"Some current ATP players wish they had such clean timing on their forehand" - Tennis fans react to Billie Jean King playing tennis on 80th birthday

Tennis fans were delighted to witness Billie Jean King play tennis on her 80th birthday.

King has an exceptional legacy both on and off the court. Throughout her illustrious career, she achieved a remarkable feat of winning a total of 39 Grand Slam titles, including 12 singles titles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. However, her impact on women's tennis extends far beyond the court.

In 1973, King brought together several players in London and conducted a very special meeting, which ultimately led to the establishment of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA).

Beyond her accolades in the sporting world, Billie Jean King has been a trailblazer in advocating for women's rights, equal pay among athletes as well as LGBTQ+ rights.

The tennis legend celebrated her 80th birthday with her wife Ilana Kloss while also spending some time on the court. She took to social media to share a video of her, hitting a few balls on the tennis court.

"Tennis on my 80th," King posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Tennis fans were delighted to witness King playing on the court despite her age. The fans took to social media to share their ecstasy. While one fan described King as "an icon", another stated that King's backhand is "still beautiful" to this day.

"An icon. 🎾 🎾 🎾 ," a fan posted on X (formerly Twitter).

"That backhand is still beautiful! 😘 🎾 ," the fan posted.

"Some current ATP players wish they had such clean timing on their forehand," another individual added.

Here are a few more reactions from tennis fans:

Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Jessica Pegula & many others wish Billie Jean King on her birthday

Billie Jean King at the 2021 WTA Finals

The tennis world came together to extend wishes to the tennis icon, Billie Jean King, on her 80th birthday.

The official page of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) took to social media to share a video featuring several women's tennis, players such as Iga Swiatek, Coco Gauff, and Jessica Pegula extending their wishes to King.

In the video, Gauff talked about how the former World No. 1 advocated for equal pay between male and female players.

“Billie Jean King - she fought for prize money, for women’s tennis and what she’s done is incredible. She took a stance on something where the odds were against her and you know if you look at everything that we have today, at all pretty much came from someone like her,” Gauff said.

Pegula commended King for her unwavering advocacy for women's rights both on and off the tennis court.

“So it’s really kind of crazy that she still out there doing it today. She’s doing it for not just tennis but for everyone,” she said.

Billie Jean King's compatriots, Julie Heldman, Valerie Ziegenfuss, and Peaches Bartkowicz, also wished her alongside Maria Sakkari, Ons Jabeur and Daria Kasatkina.