NEW YORK, August 26, 2023 (WTA Press Release)

The WTA was founded in the summer of 1973 when some 60 players joined forces to give women’s professional tennis a stronger, unified voice. On Friday night, 50 years later, trailblazers past and present gathered in New York to honor the milestone anniversary of an organization that has paved the way for women’s sports.  

Led by Billie Jean King, some 50 WTA legends and current players walked the purple carpet before enjoying a program that paid tribute to five decades of champions and the enduring core principles on which the WTA was founded: equality and inclusion.

Special guests at the event included former US Open singles champions Chris Evert, Virginia Wade, Tracy Austin, Gabriela Sabatini and Bianca Andreescu. Alongside King, WTA founding members in attendance included Rosie Casals, Betty Stove and Francoise Durr while other champions featured were Pam Shriver, Mary Pierce, Iva Majoli, Mary Joe Fernandez, Barbara Schett and Andrea Petkovic.

Riding the wave of her recent titles in Washington, D.C. and Cincinnati, World No.6 Coco Gauff spoke on behalf of current players on the Hologic WTA Tour, paying special tribute to the inspirational examples set by Serena and Venus Williams.

Among other highlights, with the support of Morgan Stanley and the WTA Foundation’s Come Play program, girls from the Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program joined the event.