Review of 'Play better tennis' by Billie Jean King

Although this is another 'how to play tennis book' it is written by someone with enormous experience. It also has a lot to say about doubles play. It is directed too towards the competent player, not the beginner. It covers the basic strokes, a little about Billie Jean King and the psychological aspect of the game. Tennis was more than just a sport to Billie Jean King, it was a way of life. She was also the most influential female at the time in terms of proving that tennis was just as much a skilled game for women as it was for men.
Billie Jean King certainly conveys her love for the game in this book, calling herself a tennis junkie. She is honest and follows the advice of Dr. Maxwell Maltz, a plastic surgeon. He recommends what is called psycho-cybernetics. It is about living in the moment and having positive thoughts. Billie Jean talks of how tennis can help people mature and how tennis, being one of the only one on one sports where you can be in such a spotlight, the best and worst can come out of you on court. She gives advise as to how to deal with that.

Billie Jean King talks of herself and other players, and many players are quoted in their praise of her. Chris Evert said," I admire Billie Jean for the battles she fought for women's tennis. She helped to pave the way for me and other women tennis players. I also admire her personally for her guts and determination on the tennis court. She has an incomparable passion for the game".

I admired Billie Jean for her contributions to the women's movement in general. I wasn't such a tennis tragic as I am now when she was playing, so I didn't see her play. But everyone knew about her match with Bobby Riggs. She felt she had to take up his challenge or the cause of women's tennis would be set back 50 years.

This "Battle of the Sexes" captured the imagination of the world, not just tennis enthusiasts. It was played on Sept. 20, 1973 in Houston. Billie Jean King, then 29, ran Bobby Riggs ragged, winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in a match the London Sunday Times called "the drop shot and volley heard around the world."

She also writes about practice, fitness, exercise, health and diet. She often had to watch her weight. She writes also about the problems and solutions involved with wearing glasses.

This is a great book with many great tips for the tennis player.

Billie Jean King won six Wimbledon singles championships and four U.S. Open titles. She was ranked No. 1 in the world five years. She defeated such magnificent players as Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert and Margaret Court.

Other books by or about Billie Jean King

A Necessary Spectacle : Billie Jean King, Bobby Riggs, and the Tennis Match That Leveled the Game
Superwomen : 100 Women-100 Sports
Billie Jean King : Tennis Trailblazer (Lerner Biographies)
King!
The autobiography of Billie Jean King

All time winners female singles Wimbledon

884 Maud Watson
1885 Maud Watson
1886 Blanche Bingley
1887 Lottie Dod
1888 Lottie Dod
1889 Blanche Bingley Hillyard
1890 Helen Rice
1891 Lottie Dod
1892 Lottie Dod
1893 Lottie Dod
1894 Blanche Bingley Hillyard
1895 Charlotte Cooper
1896 Charlotte Cooper
1897 Blanche Bingley Hillyard
1898 Charlotte Cooper
1899 Blanche Bingley Hillyard
1900 Blanche Bingley Hillyard
1901 Charlotte Cooper Sterry
1902 Muriel Robb
1903 Dorothea Douglass
1904 Dorothea Douglass
1905 May Sutton
1906 Dorothea Douglass
1907 May Sutton
1908 Charlotte Cooper Sterry
1909 Dora Boothby
1910 Dorothea Lambert-Chambers
1911 Dorothea Lambert-Chambers
1912 Ethel Larcombe
1913 Dorothea Lambert-Chambers
1914 Dorothea Lambert-Chambers
1915 no competition
1916 no competition
1917 no competition
1918 no competition
1919 Suzanne Lenglen
1920 Suzanne Lenglen
1921 Suzanne Lenglen
1922 Suzanne Lenglen
1923 Suzanne Lenglen
1924 Kitty McKane
1925 Suzanne Lenglen
1926 Kitty McKane Godfree
1927 Helen Wills
1928 Helen Wills
1929 Helen Wills
1930 Helen Wills Moody
1931 Cilly Aussem
1932 Helen Wills Moody
1933 Helen Wills Moody
1934 Dorothy Round
1935 Helen Wills Moody
1936 Helen Hull Jacobs
1937 Dorothy Round
1938 Helen Wills Moody
1939 Alice Marble
1940 no competition
1941 no competition
1942 no competition
1943 no competition
1944 no competition
1945 no competition
1946 Pauline Betz
1947 Margaret Osborne
1948 Louise Brough
1949 Louise Brough
1950 Louise Brough
1951 Doris Hart
1952 Maureen Connolly
1953 Maureen Connolly
1954 Maureen Connolly
1955 Louise Brough
1956 Shirley Fry
1957 Althea Gibson
1958 Althea Gibson
1959 Maria Bueno
1960 Maria Bueno
1961 Angela Mortimer
1962 Karen Hantze Susman
1963 Margaret Smith
1964 Maria Bueno
1965 Margaret Smith
1966 Billie Jean King
1967 Billie Jean King
1968 Billie Jean King
1969 Ann Haydon Jones
1970 Margaret Smith Court
1971 Evonne Goolagong
1972 Billie Jean King
1973 Billie Jean King
1974 Chris Evert
1975 Billie Jean King
1976 Chris Evert
1977 Virginia Wade
1978 Martina Navrátilová
1979 Martina Navrátilová
1980 Evonne Goolagong Cawley
1981 Chris Evert-Lloyd
1982 Martina Navrátilová
1983 Martina Navrátilová
1984 Martina Navrátilová
1985 Martina Navrátilová
1986 Martina Navrátilová
1987 Martina Navrátilová
1988 Steffi Graf
1989 Steffi Graf
1990 Martina Navrátilová
1991 Steffi Graf
1992 Steffi Graf
1993 Steffi Graf
1994 Conchita Martínez
1995 Steffi Graf
1996 Steffi Graf
1997 Martina Hingis
1998 Jana Novotná
1999 Lindsay Davenport
2000 Venus Williams
2001 Venus Williams
2002 Serena Williams
2003 Serena Williams
2004 Maria Sharapova
2005 Venus Williams
2006 Amelie Mauresmo
2007 Venus Williams
2008 Venus Williams
2009 Serena Williams
2010 Serena Williams
2011 Petra Kvitova
2012 Serena Williams
2013 Marion Bartoli

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All time winners female singles Australian Open

1922 Margaret Molesworth
1923 Margaret Molesworth
1924 Sylvia Lance
1925 Daphne Akhurst
1926 Daphne Akhurst
1927 Esna Boyd
1928 Daphne Akhurst
1929 Daphne Akhurst
1930 Daphne Akhurst
1931 Coral McInnes Buttsworth
1932 Coral McInnes Buttsworth
1933 Joan Hartigan
1934 Joan Hartigan
1935 Dorothy Round
1936 Joan Hartigan
1937 Nancye Wynne
1938 Dorothy Bundy
1939 Emily Wood Westacott
1940 Nancye Wynne
1941 no competition World War II
1942 no competition World War II
1943 no competition World War II
1944 no competition World War II
1945 no competition World War II
1946 Nancye Wynne Bolton
1947 Nancye Wynne Bolton
1948 Nancye Wynne Bolton
1949 Doris Hart
1950 Louise Brough
1951 Nancye Wynne Bolton
1952 Thelma Coyne Long
1953 Maureen Connolly
1954 Thelma Coyne Long
1955 Beryl Penrose
1956 Mary Carter
1957 Shirley Fry
1958 Angela Mortimer
1959 Mary Carter Reitano
1960 Margaret Smith
1961 Margaret Smith
1962 Margaret Smith
1963 Margaret Smith
1964 Margaret Smith
1965 Margaret Smith
1966 Margaret Smith
1967 Nancy Richey
1968 Billie Jean King
1969 Margaret Smith Court
1970 Margaret Smith Court
1971 Margaret Smith Court
1972 Virginia Wade
1973 Margaret Smith Court
1974 Evonne Goolagong
1975 Evonne Goolagong
1976 Evonne Goolagong
1977 Kerry Melville Reid (Jan)
1977 Evonne Goolagong Cawley (Dec)
1978 Christine O'Neill
1979 Barbara Jordan
1980 Hana Mandlikova
1981 Martina Navrátilová
1982 Chris Evert Lloyd
1983 Martina Navrátilová
1984 Chris Evert Lloyd
1985 Martina Navrátilová
1986 no competition Date change
1987 Hana Mandlikova
1988 Steffi Graf
1989 Steffi Graf
1990 Steffi Graf
1991 Monica Seles
1992 Monica Seles
1993 Monica Seles
1994 Steffi Graf
1995 Mary Pierce
1996 Monica Seles
1997 Martina Hingis
1998 Martina Hingis
1999 Martina Hingis
2000 Lindsay Davenport
2001 Jennifer Capriati
2002 Jennifer Capriati
2003 Serena Williams
2004 Justine Henin-Hardenne
2005 Serena Williams
2006 Amélie Mauresmo
2007 Serena Williams
2008 Maria Sharapova
2009 Serena Williams
2010 Serena Williams
2011 Kim Clijsters
2012 Victoria Azerenko
2013 Victoria Azerenko

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All time winners singles female US Open

Image via Wikipedia1887 Ellen Hansell
1888 Bertha Townsend
1889 Bertha Townsend
1890 Ellen Roosevelt
1891 Mabel Cahill
1892 Mabel Cahill
1893 Aline Terry
1894 Helen Hellwig
1895 Juliette Atkinson
1896 Elisabeth Moore
1897 Juliette Atkinson
1898 Juliette Atkinson
1899 Marion Jones
1900 Myrtle McAteer
1901 Elisabeth Moore
1902 Marion Jones
1903 Elisabeth Moore
1904 May Sutton
1905 Elisabeth Moore
1906 Helen Homans
1907 Evelyn Sears
1908 Maud Barger-Wallach
1909 Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman
1910 Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman
1911 Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman
1912 Mary Browne
1913 Mary Browne
1914 Mary Browne
1915 Molla Mallory
1916 Molla Mallory
1917 Molla Mallory
1918 Molla Mallory
1919 Hazel Hotchkiss Wightman
1920 Molla Mallory
1921 Molla Mallory
1922 Molla Mallory
1923 Helen Wills
1924 Helen Wills
1925 Helen Wills
1926 Molla Mallory
1927 Helen Wills
1928 Helen Wills
1929 Helen Wills
1930 Betty Nuthall
1931 Helen Wills Moody
1932 Helen Jacobs
1933 Helen Jacobs
1934 Helen Jacobs
1935 Helen Jacobs
1936 Alice Marble
1937 Anita Lizana
1938 Alice Marble
1939 Alice Marble
1940 Alice Marble
1941 Sarah Palfrey Cooke
1942 Pauline Betz
1943 Pauline Betz
1944 Pauline Betz
1945 Sarah Palfrey Cooke
1946 Pauline Betz
1947 Louise Brough
1948 Margaret Osborne duPont
1949 Margaret Osborne duPont
1950 Margaret Osborne duPont
1951 Maureen Connolly
1952 Maureen Connolly
1953 Maureen Connolly
1954 Doris Hart
1955 Doris Hart
1956 Shirley Fry
1957 Althea Gibson
1958 Althea Gibson
1959 Maria Bueno
1960 Darlene Hard
1961 Darlene Hard
1962 Margaret Smith
1963 Maria Bueno
1964 Maria Bueno
1965 Margaret Smith
1966 Maria Bueno
1967 Billie Jean King
1968 Virginia Wade
1968 Margaret Smith Court
1969 Margaret Smith Court
1969 Margaret Smith Court
1970 Margaret Smith Court
1971 Billie Jean King
1972 Billie Jean King
1973 Margaret Smith Court
1974 Billie Jean King
1975 Chris Evert
1976 Chris Evert
1977 Chris Evert
1978 Chris Evert
1979 Tracy Austin
1980 Chris Evert Lloyd
1981 Tracy Austin
1982 Chris Evert Lloyd
1983 Martina Navratilova
1984 Martina Navratilova
1985 Hana Mandlikova
1986 Martina Navratilova
1987 Martina Navratilova
1988 Steffi Graf
1989 Steffi Graf
1990 Gabriela Sabatini
1991 Monica Seles
1992 Monica Seles
1993 Steffi Graf
1994 Arantxa Sánchez Vicario
1995 Steffi Graf
1996 Steffi Graf
1997 Martina Hingis
1998 Lindsay Davenport
1999 Serena Williams
2000 Venus Williams
2001 Venus Williams
2002 Serena Williams
2003 Justine Henin-Hardenne
2004 Svetlana Kuznetsova
2005 Kim Clijsters
2006 Maria Sharapova
2007 Justine Henin
2008 Serena Williams
2009 Kim Clijsters
2010 Kim Clijsters
2011 Samantha Stosur
2012 Serena Williams

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Court vs King

These two rivals were very different from each other. They played each other through the 60s and 70s, but despite respecting each others games they never became friends. They were politically and psychologically very different.

They were great players and led in terms of prize money for their times.

Margaret Court

Margaret Court was born in Albury, NSW, Australia in 1942. She was always deeply religious and shy. She married at 25 and had 4 children. Her husband’s brother and father were Premiers of Western Australia on the Conservative side. Margaret thought Billie Jean was lacking in class and was a loud mouth. She criticized Martina Navratilova saying that because she was gay (Martina that is) she was not a good role model for tennis. Court was socially very conservative. She and King only met at the net to shake hands. Martina said that Court only ever said 3 words to her.

What Court did to revolutionize tennis though was to be very fit and she had a power game which overcame most other players for many years. She trained on court but also off it with weights, skipping ropes, and running. Her arms too were 3 inches longer than is usual for people so her wing spam at the net was huge. In mixed doubles men did not shield her at all.

She also won a Grand Slam in 1970. Only 2 other women have ever done this. Steffi Graf was one of them. So what ever we might think of Court as a person one has to admire her tennis ability. She also went back to tennis after having babies which very few female tennis players do.

She won 62 Grand Slam titles (with 24 of them being in singles). Both of these statistics remain records.

Margaret began by winning the Australian national title at 17 in 1960. This was to become the Australian Open. She was the youngest winner and progressed to be a world class tennis player. She won this same event 11 more times. It was still amateur tennis at this stage. Court didn’t travel overseas for events until the following year.

Billie Jean King

Billie could not have been more different from Court and though she had a great game she probably couldn’t be compared with Court. She grew up in swinging California having been born in Long Beach in 1943. She was a leader, loved competing and was opinionated.

She married young, but the marriage became one of convenience as Billie decided she was a lesbian and was known to have had an abortion. She fought for women’s rights. She certainly wasn’t socially conservative.

Billie Jean had a serve volley game and as she was short, couldn’t win from the baseline in long rallies. She had a good serve and used a lot of spin.

In 1971 she became the first women to win $100,000 in prize money for a year. She deserved it though as she had fought for better prize money for women and held many positions in tennis organizations. She was recognized for this work by the WTA naming the end of year championships trophy after her.

Both Billie Jean and Margaret Court played Bobby Riggs who was known as a chauvinist pig. He had been a tennis player and kept baiting the women to play. Court lost to him, but Billie Jean King beat him. The games were played in completely different spirits though. King had a point to make and there was much fanfare around the world about the match. The result showed the temperaments in the two women, rather than their lesser or otherwise talent compared with Riggs. It was said that Court lost her nerve while King was always known to be rock solid.

Wimbledon 1970

The match they have been remembered for was the Wimbledon Singles finals in 1970. King was in her prime having won Wimbledon in 1967 and 68 and would win it again in 72, 73 and 75. Court was playing the third rung in her eventual Grand Slam in that year. Court won 14-12, 11-9. There were no tie-breakers then. It remains the longest women’s singles final ever played at Wimbledon. The first set, going to deuce many times, was the longest set played by either men of women in a Wimbledon final.

Their records

Margaret Court won 92 singles and 48 doubles titles. She won 24 singles Grand Slams.
Billie Jean won 67 singles titles and 101 doubles. She won 13 singles Grand Slams.

Head to heads in Grand Slams

Australian Open: Court won 1 and Billie Jean won 1.
Wimbledon: Court won 3 out of 5 between them
US Open they won one apiece.
In Federation Cup Court beat King twice.
Both have been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame: Court in 1979 and King in 1987.