Billie Jean King counting down the days to equal pay in tennis - 'I’m truly excited'

A huge grin immediately shows up on Billie Jean King’s face when she hears about the recently announced plan the WTA has set to achieve equal prize money in tennis.

A few days ago, the women’s tennis tour revealed a pathway for equal compensation that would see women and men receive the same prize money at all combined events by the year 2027, and all non-combined events by 2033.

The 79-year-old King, founder of the WTA and a fierce advocate for equality, admits it’s a dream come true, but now has one wish.

“I’m truly excited; when I heard the news, that – I think it’s 2027 we’ll have equal money," she told Eurosport in an interview. "Well, I hope I make it to 2027 so I can see it, that would be wonderful.

“It’s taken a lot of people to get to this point and lot of generations, at least decades. I love the fact the WTA and ATP are working together.

“I always wanted it to be one association anyway. So I’m always delighted when I hear the more we work together.

“And to have this equal prize money is always the dream. Because it represents not just tennis, it represents women all over the world and where we’re trying to get to. When you work it’s equal, and get equal pay, and you always want equal respect as well and being good to each other is really important.”

King was speaking at a special event held at London’s Gloucester Hotel to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the WTA. At that very same hotel half a century ago, the American legend gathered nearly 60 players that were split competing for two different tours and convinced them to unite under one umbrella.

That day, on June 21, 1973, four days before Wimbledon started, the Women’s Tennis Association was established.

King initially went to the men and wanted one association representing both the men and women, but she says her proposals were shut down.

She’s still holding hope both tours could merge one day.

“I always pray that they’ll be together as one association,” said King. “I think maybe we should start using the word ‘league’, because people tend to write about leagues or team sports more. Although I think we’re a team sport and an individual sport. But I think the ATP and the WTA, without them we wouldn’t be where we are and I’m thrilled, I love it when we work together.”

Current WTA president Steve Simon is also a fan of the idea of a unified tour.

“There’s been a lot of discussions about it and there’s still discussions about it,” he told Eurosport. “I’ve been a big proponent and I’ve said many times, yes there should be one tour. Obviously that’s a complicated thing to do. But I’m very supportive of that discussion, always have been, would love to see it happen.

"There are a lot of discussions about ways we can work closer together and hopefully, maybe in this next 50 years we’ll see that happen.”

Simon described the pathway to equal prize money as a “historic announcement”. Some of the players have voiced their discontent about the fact that tournaments need until 2027 to erase the gender pay gap and Simon understands their frustration.

Tunisian world No. 6 Ons Jabeur told the New York Times: “I don't see why we have to wait. It's really frustrating. It's time for change. It's time for the tournament to do better,” referring to the Italian Open’s plan to equalise prize money by 2025.

“It's not fast enough, I wish it could be tomorrow and when the players, Ons and Paula (Badosa), and some of them have spoken up and said it should be today, they’re right, it should be,” says Simon.

“But the reality is economics drive compensation. In the business world, a women’s professional sports property does not receive the same value for its rights as a male property does. That’s why there is a difference, and that’s across all women’s professional sport, it’s not specific just to tennis.

“What has to happen is those rights that we’re out selling have to begin garnering a higher return so that we can pay the same level. So when you look at an event needing until 2027, it’s about how can they make the significant growth and difference from where they’re at now to where they have to get to and how do you do it in a sustainable way so the tournament operator can still sustain their business.

“So that’s why it takes a little bit of time to get there and then hopefully, we know we have new rights cycles coming through, so hopefully we can get higher values for those rights which will help accelerate. So we have all our combined events by 2027, Rome and the Italian Open deserve a lot of credit because they actually accelerated it to 2025.

“And then our single-week events that don’t bring as much revenue in need a longer window and so they have until 2033. The good news is it is a pathway, it is set, it’s going to happen, and now it’s a question of how quickly can we push it forward and that’s where Ventures comes in to see how we can grow the business.”

Jessica Pegula, the world No. 4 and a member of the WTA Player Council, believes it is about time the women’s tour made higher demands in the market and feels the pathway to equal prize money is a “step in the right direction”.

“I think it's one of those things where clearly the market, the TV, they're not paying us the same as the men," Pegula said. "It's just not there. So I think this is just a way where we can initiate that, initiate what we think we should be getting paid, which would help with prize money and stuff like that, especially at tournaments.

“I think it's great, first of all. I think it's a step in the right direction. I mean, people like to complain about it now, but then they were also complaining when we weren't doing anything. Everyone just tends to complain about everything, which I understand. It's frustrating.

“But I think if you look at it that way, it's something different. Hopefully it works.

“I think we're basically making an investment in our sport that we can get there. I think that is the right decision for us right now. Hopefully we can get on that path to more equal prize money because that is something that needs to change.”

Friday was a much-needed reminder that women’s tennis has come a long way and despite the current challenges being faced, there is a lot to celebrate.

Dutch legend Betty Stove, who was tasked by King to guard the doors and stop players from leaving the meeting back in 1973 at the Gloucester Hotel and to keep the media from entering the room.

“It’s nice that we made the organisation in the first place, and 50 years is a long time to build up a company, which I think we’re very successful, because we went from nothing to $180 million a year (in prize money). So girls stick together and we give a lot of incentive to younger players to start this as a profession,” said the 1977 Wimbledon finalist.

Sloane Stephens, the 2017 US Open champion and Player Council member since 2019, gave a passionate speech during the WTA 50 celebration, addressing King and the founding members, who started what has become the most successful and lucrative women’s sports association on the planet.

“I’m on the Player Council so I can admit that it’s very hard to understand what you have done for all of us players,” said Stephens. “What it means to have created this tour and what we fight for.

"We had a Player Council meeting yesterday and I honestly don’t understand how you (King) created the tour and won the triple crown at Wimbledon (two weeks later), it seems almost impossible, I’m not sure how that was done. But to be able to be on this tour and what you all have created has made me be able to have the life that I have and travel the world and do all these amazing things along with all of my fellow players that I represent. We are so grateful.”

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