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Billie Jean King

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Billie Jean Moffitt King (born November 22, 1943 in Long Beach, California) is a retired tennis player from the United States. During her career, she won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. She is generally considered to be one of the greatest female tennis players and female athletes in history. King has been an outspoken advocate against sexism in sports and society. The tennis match for which the public best remembers her is the "Battle of the Sexes" in 1973, in which she defeated Bobby Riggs, a former Wimbledon men's champion who had been the World No. 1 tennis player for the years 1941, 1946, and 1947.

Contents

[edit] Biography

King was born Billie Jean Moffitt. She was born into a conservative Methodist family, the daughter of a firefighter father and homemaker mother. Her younger brother Randy Moffitt grew up to become a professional baseball player, pitching for 12 years in the major leagues for the San Francisco Giants, Houston Astros, and Toronto Blue Jays. Moffitt learned to play tennis on the public courts of Long Beach, California. She attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School and was a member of Zayn Welfare Sorority. She first gained international recognition in 1961 when, aged 17, she won the women's doubles title at Wimbledon in her first attempt (partnering Karen Hantze Susman). At Wimbledon in 1962, Moffitt toppled the number one player in the world and top seed, Margaret Court, in a stunning first round match after Court had led 5-2 in the third set.

In 1965, Moffitt married law student Lawrence King.

In 1966, King won the first of her six singles titles at Wimbledon. She followed up in 1967 by winning the singles titles at both Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships. She developed a reputation as an aggressive, hard-hitting net-rusher, with excellent speed and a highly competitive personality. King once said, "Victory is fleeting. Losing is forever."

King was a significant force in the opening of tennis to professionalism. Before the start of the Open era in 1968, she earned US$100 a week as a playground instructor and student at Los Angeles State College between playing at major tennis tournaments. In 1967, she criticized the United States Lawn Tennis Association in a series of press conferences, denouncing what she called the association's practice of "shamateurism," where top players were paid under the table to guarantee their entry into tournaments. King argued that this was corrupt and kept the game highly elitist. When the open era began, King campaigned for equal prize money in the men's and women's games. As the financial backing of the women's game improved due to the efforts of World Tennis Founder and Publisher Gladys M. Heldman, King became the first woman athlete to earn over US$100,000 in prize money in 1971. But inequalities continued. In 1972, King won the U.S. Open but received US$15,000 less than the men's champion Ilie Năstase. She stated that if the prize money was not equal by the following year, she would not play. In 1973, the U.S. Open became the first major tournament to offer equal prize money for men and women.

Despite King's achievements at the world's biggest tennis tournaments, the US public best remembers King for her win over a 55-year-old man in 1973. Bobby Riggs had been a top men's player in the 1930s and 1940s in both the amateur and professional ranks, becoming, in the mid-40s, the world's best player. He then became a self-described tennis "hustler" who played in promotional challenge matches. In 1973, he took on the role of male chauvinist and, claiming that the women's game was so inferior to the men's game even a 55-year-old like himself could beat the current top female players, he challenged Margaret Court to a match and beat her 6-2, 6-1. King, who previously had rejected challenges from Riggs, then accepted a lucrative financial offer to play him at the Houston Astrodome in Texas on September 20, 1973, in an event dubbed the "Battle of the Sexes." The match garnered huge publicity. In front of 30,492 spectators and a worldwide television audience estimated at 50 million people in 37 countries, King beat Riggs 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. The match is considered a very significant event in developing greater recognition and respect for women's tennis. King said, "I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn't win that match. It would ruin the women's [tennis] tour and affect all women's self-esteem." In recent years, a persistent urban legend has arisen, particularly on the Internet, that the rules of tennis were modified for the match so that Riggs had only one serve for King's two and that King was allowed to hit into the doubles court area. This is completely false - the match was played under the normal rules of tennis.

King led player efforts to support the first professional women's tennis tour in the 1970s (the Virginia Slims, founded by Gladys M. Heldman and funded by Joseph Cullman of Philip Morris), and once the tour took flight, worked tirelessly to promote it. She became the first president of the women's players union – the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) – in 1973. In 1974, she with husband Larry King and Jim Jorgensen founded WomenSports magazine and started the Women's Sports Foundation. Also in 1974, King helped to found World Team Tennis. She became league commissioner in 1982.

King's triumph at the French Open in 1972 made her only the fifth woman in tennis history to win the singles titles at all four Grand Slam events, a "career Grand Slam." She also won a career Grand Slam in mixed doubles. In women's doubles, only the Australian Open eluded her. She won a record 20 career titles at Wimbledon – 6 singles, 10 women's doubles, and 4 mixed doubles. (Martina Navratilova also has 20 career titles at Wimbledon.)

King retired from competitive play in singles at the end of 1983. She reached the semifinals in her final appearance at Wimbledon, losing to Andrea Jaeger 6-1, 6-1 after beating Kathy Jordan 7-5, 6-4 in the quarterfinals, Wendy Turnbull 7-5, 6-3 in the fourth round, and Rosie Casals, her longtime doubles partner, 6-3, 6-4 in the third round. The final singles match of her career was a second round 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 loss to Catherine Tanvier at the 1983 Australian Open.

King played doubles sporadically from 1984 through 1990. She retired from competitive play in doubles in March 1990. In her last competitive doubles match, King and her partner, Jennifer Capriati, lost a second round match to Brenda Schultz-McCarthy and Andrea Temesvari 6-3, 6-2 at the Virginia Slims of Florida tournament.

According to the end-of-year rankings compiled by the London Daily Telegraph from 1914 through 1972, King was ranked first in the world three times: 1966, 1967, and 1968. King also was ranked first for 1972 and 1974, when the official rankings were produced by the Women's Tennis Association.

During her career, King won 67 professional and 37 amateur singles titles and helped the United States win the Fed Cup seven times. Her career prize money totalled US$1,966,487.

King played 51 Grand Slam events in singles from 1959 through 1983 (197-39 .835 win-loss record): 21 at Wimbledon (96-15 win-loss record), 18 at the U.S. Championships/Open (63-14 win-loss record), 7 at the French Championships/Open (22-6 win-loss record), and 5 at the Australian Championships/Open (16-4 win-loss record). She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles: 6 at Wimbledon, 4 at the U.S. Championships/Open, 1 at the French Open, and 1 at the Australian Championships. She won the last 7 Grand Slam singles finals in which she played, 6 of them in straight sets. Four of those finals were against Evonne Goolagong. From 1966 through 1975, King played in 25 Grand Slam singles tournaments, winning 12. She was the losing finalist in 4 of those tournaments, a losing semifinalist in 2 of those tournaments, and a losing quarterfinalist in 5 of those tournaments. From 1971 through 1975, King won 7 of the 10 Grand Slam singles tournaments she played. All but one of King's Grand Slam singles championships were on grass. During her career, King was the losing finalist in 6 Grand Slam singles events, and she reached at least the semifinals in 27 and at least the quarterfinals in 40 out of her 51 attempts. An indicator of King's mental toughness at crunch time in Grand Slam singles tournaments was her 11-2 career record in deuce third sets, i.e., third sets that were tied 5-5 before being resolved.

[edit] Awards And Honors

In 1972, King became the first tennis player to be named Sports Illustrated Sportsperson of the Year. She was also the first female athlete ever to receive that honor.

In 1975, Seventeen (magazine) magazine found that King was the most admired woman in the world from a poll of its readers. Golda Meir, who had been Israel's prime minister until the previous year, finished second.

King was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987. In 1990, Life magazine named her one of the "100 Most Important Americans of the 20th Century."

On August 28, 2006, the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park was rededicated as the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. John McEnroe, Venus Williams, Jimmy Connors, and Chris Evert were among the speakers during the rededication ceremony. The center is the largest sports facility in the world to be named after a woman.

[edit] Personal life

In the mid-1990s, King became the captain of the United States Fed Cup team and coach of its women's Olympic tennis squad. She guided the U.S. to the Fed Cup in 1996 and helped Lindsay Davenport, Gigi Fernandez, and Mary Joe Fernandez capture Olympic gold medals. In 2002, King dismissed Jennifer Capriati from the Fed Cup team, saying Capriati had violated rules that forbade bringing along and practicing with personal coaches. Opinion was sharply divided, with many supporting King's decision but many feeling the punishment was too harsh, especially in hindsight when Monica Seles and Lisa Raymond were defeated by lower-ranked Austrians Barbara Schett and Barbara Schwartz. The following year, Zina Garrison succeeded King as Fed Cup captain.

King had an abortion in 1971. She said in an interview with 60 Minutes in 1972 that she and her husband, Lawrence King, were not ready to have children at that time, because both were busy with their careers and could not devote time to children.

In 1971, King began an intimate relationship with her secretary Marilyn Barnett. King acknowledged the relationship when it became public in a lawsuit ten years later, becoming the first prominent American athlete to admit openly to having a gay relationship. King said that she decided to play on the tour in 1982 and 1983 solely because she needed money to pay the attorneys who defended her in that lawsuit and that she really did not want to play at age 38 and 39. In 2001, King received an award from the GLAAD, an organisation devoted to reducing discrimination against gays, lesbians, and bisexuals, for "furthering the visibility and inclusion of the community in her work." The award noted her involvement in production and the free distribution of educational films, as well as serving on the boards of several AIDS charities.

King currently resides in New York and Seattle. In 1987, she divorced Lawrence King. On a PBS program on March 20, 2005, she discussed the fact that her sexual side has been the greatest struggle of her life. She pointed out that she came from a personally conservative background, which worked against her being open about her orientation, as contrasted with less inhibited players such as Martina Navratilova.

[edit] Trivia

  • The Elton John song "Philadelphia Freedom" is a tribute to King (see [1]). John was and is a friend of King's. On the aforementioned PBS program, John talked about how he brought a demo copy of the record to spin for her right after he had recorded it.
  • Charles M. Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip, was another of King's admirers and close friends. Schulz referenced King several times in Peanuts over the years. In one strip, Peppermint Patty tells Marcie, "Has anyone ever told you that when you're mad, you look just like Billie Jean King?"

[edit] Grand Slam singles finals

[edit] Wins (12)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1966Wimbledon Championships Image:Flag of Brazil.svg Maria Bueno6-3, 3-6, 6-1
1967 Wimbledon Championships (2) Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ann Haydon Jones 6-3, 6-4
1967 U.S. Championships Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ann Haydon Jones 11-9, 6-4
1968 Australian Championships Image:Flag of Australia.svg Margaret Smith Court 6-1, 6-2
Open Era:
1968 Wimbledon (3) Image:Flag of Australia.svg Judy Tegart-Dalton9-7, 7-5
1971 U.S. Open (2) Image:Flag of the United States.svg Rosemary Casals 6-4, 7-6
1972 French Open Image:Flag of Australia.svg Evonne Goolagong6-3, 6-3
1972 Wimbledon (4) Image:Flag of Australia.svg Evonne Goolagong 6-3, 6-3
1972 U.S. Open (3) Image:Flag of Australia.svg Kerry Melville 6-3, 7-5
1973 Wimbledon (5) Image:Flag of the United States.svg Chris Evert 6-0, 7-5
1974 U.S. Open (4) Image:Flag of Australia.svg Evonne Goolagong 3-6, 6-3, 7-5
1975 Wimbledon (6) Image:Flag of Australia.svg Evonne Goolagong 6-0, 6-1

[edit] Runner-ups (6)

Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1963Wimbledon Championships Image:Flag of Australia.svg Margaret Smith6-3, 6-4
1965U.S. ChampionshipsImage:Flag of Australia.svg Margaret Smith 8-6, 7-5
Open Era:
1968U.S. Open Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Virginia Wade 6-4, 6-2
1969 Australian Open Image:Flag of Australia.svg Margaret Smith Court 6-4, 6-1
1969 Wimbledon Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Ann Haydon Jones 3-6, 6-3, 6-2
1970 Wimbledon Image:Flag of Australia.svg Margaret Smith Court 14-12, 11-9

[edit] Titles

[edit] Singles (67 Open Era)

  • 1968 - Wimbledon
  • 1969 - Pacific Southwest, South African Open, Natal, Dublin, Stockholm
  • 1970 - Rome, Sydney, Durban, London Indoors, VS Richmond
  • 1971 - US Open, San Francisco, Long Beach, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Chattanooga, US Indoors-Detroit, Boston, San Diego, Hamburg [German Open], Hoylake, Kitzbuhel, Houston, US Clay Courts, Louisville, Phoenix, London Indoors
  • 1972 - Roland Garros, US Open, Wimbledon, Phoenix, Richmond, Indianapolis, San Francisco, Tucson, Charlotte, Bristol
  • 1973 - Wimbledon, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Denver, Nottingham, VS Hawaii, Tokyo [Toray]
  • 1974 - US Open, San Francisco, Washington DC, Detroit, Akron, US Indoors-New York
  • 1975 - Wimbledon, Sarasota
  • 1977 - Lionel San Antonio, Phoenix, San Paulo, San Juan, Japan Invitational, London Indoors
  • 1979 - Tokyo Sillook, Stockholm
  • 1980 - Detroit, Houston, Tokyo Sillook
  • 1982 - Birmingham
  • 1983 - Birmingham.

[edit] Grand Slam doubles tournaments

  • Australian Championships / Australian Open:
    • Women's Doubles champion – none
    • Women's Doubles losing finalist (2) – 1965, 1969
    • Mixed Doubles champion – 1968
    • Mixed Doubles losing finalist – none
  • French Championships / French Open:
    • Women's Doubles champion – 1972
    • Women's Doubles losing finalist (2) – 1968, 1970
    • Mixed Doubles champion (2) – 1967, 1970
    • Mixed Doubles losing finalist – 1968
  • Wimbledon:
    • Women's Doubles champion (10) – 1961, 1962, 1965, 1967, 1968, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1979
    • Women's Doubles losing finalist (2) – 1964, 1976
    • Mixed Doubles champion (4) – 1967, 1971, 1973, 1974
    • Mixed Doubles losing finalist (3) – 1966, 1978, 1983
  • U.S. Championships / U.S. Open:
    • Women's Doubles champion (5) – 1964, 1967, 1974, 1978, 1980
    • Women's Doubles losing finalist (7) – 1962, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1973, 1975, 1979
    • Mixed Doubles champion (4) – 1967, 1971, 1973, 1976
    • Mixed Doubles losing finalist (3) – 1975, 1977, 1978

[edit] Grand Slam singles tournament timeline

Tournament 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 Career SR
Australia A A A A A A SF A A W F A A A A A A A A / A A A A A QF 2R 1 / 5
France A A A A A A A A QF SF QF QF A W A A A A A A A QF A 3R A 1 / 7
Wimbledon A A 2R QF F SF SF W W W F F SF W W QF W A QF QF QF QF A SF SF 6 / 21
United States 1R 3R 2R 1R 4R QF F 2R W F QF A W W 3R W A A QF A SF A A 1R A 4 / 18
SR 0 / 1 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 3 1 / 2 2 / 3 2 / 4 0 / 4 0 / 2 1 / 2 3 / 3 1 / 2 1 / 2 1 / 1 0 / 0 0 / 2 0 / 1 0 / 2 0 / 2 0 / 0 0 / 4 0 / 2 12 / 51

A = did not participate in the tournament

SR = the ratio of the number of singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.

[edit] See also

[edit] Grand Slam singles records

[edit] Wimbledon

King's overall win-loss record at Wimbledon was 96-15 .865 in 21 years (1961-1975, 1977-1980, 1982-1983). (Her win total includes one walkover but does not include any first round byes.)

King was 6-3 in finals, 9-5 in semifinals, and 14-6 in quarterfinals. King failed to reach the quarterfinals only once, in 1961 during her first Wimbledon. After receiving a bye during the first round, King lost to the fifth seed, Yola Ramirez, in the second round.

King was 23-7 in three set matches, 73-8 in two set matches, and 5-1 in deuce third sets, i.e., sets that were tied 5-5 before being resolved.

King was seeded 18 times out of 21 years. (Wimbledon seeded 8 players from at least 1961 through 1976, 12 players in 1977, and 16 players from 1978 through the end of King's career.)

  • Seeded #1 in 1974 (quarterfinalist), 1968 (champion), 1967 (champion).
  • Seeded #2 in 1973 (champion), 1972 (champion), 1971 (semifinalist), 1970 (losing finalist), 1969 (losing finalist).
  • Seeded #3 in 1975 (champion) and 1964 (semifinalist).
  • Seeded #4 in 1966 (champion).
  • Seeded #5 in 1980 (quarterfinalist), 1978 (quarterfinalist), 1977 (quarterfinalist), 1965 (semifinalist).
  • Seeded #7 in 1979 (quarterfinalist).
  • Seeded #10 in 1983 (semifinalist).
  • Seeded #12 in 1982 (semifinalist).
  • Unseeded in 1963 (losing finalist), 1962 (quarterfinalist), 1961 (lost second round).

King was 31-15 .674 against seeded players. She never lost to an unseeded player (65-0). Her worst loss was to #8 seed Olga Morozova in 1974.

  • Versus #2 seeds, King was 2-1 (wins: Maria Bueno (1966), Lesley Turner Bowrey (1963); loss: Chris Evert (1982)).
  • Versus #3 seeds, King was 6-2 (wins: Tracy Austin (1982), Evonne Goolagong (1973), Virginia Wade (1970), Ann Haydon Jones (1967, 1963), Lesley Turner Bowrey (1965); losses: Andrea Jaeger (1983), Evonne Goolagong (1971)).
  • Versus #4 seeds, King was 3-2 (wins: Evonne Goolagong (1975), Chris Evert (1973), Ann Haydon Jones (1968); losses: Tracy Austin (1979), Ann Haydon Jones (1969)).
  • Versus #5 seeds, King was 0-2 (Ann Haydon Jones (1962), Yola Ramirez (1961)).
  • Versus #8 seeds, King was 3-1 (wins: Judy Tegart-Dalton (1969), Lesley Turner Bowrey (1968), Virginia Wade (1967); loss: Olga Morozova (1974)).
  • Versus #14 seeds, King was 1-0 (Sue Barker (1978)).

Against her major rivals at Wimbledon, King was 4-2 versus Ann Haydon Jones, 3-0 versus Rosie Casals, 3-0 versus Virginia Wade, 3-0 versus Francoise Durr, 3-1 versus Evonne Goolagong, 3-1 versus Maria Bueno, 2-3 versus Margaret Court, 2-3 versus Chris Evert, 1-0 versus Christine Truman Janes, 1-0 versus Hana Mandlikova, 1-1 versus Olga Morozova, 1-1 versus Tracy Austin, and 0-1 versus Martina Navratilova.

[edit] United States Championships/Open

King's overall win-loss record at the United States Championships/Open was 63-14 .818 in 18 years (1959-1969, 1971-1974, 1977, 1979, 1982). She was 55-11 on grass, 5-2 on hard courts, and 3-1 on clay. (Her win total does not include any first round byes. Her loss total includes two retirements.)

King was 4-2 in finals, 6-1 in semifinals, and 7-3 in quarterfinals.

King was 8-4 in three set matches, 55-10 in two set matches, and 4-1 in deuce third sets, i.e., sets that were tied 5-5 before being resolved.

King was seeded 14 times out of the 18 years she entered the tournament.

  • Seeded #1 in 1973 (lost third round), 1972 (champion), 1971 (champion), 1968 (losing finalist), 1967 (champion).
  • Seeded #2 in 1974 (champion), 1966 (lost second round).
  • Seeded #3 in 1969 (quarterfinalist), 1964 (quarterfinalist), 1963 (lost fourth round).
  • Seeded #5 in 1965 (losing finalist).
  • Seeded #7 in 1977 (quarterfinalist).
  • Seeded #9 in 1979 (semifinalist).
  • Seeded #12 in 1982 (lost first round).
  • Unseeded in 1962 (lost first round), 1961 (lost second round), 1960 (lost third round), 1959 (lost first round).

King was 12-8 .600 against seeded players and 51-6 .895 against unseeded players.

  • Versus #3 seeds, King was 1-0 (Ann Haydon Jones (1965)).
  • Versus #6 seeds, King was 1-2 (win: Rosie Casals (1974); losses: Nancy Richey Gunter (1969), Virginia Wade (1968)).
  • Versus #8 seeds, King was 1-0 (Virginia Wade (1972)).

Against her major rivals at the United States Championships/Open, King was 3-1 versus Virginia Wade, 2-0 versus Maria Bueno, 2-0 versus Ann Haydon Jones, 2-0 versus Rosie Casals, 1-0 versus Evonne Goolagong, 1-0 versus Francoise Durr, 1-1 versus Margaret Court, 1-2 versus Chris Evert, 0-1 versus Christine Truman Janes, and 0-2 versus Nancy Richey Gunter.

[edit] French Championships/Open

King's overall win-loss record at the French Championships/Open was 22-6 .786 in 7 years (1967-1970, 1972, 1980, 1982). (Her win total does not include any first round byes but does include one walkover.)

King was 1-0 in finals, 1-1 in semifinals, and 2-4 in quarterfinals. She failed to reach the quarterfinals only once, in 1982 when she lost to Lucia Romanov in the third round.

King was 3-3 in three set matches, 19-3 in two set matches, and 1-0 in deuce third sets, i.e., sets that were tied 5-5 before being resolved.

King was seeded all 7 years she entered the tournament.

  • Seeded #1 in 1968 (semifinalist), 1967 (quarterfinalist).
  • Seeded #2 in 1980 (quarterfinalist), 1970 (quarterfinalist), 1969 (quarterfinalist).
  • Seeded #3 in 1972 (champion).
  • Seeded #10 in 1982 (lost third round).

King was 5-3 .625 against seeded players and 17-3 .850 against unseeded players.

Against her major rivals at the French Championships/Open, King was 1-0 versus Virginia Wade, 1-0 versus Maria Bueno, 1-0 versus Evonne Goolagong, 1-1 versus Helga Niessen Mastoff, 0-1 versus Lesley Turner Bowrey, and 0-1 versus Nancy Richey Gunter.

[edit] Australian Championships/Open

King's overall win-loss record at the Australian Championships/Open was 16-4 .800 in 5 years (1965, 1968, 1969, 1982, 1983). (Her win total does not include any first round byes.)

King was 1-1 in finals, 2-1 in semifinals, and 3-1 in quarterfinals.

King was 5-1 in three set matches, 11-3 in two set matches, and 1-0 in deuce third sets, i.e., sets that were tied 5-5 before being resolved.

King was seeded all 5 years she entered the tournament.

  • Seeded #1 overall in 1969 (losing finalist), 1968 (champion).
  • Seeded #2 foreign in 1965 (semifinalist).
  • Seeded #7 overall in 1983 (lost 2nd round).
  • Seeded #9 overall in 1982 (quarterfinalist).

King was 6-3 .667 against seeded players and 10-1 .909 against unseeded players.

  • Versus #1 seeds (domestic, foreign, or overall), King was 0-1 (Margaret Court (1965)).
  • Versus #4 seeds (domestic, foreign, or overall), King was 1-0 (Robyn Ebbern (1965)).
  • Versus #6 seeds (domestic, foreign, or overall), King was 1-0 (Karen Krantzcke (1969)).
  • Versus #7 seeds (domestic, foreign, or overall), King was 2-0 (Barbara Potter (1982), Margaret Court (1968)).

Against her major rivals at the Australian Championships/Open, King was 1-0 versus Kerry Melville Reid, 1-0 versus Judy Tegart Dalton, 1-0 versus Evonne Goolagong, 1-0 versus Ann Haydon Jones, 1-2 versus Margaret Court, and 0-1 versus Chris Evert.

[edit] External links

French Open women's singles champions*
* Open Era | Nancy Richey (1968) | Margaret Smith Court (1969–70, 1973) | Evonne Goolagong (1971) | Billie Jean King (1972) | Chris Evert (1974–75, 1979–80, 1983, 1985–86) | Sue Barker (1976) | Mima Jaušovec (1977) | Virginia Ruzici (1978) | Hana Mandlíková (1981) | Martina Navrátilová (1982, 1984) | Steffi Graf (1987–88, 1993, 1995–96, 1999) | Arantxa Sánchez Vicario (1989, 1994, 1998) | Monica Seles (1990–92) | Iva Majoli (1997) | Mary Pierce (2000) | Jennifer Capriati (2001) | Serena Williams (2002) | Justine Henin-Hardenne (2003, 2005–06) | Anastasia Myskina (2004)
Wimbledon women's singles champions*

* Open Era | (1968) Billie Jean King | (1969) Ann Haydon-Jones | (1970) Margaret Smith Court | (1971) Evonne Goolagong | (1972-73) Billie Jean King | (1974) Chris Evert | (1975) Billie Jean King | (1976) Chris Evert | (1977) Virginia Wade | (1978-79) Martina Navrátilová | (1980) Evonne Goolagong | (1981) Chris Evert | (1982-83-84-85-86-87) Martina Navrátilová | (1988-89) Steffi Graf | (1990) Martina Navrátilová | (1991-92-93) Steffi Graf | (1994) Conchita Martínez | (1995-96) Steffi Graf | (1997) Martina Hingis | (1998) Jana Novotná | (1999) Lindsay Davenport | (2000-01) Venus Williams | (2002-03) Serena Williams | (2004) Maria Sharapova | (2005) Venus Williams | (2006) Amélie Mauresmo

US Open women's singles champions*

* Open Era | (1968) Virginia Wade | (1969-70) Margaret Smith Court | (1971-72) Billie Jean King | (1973) Margaret Smith Court | (1974) Billie Jean King | (1975-78) Chris Evert | (1979) Tracy Austin | (1980) Chris Evert | (1981) Tracy Austin | (1982) Chris Evert | (1983-84) Martina Navrátilová | (1985) Hana Mandlíková | (1986-87) Martina Navrátilová | (1988-89) Steffi Graf | (1990) Gabriela Sabatini | (1991-92) Monica Seles | (1993) Steffi Graf | (1994) Arantxa Sánchez Vicario | (1995-96) Steffi Graf | (1997) Martina Hingis | (1998) Lindsay Davenport | (1999) Serena Williams | (2000-01) Venus Williams | (2002) Serena Williams | (2003) Justine Henin-Hardenne | (2004) Svetlana Kuznetsova | (2005) Kim Clijsters | (2006) Maria Sharapova

Female tennis players who have won 3 or more Grand Slam singles titles in one season
1928–29: Helen Wills Moody (3) | 1953: Maureen Connolly (4) | 1962–65–69–70–73: Margaret Court (3–3–3–4–3) | 1972: Billie Jean King (3) | 1983–84: Martina Navratilova (3–3) | 1988–89–93–95–96: Steffi Graf (4–3–3–3–3) | 1991–92: Monica Seles (3) | 1997: Martina Hingis (3) | 2002: Serena Williams (3)
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