Billie Jean King congratulates Serena Williams on National Women's Hall of Fame induction

Billie Jean King recently congratulated Serena Williams for being selected as one of the 10 women who will be inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 2024.

The National Women’s Hall of Fame, founded in 1973, honors the achievements of American women in various fields of endeavor. The induction ceremony will take place in March 2024, during Women’s History Month, in Seneca Falls, New York.

Williams, who has won 23 Grand Slam singles titles, will join King and Althea Gibson in the Hall of Fame. Williams is widely regarded as one of the greatest athletes of all time and has also been a vocal advocate for social justice and gender equality.

The other women who will be inducted in 2024 are Ruby Bridges, the first African American child to attend an all-white school in the South; Peggy McIntosh, a pioneer of anti-racism education and the concept of white privilege; Judith Plaskow, a feminist theologian and scholar of Judaism; and six others from various fields such as science, medicine, law, and arts.

King expressed her admiration for Williams and the other inductees on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, November 22.

"Congratulations to @serenawilliams, Ruby Bridges, and all the other 2024 inductees into the National Women’s Hall of Fame," King wrote.

---

Serena Williams can make a difference for women of color in tennis, believes Billie Jean King

Billie Jean King and Serena Williams 2022 US Open

Billie Jean King expressed her confidence that Serena Williams’ future projects would help aspiring tennis players make their mark on the sport.

In a recent interview with Sky Sports, King talked about Williams' tennis journey so far.

"This is only the first half of her life because of what tennis has done for her and her generation. She was able to make $100m on the court and many millions off it, so she's been great for us but we've been great for her," King said.

King stated that the 23-time Grand Slam champion has the financial means to help emerging women of color in tennis, thanks to her lucrative tennis career.

"The second half is going to be much greater thanks [to] what she's done on the court. I think she's going to help girls and girls of color, women, and women of color. She's going to be amazing. She's helped our sport so much," King added.

Serena Williams retired from tennis at the US Open in September 2022. She lost in the third round to Ajla Tomljanovic with a score of 7-5, 6-7(4), 6-1, ending her remarkable career.