Legendary Billie Jean King backs Ukrainian tennis stars ahead of Spain match
Photo: Billie Jean King and the Ukrainian team (Svitolina Foundation)
The Ukrainian women's tennis team met with Billie Jean King in Shenzhen, China. The team is preparing for its first-ever appearance in the final of the team tournament named after the legendary tennis player. Svitolina Foundation reports on the meeting.
How meeting went
"Today, Ukraine's national tennis team had the incredible honor to meet the legendary Billie Jean King, a woman who changed the history of sport by starting the fight for equality and fairness," the Svitolina Foundation, which manages the national team, said.
The world tennis legend wished the team success during this difficult time for Ukraine, expressed her support for peace, and signed the Ukrainian flag.
Legendary Billie Jean King supported Ukrainian tennis players ahead of the match against Spain
Who Billie Jean King is
The legendary American tennis player is one of the most famous athletes of the 20th century. She was born on November 22, 1943, in Long Beach, California.
During her career, she won 39 Grand Slam titles: 12 in singles, 16 in doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. She is considered one of the key figures in the development of women's tennis.
In 1973, King achieved a landmark victory in the so-called "Battle of the Sexes" match, defeating former champion Bobby Riggs. This match became a symbolic event in the fight for women's equality in sports.
Billie Jean King actively advocated for athletes' rights, achieving equal prize money for men and women at the US Open. She is also one of the founders of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).
Ukraine in team tournament final
The final stage of the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup will take place from September 16 to 21 in Shenzhen. This year, only the top eight national teams will participate, whereas last season's main draw included 12 teams.
For the first time in history, the Ukrainian team reached the final and will start in the quarterfinals against Spain. The match will take place on September 17 at noon Kyiv time.
The final format is knockout matches. Each tie consists of two singles matches and, if necessary, a doubles match. The team that wins two matches advances.
The national team preparing for the tournament includes:
- Elina Svitolina
- Marta Kostyuk
- Yuliia Starodubtseva
- Lyudmyla Kichenok
- Nadiia Kichenok
Billie Jean King Cup 2025, quarterfinal pairs (seed numbers in parentheses):
- Italy (1) – China
- Great Britain (2) – Japan
- USA (3) – Kazakhstan
- Spain (4) – Ukraine
Earlier, we wrote about the positions of Ukrainian players in the updated WTA rankings.
