Billie Jean King’s campaign for equal pay and the Battle of the Sexes, as well as her advocacy for gender equality in general, has been appreciated by Coco Gauff.
King, a 39-time Grand Slam winner, had two memorable occasions this year. First, It was the 50th anniversary of the US Open awarding equal prize money. King threatened a boycott if the prize money for winning the Slam for female were not equal to the male counterpart.
It is evident that King has had a significant influence on the sport during the past 50 years. Gauff realized this when she won her maiden Grand Slam at the US Open this year and received a winner’s cheque for $3 million. The 19-year-old praised King for fighting for equal prize money at the New York major, which was later implemented across all four Grand Slams.
Gauff appreciated King’s efforts in a recent interview and said: “Bille Jean King fought for the prize money for women’s tennis and what she has done is incredible. She took a stance on something where the odds were completely against her. If you look at everything that we have today, it all came from someone like her.”
King recently discussed Gauff’s achievement while making a reference to the young star’s grandmother. She said: “When I see her, she’s the reason we fought so hard 50 years ago. I think she’s such a force. It comes from her grandmother. Her grandmother was the first Black child to go to an all-white school in Delray.”
Coco Gauff in 2023
WWLWWLWWWW Now the world no.3 (career-high), the American played her last match on the 9th of September when she beat world no.1 Aryna Sabalenka 2-6 6-3 6-2 in the final of the U.S. Open to win her 6th career title.
This year Coco owns a composed 45-13 record. Coco conquered 4 titles in 2023 in Auckland, Washington, Cincinnati and U.S. Open.
Coco Gauff |
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