For the top two stars on what many pundits considered a top-heavy circuit, Billie Jean King and Margaret Court did a remarkable job of keeping out of each others’ way. In the first seven months of 1973, they met only three times, none at majors.
It hadn’t always been that way. In 1962, King–then 18-year-old Billie Jean Moffitt–spoiled Margaret Smith’s first Wimbledon as a top seed with a shock second-round upset. They had played at least once every year since then, with the exception of 1967, when Court took her first break from the tour. They met five times for grand slam titles. One of them was the hard-fought 1970 Wimbledon final, when Court triumphed in a 14-12, 11-9 decision.
Both living legends won matches in the forecourt, attacking to come forward and swatting away anything that came back. But their personalities couldn’t have stood in greater contrast. Court was bland: friendly but standoffish, even verging on boring. There was no sign of the outspoken fundamentalist she’d become in retirement. Reporter Grace Lichtenstein noted that Margaret, unlike most of her opponents, never talked to herself while she was playing. One insider responded with the ultimate dig: “What could she possibly think of to say?”
King never lacked for words. She had opinions on everything, and she rarely held them back. She openly sought prize money records, disdaining the usual patter from players (such as Court) who claimed they played for the love of the game. Billie Jean knew that her every achievement could stand as a symbol, while Margaret shrugged that sort of thing off. “People love her,” Nashville columnist Jeff Hanna wrote about King. “Or they hate her. There is no middle ground.”
After Wimbledon–and the lingering sting of her lopsided loss to Bobby Riggs in May–Court took a three-week break. While King announced her own Battle of the Sexes and won a tournament in Denver, Margaret spent time with her husband and 17-month-old son. She had established such a high standard that the Riggs defeat and a semi-final exit at Wimbledon somehow amounted to a slump, never mind the fact that she had won the Australian, the French, and 10 of 13 events on the Slims circuit.
Court rejoined the tour in Nashville. The Australian was a bit rusty, needing to save two match points in her opening-round tilt against the brainy Julie Anthony. She was soon back in championship form, losing a total of seven games in the quarters and semis against Kathy Kuykendall and Rosie Casals.
King advanced through the other side of the draw. Both women anxiously waited for the rain to clear on finals day, August 12th. Billie Jean had sponsor commitments; she could only stick around so long, and she would end up forfeiting a doubles semi-final. Court, for her part, found that her motivation continued to lag. “At one stage,” she said, “I sort of thought I was going to pass on my match.”
Two thousand supporters braved the rain and urged the Aussie to stick it out. Nashville got behind the 23-time major singles champion, backing the inoffensive Court over the divisive King. Margaret opted for a different kind of pass: Throughout the first set, she repeatedly won points when her opponent rushed the net. She broke twice for a 6-3 advantage.
Both players knew it was far from over. Three of their last four encounters had gone the distance. In the second set, both women struggled for traction, losing serve a total of seven times. Serving at 5-4, Billie Jean narrowly escaped making it eight, saving four break points to take the set.
Court struggled with a sore stomach muscle, and she found herself coping with King’s usual gamesmanship in the third. They traded more breaks, but Margaret ultimately pulled ahead. Billie Jean, perhaps a bit worried about the clock, couldn’t keep up the pressure. Court took the final set, 6-2.
It was the 34th career meeting between the two superstars. Court had won 21 of them. Neither woman had any way of knowing, but they would never play another one.
With her opponent racing for the exit, Margaret handled the post-match press herself. The assembled reporters probably would’ve preferred to talk to the runner-up. Gripping as today’s action had been, everyone still had one eye on the Riggs match in September.
Margaret probably wouldn’t have said that she loved–or hated–Billie Jean. But even she couldn’t retreat to a middle ground when someone lobbed her the obvious question about King’s chances against the Happy Hustler. “I don’t think this match is any kind of indication.” she said, “I still think Billie Jean will beat him.”
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This post is part of my series about the 1973 season, Battles, Boycotts, and Breakouts. Keep up with the project by checking the TennisAbstract.com front page, which shows an up-to-date Table of Contents after I post each installment.
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