tournament will be followed by the finals of the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, an ATP World Tour event being contested July 5 – 11.

“An exhibition match featuring the newest inductees to the International Tennis Hall of Fame on the historic grass courts that have hosted the game’s biggest stars since 1881 is a great way to top off induction weekend,” said Mark L. Stenning, CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “The match up of these legendary doubles stars playing together offers a once-in-a-lifetime match that tennis fans won’t want to miss.”

The exhibition will be a highlight of 2010 Hall of Fame Weekend, during which these four players will be among the seven newest inductees to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.  Since 1955, the game’s greatest champions, innovators, and contributors have been awarded induction to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which is the highest honor available in tennis. When the Class of 2010 is inducted on July 10, the Hall of Fame will have recognized a total of 218 individuals from 19 countries.

Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva amassed an impressive 14 Grand Slam titles together. Their passion and skill on the court was remarkable, and it is hard to find a pair who showed as much enthusiasm and love for the game as these two outstanding players. They hold the second-longest Grand Slam doubles title streak in Open Era history, winning six in a row from the French Open in 1992 through Wimbledon in 1993. The pair also completed a non-calendar year Grand Slam that ran from the 1992 French Open to the 1993 Australian Open.  Fernandez and Zvereva were named the WTA Doubles Team of the Year four times.

Mark Woodforde is one half of the legendary Australian duo known as “The Woodies.” The partnership of Todd Woodbridge and Woodforde, produced 61 ATP doubles titles, including 11 majors. The Woodies won two Olympic medals – doubles gold (1996) and doubles silver (2000). The duo was named ATP Top Doubles Team five times between 1992 and 2000. Mark Woodforde captured 67 doubles titles, four singles titles and five mixed doubles crowns. He held down the No. 1 doubles ranking for 84 weeks during his career, and held a singles ranking within the top 20.

Owen Davidson is a member of an elite group of just 13 people in tennis history who have won a calendar-year Grand Slam, which he earned in 1967, partnered with Lesley Turner Bowrey and Billie Jean King.  His 15-year career is highlighted by 12 Grand Slam titles.

For additional information about the Hall of Fame Classic, please call 866-914-FAME(3263) or visit tennisfame.com.
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About the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum
Established in 1954, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is a non-profit institution dedicated to preserving the history of tennis, inspiring and encouraging junior tennis development, enshrining tennis heroes and heroines, and providing a landmark for tennis enthusiasts worldwide. The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum was recognized as the sport’s official Hall of Fame in 1986 by the International Tennis Federation, the governing body of tennis. For information on the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum and its programs, call 401-849-3990 or visit us online at www.tennisfame.com.