‘Because of Some of the Opportunities She Has Created for Us’- Emma Raducanu Lauds Billie Jean King for Her Contributions to Women’s Tennis

Emma Raducanu rose to stardom after her 2021 US Open triumph. The 19-year-old coming in as a qualifier, went on to win her maiden and the only career title till now without dropping a set. Since then, the Brit has been one of the followed players on the tour.

However, she has struggled to make her mark on the tour following her remarkable win in New York. She has suffered multiple early round exists thereafter. Nonetheless, Raducanu is now set to lead her country, Great Britain at the prestigious Billie Jean Cup. The British team is set to take on the 4th seeded Czech Republic in the qualifiers of the cup. Yesterday, while speaking to the media, Raducanu expressed her feelings about playing at a tournament named after the legendary Billie Jean King.

Emma Raducanu credits Billie Jean King for her contribution

Billie Jean King is often regarded as the biggest contributor to the stage as far as women’s tennis is concerned.

Recalling the contributions of Billie to the sport, Raducanu admitted, “She’s (Billie Jean King) an icon of our sport and especially female tennis.”

“She’s an icon of our sport” @EmmaRaducanu hails @billiejeanking‘s legacy ahead of leading Team GB into Qualifier action#BJKCup | @the_LTA pic.twitter.com/52xmAbYZgn

— Billie Jean King Cup (@BJKCup) April 14, 2022

Billie Jean King’s contribution to the sport was much larger than winning Grand Slams and being the World No. 1. In her gracious career, the American great worked rigorously toward equality for male and female players. One of her biggest contributions to women’s tennis is the establishment of the Women’s Tennis Association in 1973.

In her 24-year-long career, Jean won a total of 39 Grands slams: 12 singles titles, 16 women’s doubles titles, and 11 mixed doubles titles. Apart from that, she also reigned as the top-ranked player in women’s tennis for a total of 221 weeks. Considering the mighty career of King, Raducanu said, “It’s amazing to play a tournament that’s named after her.”

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In her two-and-a-half-decade-long career, Billie Jean worked immensely towards the upliftment of Women’s tennis. The former player campaigned massively towards equal prize money distribution in the men’s and women’s games. Working towards the cause, she finally gained success in 1973, when the US Open became the first tournament to offer equal pay to both genders.

Addressing Billie’s work towards Women’s tennis, Raducanu said, “Her legacy is really inspiring. So, we are all just happy to be here because of some of the opportunities she has created for us.”

Tennis – WTA 250 – Upper Austria Ladies Linz – TipsArena Linz, Linz, Austria – November 9, 2021 Britain’s Emma Raducanu before her round of 16 match against China’s Wang Xinyu REUTERS/Leonhard Foeger

The Billie Jean cup qualifier tie

Led by Emma Raducanu, Great Britain will take on the fourth-seeded Czech Republic at the Tennis Club I.CLTK in Prague. The tie is scheduled to take place on 15th and 16th April.

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Prior to this, the two teams have played 6 times previously, with both standing at 3-3.

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