Billie Jean King on how far women's sports have come - and how far there is to go: It's "just beginning now"

Long a promoter of women's tennis as the leading global female sport, the legendary Billie Jean King is happy to spread the wealth in the coming era.

"Women's sports is just beginning now, and I'm glad I'm still alive to see this," the 80-year-old King told a small roundtable of reporters on Saturday (16 November) at the aplty-named Billie Jean King Cup Finals, women's tennis' global team competition.

"It's starting to change; we're starting to get momentum - and people who are very wealthy are starting to invest in women," she added. "They believe [that we are] a good investment. It's not a charity, it's... an investment. And now that's beginning."

It's been a memorable year in women's sports indeed, as female athletes took centre stage at the Olympic Games Paris 2024, where there was gender parity among competing athletes for the first time.

Global superstars like Simone Biles (gymnastics), Coco Gauff (tennis), and Caitlin Clark (basketball) helped their respective sports reach new pinnacles in the US and beyond.

King says it's all about coverage: Media attention, primetime TV, and thoughtful social storytelling.

"Women's sports is so far behind: We used to be at four percent of the media [coverage], then we got to five percent and everybody started to get excited," she explained. "Now we're around 15 percent. So that shows you [the progress]. Because media rights equal money, equal opportunity. [But] you can see how far women are still behind."

She added, later: "We have a long way to go."

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Billie Jean King passing her wisdom on to a new generation

This year, the BJK Cup has joined the men at the site of the Davis Cup Finals in Malaga, Spain, with King meeting with a plethora of players - including the soon-to-be-retired Rafael Nadal.

One of the pioneers of the Women's Tennis Association (the WTA; the women's pro tour) and a leading voice for the equal pay movement, King is unafraid - even giddy - to speak with the current generation of female stars, in particular, as to how they can continue to push forward.

"When players ask me, 'What do you think I should do?' I say, Learn the business," King shared. "I say, 'You're in the tennis business. You're not just the player. You are a player that's in this business and you need to learn [it]."

King would also like to see growth for women away from the playing court itself - including in coaching, administration, on boards, and in media and business.

"We need women at all levels," King said, calling female representation in coaching "shocking." "You never see a team of [female coaches]. ... I hardly ever do. It's pathetic."

A strength, King calls out, however, is on display this fortnight: The men's and women's games played alongside one another, as the sport has showcased for much of its history in its four Grand Slams, as well as at most of its Masters 1000 events in the recent past.

"Our culture has had men and women together since just about day one, which I think has made a huge difference" in tennis, she explained. "I think it's fantastic [and] I think that separates us from other sports. Actually, when I go to Wimbledon or [being here] I can see both the Davis Cup and us, I think this is fantastic that we have both genders."

She added: "Why do you think the majors are together? It is more valuable together."

What would Billie Jean King change in tennis?

So what can make women's tennis - and tennis overall - continue to punch above its weight in a crowded sporting mediasphere? King has several thoughts, but the most pointed one comes in both simplifying and quickening the pace of the game itself.

"Our sport needs to clarify things... make your life easier," King said of the fan perspective. "I [would] change the scoring to one, two, three, four. Get rid of this 15-30. I mean, I remember my coach, he starts telling me [how to score] and I go, 'That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!' And I'm 11 years old telling him this.

"I want to get kids in the sport... we want to get new kids," she added. "[We] need to think about it from a business [perspective] so we get more kids into it."

King loves the pivot of many tennis events allowing fans to sitdown at more junctures in matches, and looks to baseball for the changes its made to speed up its flow of games, too.

Some 50 years since the formation of the WTA, King keeps plodding - and plotting. Simply put, she believes there is no glass ceiling. Only limitless skies above.

"I want more investment in women's tennis, in women's sports," she said.