From a black-and-white photograph taken in September 1970 in Houston, Texas, nine tennis players gaze out. They are in their twenties, with sparkling eyes and wide smiles; they sport bold short haircuts or simple shoulder-length hair.
Seven of them are American: Billie Jean King (the world’s number one in women’s tennis, charismatic and determined both on and off the court, later best described by a single word: icon), Nancy Richey (winner of the first French Open in the Open Era), Peaches Bartkowicz (one of the most dominant juniors in American tennis), Kristy Pigeon (a powerful left-handed player from California), Valerie Ziegenfuss (eight-time U.S. junior champion), Julie Heldman (winner of 22 professional titles throughout her career), and Rosemary Casals (victor of the 1970 Houston Women’s Invitational). Two are Australian: Judy T. Dalton (later winner of nine Grand Slam titles, eight in doubles and one in mixed doubles) and Kerry M. Reid (winner of a Grand Slam title at home in 1977).
In their hands, they hold one-dollar bills; one of them displays a stack of documents. When the photographer in Houston presses the shutter, the tennis world has been in the Open Era for two years. Prize money is paid, but women’s rewards are standardly lower. After all, as many claim, women play less skillfully, less entertainingly, and simply worse than men.
Some tennis players refuse to accept such a world. These nine courageous women speak out loudly. But the Original 9, as they will come to be known, do not stop at protest. Led by Billie Jean King, they seek support in financial negotiations. The organization they are part of, the United States Lawn Tennis Association, which governs tennis, does not back their demands.
They forge a partnership with Gladys Heldman, a tennis promoter and publisher of World Tennis magazine (and privately the mother of one of them). They fight for fairer prize money at the Pacific Southwest Championships in Los Angeles, where the men’s prize is eight times larger, but to no avail. They declare a boycott of the tournament, putting their careers on the line.
Gladys Heldman presses on with negotiations. She convinces the director of Philip Morris, the producer of Virginia Slims cigarettes, to sponsor a new tournament: the Houston Women’s Invitational, with a prize pool of $7,500. It begins on September 23, 1970, the same day the players sign symbolic one-dollar contracts and pose for the iconic photo. Thus begins a new women’s tennis tour: the Virginia Slims Circuit. Soon, it grows to include forty members, and by 1971, the players are competing in a full season. In 1973, a pivotal change occurs: the Virginia Slims Circuit evolves into the Women’s Tennis Association. And the history of the fight for equal pay in tennis sees new names added to its legacy.
The story of the Original 9 shows the immense power of collective action united around a common goal. It underscores the importance of believing in one’s vision, even when actions are dismissed as radical. It highlights the necessity of friendship and kindness, which help sustain conviction. And it emphasizes the value of what is left for future generations. As Billie Jean King said years later: “We, the Original 9, didn’t do this for ourselves”.
Ewelina Burda
