Billie Jean King Quotes

The trouble with being number one in the world - in anything- is that it takes a certain mentality to attain that position, and that is something of a driving, perfectionist attitude, so that once you do achieve number one, you don't relax and enjoy it.

Tennis is a game of angles. You never have time to figure the angles. It's practiced. It's so practiced that it becomes an instinct. You just know where to put the ball. You just feel it. It has been computed into your brain so many times ­ it is there.

I think younger players probably just think they are who they are-they don't think about coming out. Unless you're number one in the world, nobody cares, usually.

Champions take responsibility.

Martina and I went through a very bad five years. Everything's very good between us now, but it was a long haul.

It's about learning your craft. That's a wonderful thing--especially with today's consumerism and instant gratification. You can'tbuy that. It's about making decisions, corrections, choices. I don't think it's so much about becoming a tennis player. It's about becoming a person.

Men can have a huge turnover of sponsorship and still survive a lot better than the women. But the women's ratings are better, at least at home in the United States than in the men's tennis.

Pressure is a privilege - it only comes to those who earn it.

When we reach the point where the women athletes are getting their pick of dates just as easily as the men athletes, then we've really and truly arrived. Parity at last!

I hate being called a homosexual because I don't feel that way. It really upsets me ... Being gay can happen in any walk of life, in any world. If you have one gay experience, does that mean you're gay? If you have one heterosexual experience, does that mean you're straight? Life doesn't work quite so cut and dried.

When I was outed, it was like, That's done.

No matter how tough, no matter what kind of outside pressure, no matter how many bad breaks along the way, I must keep my sights on the final goal, to win, win, win-and with more love and passion than the world has ever witnessed in any performance.

Winning comes down to who can execute under pressure.

The main thing is not a matter of wanting to win; the main thing is being scared to lose.

I always liked co-ed events best so we have two men and two women on each team.

Marriage isn't a 50-50 proposition very often. It's more like 100-0 one moment and 0-100 the next.

Be bold. If you're going to make an error, make a doozy, and don't be afraid to hit the ball.

Sports teaches you character, it teaches you to play by the rules, it teaches you to know what it feels like to win and lose-it teaches you about life.

It's very important to take tennis to the people. For young people, they get to see the best in the world.

I would love to be a player today. I had the right personality for it.

Don't worry about what people say.

I knew after my first lesson what I wanted to do with my life.

It's really impossible for athletes to grow up. On the one hand, you're still a child, still playing a game. But on the other hand, you're a superhuman hero that everyone dreams of being. No wonder we have such a hard time understanding who we are.

I have often been asked whether I am a women or an athlete. The question is absurd. Men are not asked that. I am an athlete. I am a women.

Our love one's are never gone, they have just popped into another room.

Ladies, here's a hint. If you're up against a girl with big boobs, bring her to the net and make her hit backhand volleys. That's the hardest shot for the well-endowed.

Female athletes are stereotyped by the general population--and usually as homosexuals.

The old boy network is still very strong and very true. Just look at the stock exchange and how many men and women are there. It is still very much run by men.

I used to be told if I talked about my sexuality in any way that we wouldn't have a tennis tour.

Bobby Riggs was one of my heroes. I admired him. That's one of the reasons I beat him - because I respected him.

Some people do have softer boundaries.

We have, or have had women presidents or prime ministers in Liberia, Chile, Germany, Great Britain...and yet the US of A still hasn't had a women president. It's just beyond my thinking. Look at Congress.

Winning is very tangible, it's very exciting, it's very pleasing, but it's momentary. If you can do things that last, that each generation can build upon, then that's when you're cooking.

Create your legacy, and pass the baton.

You've got to win in sports - that's talent - but you've also got to learn how to remind everybody how you did win, and how often. That comes with experience.

I wanted to use sports for social change.

I always respect right off the bat because we are human, but then over time you learn who the person truly is, just like they learn about you. Hope it works out really well, and you hope that builds a stronger connection over time. You can't be friends with everybody.

When a child signs up for tennis, he or she is put on a team. I put them in a circle and then I make sure they name their own team. I would have them do their skill drills as a team and their fun drills together as a team, then they have to have a match at the end of every week. They can't just have what they call a lesson today every week.

Sports are a microcosm of society. It just shows how much more competition there is in the world.

Love, light & blessings be On this day I wish to say 'Health & Happiness to come your way' Happy Birthday

Men still get a lot more opportunity. It is still a big part of the old boy network... They have more companies they can get money from.

No one changes the world who isn't obsessed.

Sports are a microcosm of society.

I will tell you King's First Law of Recognition: You never get it when you want it, and then when it comes, you get too much.

Don't be afraid to hit the ball.

I always think it's best to pretend you're in a tenuous position. Just as a player, you always want to stay in the now and work hard but also have goals for the future. There's no promises in any entrepreneurial business. You have to really work hard every year and also try to envision where you want to go in the future at the same time.

In the complete overall history of tennis, I figure I'll be worth a sentence or two.... That's why my place in the all-time rankings means so very little to me, because I know I won't be anybody's number one, and it's that same old thing: if you're not number one, then what does it really matter?

I love to promote our sport. I love grass-roots tennis. I love coaching. I love all parts of the sport. I love the business side.