‘It never leaves you...'

Six-time singles champion Billie Jean King on her Wimbledon memories and taking on the world

- NICK CANNON

WIMBLEDON LIVE SAT & SUN / BBC1, BBC2, BBC RED BUTTON & BBC ONLINE / TIMES VARY / SPORT

There’s arguably no more important figure in the history of tennis than Billie Jean King. The winner of 39 Grand Slam titles, including six Wimbledon singles, wins, at the peak of her career, Billie, now 77, used her power and influence to revolutionize the game.

In 1973, she founded the Women’s Tennis Association in reaction to the huge pay gap between male and female players, and her work for equality and social justice has continued across the decades.

Presenting her with the Medal of Freedom in 2009, President Barack Obama said Billie Jean changed ‘how women athletes and women everywhere view themselves’.

Here, ahead of this weekend’s Wimbledon finals, Billie Jean shares her SW19 memories with TV Times, along with some of the secrets of her success – on and off the court…

Can you remember how it feels to play in a Wimbledon final?