ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA, July 1, 2023 (WTA Press Release)
The WTA was founded on June 21, 1973 when some 60 players joined forces to give women’s professional tennis a stronger, unified voice. Today, 13 of those trailblazing athletes reunited at the same London venue where that momentous meeting took place, five decades ago.Led by Billie Jean King, the WTA’s founding members arrived at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in South Kensington on a vintage double-decker bus, traveling from the Chelsea Harbour Hotel via landmarks including the Victoria & Albert Museum and Royal Albert Hall.
The WTA’s 5️⃣0️⃣th Anniversary Celebration 🎉🎾#WTA #BillieJeanKing pic.twitter.com/t0uHbqzy1G
— First Serve Tennis (@FirstServeTnnis) June 30, 2023
“Times were very tumultuous,” King said. “The prize money was terrible for us. Rod Laver made 2,000 pounds in ’68, and I made 750. June 21st was a Thursday before Wimbledon in 1973. One of the big reasons everybody showed up was that most of us were staying at the Gloucester Hotel – it was the first time we got a free room, and we were over the moon.
“We were very excited but also scared … what if nobody shows up?”
Special guests at the media event included 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens, who spoke on behalf of current players, and 2022 Wimbledon semifinalist Tatjana Maria, whose nine-year-old daughter Charlotte features in a special video to mark the anniversary.
Girls and young women from the Elena Baltacha Foundation were also present, after they took part in a clinic with Judy Murray through the WTA Foundation’s Come Play outreach program.
