Rise of the rebels: The Original 9 of tennis set the ball rolling for women

Wimbledon had the honour of being the first Grand Slam of the Open Era and there was great buzz heading into it. However, even as the tournament was being heralded as a huge step in the right direction, King and many others in the women’s game were left with a sinking feeling by the time it ended.

While Laver was paid £2000 as prize money for winning the men’s singles title, King was handed only £750 for winning the women’s singles and left with the realisation that her battle had only just begun.

“I didn’t have any idea we were going to get different prize money,” said King on the 2013 PBS documentary American Masters. “I thought it was totally unfair.”

Stunned, King spearheaded the formation of Original 9. Seven elite players of this group – King, Rosie Casals, Nancy Richey, Kristy Pigeon, Valerie Ziegenfuss, Peaches Bartkowicz and Julie Heldman – were from the US, while Kerry Melville Reid and Judy Tegart Dalton represented Australia.

The Original 9 were confident they could draw the same crowds to stadiums as men, and deserved equal money for it. In September 1970, they showed incredible courage, launching their own circuit in Texas. The Virginia Slims Circuit signed one-dollar pro contracts with Gladys Heldman, the promoter and founder of World Tennis Magazine.

King and her band of rebels gained plenty of attention everywhere they played and kept raising awareness about their battle. After she won the 1972 US Open women’s singles title, King once again used her voice unequivocally in favour of equal prize money in tennis tournaments.

And at last, the following year, things changed for good.

The year 1973 remains momentous for two reasons. The Women’s Tennis Association – still the governing body for women’s tennis – was launched that year. And the US Open gave equal prize money of $25,000 to both the men’s and women’s singles champions.

King and the Original 9’s bravery led to a historic change in the sport. While the US Open was the first of the four Grand Slams to offer equal pay, the Australian Open (2001), French Open (2006) and Wimbledon (2007) followed.