A woman’s GRAND SLAM
When tennis star Billie Jean King was first approached about having a film made about her, she felt embarrassed.
“My feelings were all over the place,” explains Billie
Jean (73). “It was bizarre, like an out-of-body experience. But I knew the best people in the business were making the film and I’m a big believer in letting the pros do their job. It was an honour to have such an amazing cast.”
The Battle of the Sexes stars Emma Stone as Billie Jean and centres around her 1973 tennis match, in which she famously beat the former men’s champion Bobby Riggs (played by Steve Carell), who claimed a woman could never beat him.
“I won Wimbledon in 1968 and I received 750 pounds. The men’s winner, Rod Laver, got 2000 pounds,” recalls Billie
Jean. Throughout her life, she has battled hard for women’s rights, but she says 1973, the year the film is set, is especially memorable for her.
“That year was so important to the future of our sport. We had no clue at the time, but looking back, wow, 1973 was an amazing year of progress and unity. The Women’s Tennis Association was formed a few days before Wimbledon. I won all three titles [singles, doubles and mixed doubles] that year and then I played Bobby Riggs.”
But Billie Jean believes the film and her story are still relevant today. “Women are still not getting equal pay for equal work. We have very few women CEOs in business.”