Billie Jean King has accomplished a lot in her career, on and off the court. On Monday, the women's tennis pioneer announced that she's selling her majority ownership of the World TeamTennis league to Mark Ein, owner of the Washington Kastles, and Fred Luddy, owner of the San Diego Aviators. She will still be a huge part of the co-ed league she helped start as a majority owner of the Philadelphia Freedoms.
King, a winner of 12 Grand Slams, has seen and done it all— almost. While she's stepping out of the limelight on the WTT tour, she's stepping into it on the big screen (sort of). Next up for King is something new—getting played by an Oscar-winning actress.
In the upcoming Battle of the Sexes film, Emma Stone plays King while Steve Carell takes on the role of Bobby Riggs in a recreation of their historic 1973 showdown.
The film, set to release sometime this year, takes on more than just King's crucial match with Riggs. It's also about the fight for equality and navigating homosexuality in the 1970s.
"I wanted the film for that,” King told theNew York Times. "It’s important that people understand the ’70s, No. 1, and how hard it was trying to figure out who you are."