WASHINGTON, DC – Recognizing tennis great Billie Jean King’s groundbreaking contributions both on and off the court, President Joe Biden signed legislation into law this week honoring Billie Jean King, 80, as the first individual female athlete to be awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) cosponsored bipartisan legislation (S. 2861) to award the Congressional Gold Medal to Billie Jean King, a tennis legend and American icon who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island in 1987 and presented with her official Hall of Fame ring in 2015.  

Senator Reed congratulated King, stating: “A champion on and off the court, Billie Jean King was known for having a great serve and serving as a great role model and advancing equality.  She transcends sports and is someone who has blazed a trail and leveled the playing field to give others more opportunities than she herself had.  I congratulate her for earning this well-deserved achievement and I know she’ll continue to serve as an ambassador for the sport and an inspiration for future generations.”

Throughout her career, Billie Jean King’s outstanding play and groundbreaking leadership and advocacy helped advance equal rights for women in athletics, education, and society at large. King was instrumental in securing equal prize money in men’s and women’s tennis at the U.S. Open, spearheaded the formation of the Women’s Tennis Association, and brought worldwide attention to pay equality throughout her career and in her “Battle of the Sexes” match against Bobby Riggs.

The U.S. Open, which began in 1881 as a men's-only game on grass courts in Newport, Rhode Island, is now held annually in Flushing, Queens, at the U.S. Tennis Association’s (USTA) Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. Thanks in large part to the unrelenting activism of Billie Jean King, the U.S. Open became the first sporting event to offer equal prize money to female and male competitors.

Over the course of her career, King captured 39 Grand Slam tennis titles in singles (12), doubles (16) and mixed doubles (11).

Commissioned by Congress, the Congressional Gold Medal has been awarded as an expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions to society.  Prior to Billie Jean King earning the award this year, it had been bestowed upon several individual athletes, including Jackie Robinson, Jesse Owens, Roberto Clemente, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, Willie O’Ree, Greg LeMond, Larry Doby, Joe Louis, as well as the 1980 U.S. Olympic team.

Once again, Billie Jean King blazed a trail that others will undoubtedly follow.