Billie Jean King, the tennis legend and equality campaigner, has graduated from California State University, Los Angeles at the age of 82 – 61 years after she left to pursue her professional tennis career. King received her bachelor's degree in history during a commencement ceremony on Monday, telling the audience: 'Yeah baby, only 61 years!'
King first enrolled at the university, then known as Los Angeles State College, in the early 1960s. She left in 1964 before completing her degree, soon becoming the world's top-ranked tennis professional. Over her career, she won 39 championships, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal, while campaigning for gender and pay equality.
In her speech, King recalled being the first in her immediate family to graduate from university. She also spoke of her determination to fight discrimination, which she first felt aged 12 when she noticed that most people at her tennis clubs were white. 'From that day forward, I committed my life to equality and inclusion for all,' she said. 'Tennis is a global sport and it became my platform, but equality was my dream – to make the world a better place.'
King, one of the first openly gay professional athletes, founded the Women's Tennis Association in 1973 and successfully campaigned for equal prize money at the US Open. That same year, she defeated Bobby Riggs in the historic 'Battle of the Sexes' match. She ended her speech with words of advice for fellow graduates, urging them to continue striving for inclusion.
