60 Years Ago, Billie Jean King Won Wimbledon. She Started a Movement.

When Billie Jean King was 10 years old, she picked up a tennis racket for the first time and told her mother, Betty Moffitt, “I know what I’m going to do with my life.” She wanted to play tennis, first and foremost. But moreover, she wanted to become the world No. 1, and later on, was motivated to pursue larger ambitions: campaigning to elevate women’s tennis.

The latter goal necessitated the former, though. On July 2, 1966, King won Wimbledon, her first major singles title, kickstarting it all.

“This 1966 win really started all of that in my mind because I knew I was going to be No. 1, and when you’re No. 1, people listen better and more, which could help the cause,” King said in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

This year’s Wimbledon tournament marks 60 years since King won her first of 12 major singles titles. King says the 1966 win was a “huge turning point” in her career because she finally secured a platform to raise concerns about the conditions of women’s tennis and women’s sports in general.

Without King’s leadership and perseverance early in her career, women’s sports wouldn’t be what it is today. Women have their own sports leagues, thanks in part to King, and fans show up to watch women’s games in person and tune in at home on television. King helped broadcast women’s sports to a wider audience, and she’s known as a trailblazer—if not the trailblazer—because of her hard work.

Winning Wimbledon in 1966 didn’t spark that drive to change the game for King. That fire had been in her since she was a kid playing basketball with her dad and observing the disparities in men’s and women’s sports. But, King does look at her 1966 Wimbledon win as inspiration to fully begin her activism.

It’s somewhat ironic that King’s lifelong dedication to promoting equality in tennis started at Wimbledon, the major tournament known for being the most exclusive and traditional of the four grand slams. The contrast is stark between King’s push for change and the steady standards at Wimbledon.

“[Wimbledon’s] the epitome of everything I love and everything I don’t like. Because I’m very big on inclusion, but I like tradition. I always appreciate it,” King says. “But, innovation and learning to keep moving things forward is really important.”

King’s influence will forever impact the game of tennis. Just recently, some of the top players in the world—like Jannik Sinner, Aryna Sabalenka and Coco Gauff—have discussed boycotting future grand slam tournaments because of an unfair share of revenue at this year’s French Open. The players are hoping the prize money pool equates to 22% of the overall major tournament revenue like it does at ATP and WTA combined 1000 events. However, this year’s Roland Garros prize money pool equaled about 14.3% of the overall projected revenue.

World No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka said players could boycott Grand Slams if they do not receive a bigger share of revenue 🚫🏆 pic.twitter.com/Uxz5TdwY6A
— TNT Sports (@tntsports) May 6, 2026

This fight is reminiscent of the battles King fought in tennis 50-plus years ago. If it wasn’t for King paving the way for tennis players to argue for themselves to earn the money they wish for, then who knows if the players would have the same confidence to advocate for themselves today.

What makes the current struggle different from what King endured starts with the top players in the world having an even bigger platform and respect amongst the sport, while King had to advocate for herself and her fellow players to even initiate changes. Today, there will be more pressure from fans to force the tournaments to make a move as they can campaign with the players through social media or through revenue shifts. King fought a public battle, but time and history helped elevate her story to the world in the years following rather than in the present.

It still encourages King to see the players standing up for what they believe in, even if it is frustrating for the rest of us to watch the players still deal with these battles.

“It makes me very happy that the men and women are united on this, and I think that will drive change,” King says. “It’s not just a prize money issue. It’s having a seat at the table with the four major tournaments to discuss multiple points. At the center of the discussion is the push for an increased share of the revenue so that the level of revenue the players receive from the majors matches the current level they earn from the 1000 level tournaments.”

The campaign seems to be working more in the tennis players’ favor now. Wimbledon increased its prize money pool by 10 million pounds this year. The players had argued for 16% of the overall revenue, but the tournament settled for 14.4%, per The Guardian. Players decided to not conduct a media boycott at Wimbledon this year after undergoing various meetings with the tournament heads, The Guardian reported on June 29. This is proof that standing up for what you believe in will most likely make a difference.

And, to think, King likely inspired these players to even take a stand in the first place.

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