Billie Jean King has been awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the USTA said today, becoming the first individual female athlete to receive the honor. President Joe Biden signed the legislation into law yesterday, recognizing King's "groundbreaking contributions both on and off the court." King, 80, has "long been a trailblazer" for gender equality in sports and society, and her advocacy for equal pay in tennis led to the U.S. Open becoming the first Grand Slam tournament to offer men and women equal prize money in 1973. Eleven individual athletes, as well as the 1980 U.S. Olympic team, had received the Congressional Gold Medal -- but before King all had been men (REUTERS, 9/27).
Billie Jean King awarded Congressional Gold Medal
