When Billie Jean King was 10 years old, she picked up a tennis racket for the first time and told her mother, Betty Moffitt, “I know what I’m going to do with my life.” She wanted to play tennis, first and foremost. But moreover, she wanted to become the world No. 1, and later on, was motivated to pursue larger ambitions: campaigning to elevate women’s tennis.
The latter goal necessitated the former, though. On July 2, 1966, King won Wimbledon, her first major singles title, kickstarting it all.
