The Fed Cup, the women’s tennis world cup, will now be called the Billie Jean King Cup, it was announced Thursday.
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This is the first time that a major world team competition has been named after a woman, “which marks a new era for this iconic tournament and represents a historic moment for the sport,” Tennis Canada commented in A press release.
The name change announcement came in the week leading up to the 50th anniversary of the founding of the Virginia Slims Circuit, which saw nine women, including Ms King, risking everything to defend equal rights in tennis. Known as the “Original 9”, these players helped create the WTA and paved the way for tennis to become a benchmark in the fight for equality in sport and in society.
Obviously, the 76-year-old American said she was proud to have her name associated with one of the most important tennis competitions in the world.
“There is nothing like the privilege of representing your country and being part of a team. This is why this competition is so special and so important to me. I am honored that the Women’s Tennis World Cup bears my name and it is a responsibility that I will take very seriously. Our job is to communicate this vision to future generations of young girls because they will see that they can be a part of it, ”she said.
“This new brand represents an important moment in our sport. The Davis Cup is named after a man, so it is only fitting that the Women’s Tennis World Cup is named after a woman. Given his great accomplishments and tireless efforts to champion equality around the world, I cannot imagine a recipient more worthy of this honor than Billie Jean King, ”added. Katrina Adams, ITF Vice President, Billie Jean King Cup Committee Chair, and Tennis Gender Equality Committee Chair.
Among the large
Ms. King is a global equality activist who has dedicated her life to fighting discrimination in all its forms. The values it represents embody the ethics of a tournament that has evolved into the largest international team competition in women’s sport, bringing together 116 nations in 2020.
On the pitch, she also excelled as evidenced by her 39 Grand Slam titles and her former status as world number 1.
“From her participation in the first Fed Cup as a member of the victorious American team in 1963, to the creation of the WTA for which she was the first president, to the feat of being the first female athlete. to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Billie Jean King has never stopped pushing the limits. Today she’s adding another “first” to that list, ”said ITF President David Haggerty.
This name change follows the introduction of a new final format bringing together the top 12 nations for a week in Budapest. Beginning in 2021, the Billie Jean King Cup Finals will award the largest scholarship in women’s team sport, equivalent to that offered to men competing in the Davis Cup Finals.
In its press release, Tennis Canada recalled that the scholarships had been increased to $ 12 million.
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