Billie Jean King hosted her annual "Power Hour" at the US Open, inviting current and former Hologic WTA Tour players to an informal roundtable discussion to offer guidance and insight into their careers.
King reflects on the birth of women's professional tennis
During this educational mentoring session led by the 12-time Grand Slam winner, established elite WTA players learned from WTA Legends about how they can reach their full potential and positively impact the growth of the WTA and the sport. King used the metaphor “give me the ball” as the theme of this session to explain the importance of taking charge of situations to impact individual player careers and the sport. King explained how the renegades known as the Original 9 took charge by establishing women’s professional tennis in 1970, followed by King founding the WTA in 1973.
Original 9 inducted in International Tennis Hall of Fame
A variety of topics were discussed during this intimate form including the player-coach relationship, building enduring professional relationships, understanding the business of tennis, continuing to learn to solve problems daily, and how to handle on and off court pressures. Players walked away filled with inspiration and respect for those who stood before them.
Inside the women's tennis revolution
Player Council representative Gabriela Dabrowski, who was among the session’s participants, stated that it was a pleasure to be a part of the BJK Power Hour adding that hopefully more WTA players can join in future sessions. Participant Angela Kulikov added: “Thank you so much for having me! Amazing just to share the room with people of such influence”.
Player participants at the 2022 Power Hour included Catherine Harrison, Giuliana Olmos, Camila Osorio, Kamila Rakhimova and Zheng Qinwen.
WTA Legends participants included Casey Dellacqua, Tatiana Garbin, Ilana Kloss and Meghan Moulton-Levy.
