NEW YORK — As Coco Gauff received her $3 million check after winning the US Open title earlier this month, she glanced to the far side of the stage and couldn’t hide her gratitude.
“Thank you Billie, for fighting for this,” she said as she looked towards Billie Jean King.
At just 19, Gauff doesn’t know a US Open without equal prize money between the men and women. Her paycheck was the same amount as the one that men’s champion Novak Djokovic received.
This year marked 50 years of equal pay at the tournament, commemorated with tributes to King — the groundbreaking pioneer who pushed to make it happen after founding the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) earlier that same year.
The US Open became the first sporting event in the world to offer equal purses for its male and female competitors in 1973, and since then, the three remaining Grand Slam events followed suit, starting with the Australian Open, first in 1984 but consistently since 2001, and the French Open and Wimbledon in 2007.
“I have to thank Billie for giving me this opportunity to have this good, good job,” Venus Williams, who fought for equal pay at Wimbledon and the French Open, said in a ceremony this month honoring King. “Thank you for having that courage to get everyone in the right direction … I can’t imagine what that was like, but you did it. You did it well. You remained a champion throughout it, and a role model to this day.”
Wednesday marks another 50th anniversary — that of King’s historic “Battle of the Sexes” match, in which she beat Bobby Riggs, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, at the Houston Astrodome. It was viewed by an estimated 90 million people worldwide, and was lauded at the time as a triumph for women in sports.
With so many significant anniversaries, it’s a milestone year for women’s tennis, but where does the sport stand now when it comes to equality?
According to some players, there’s still more to do.
“We have equal pay at the Slams, but it’s not everywhere,” said world No. 4 and WTA player council member Jessica Pegula. “I think that’s a little bit of a misconception that maybe the more casual fan didn’t realize.
“We’re working towards getting women’s sports to get paid more, getting paid what they should be. Especially tennis, I feel like we’re a leading example almost because we’re the highest-paid female sport, which is a big deal….
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