ITF Announces Fed Cup Has Been Renamed the Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas!
Billie Jean King was a member of the United States team that won the inaugural Federation Cup in 1963. In total, King lifted the Fed Cup 10 times – more than any other individual – 7 times as a player and 4 times as a captain (including once as a player captain). In 2010, she was presented with the Fed Cup Award of Excellence and most recently was appointed as the Fed Cup’s first Global Ambassador in 2019.
Today, the ITF announced that Fed Cup has been renamed to the Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas.
ITF President David Haggerty said, “From playing the first Fed Cup as a member of the victorious US team in 1963, founding the WTA and becoming its first President, to being the first female athlete awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, Billie Jean King has never stopped breaking new ground. Today she adds another ‘first’ to that list. The new name is a fitting tribute to everything she has achieved and will provide a lasting legacy that will inspire future generations of players and fans.”
Billie Jean King said, “There is nothing quite like the feeling of representing your country and being part of a team, which is why this competition is so special and important to me. It is an honor to have the women’s world cup of tennis carry my name and a responsibility I will not take lightly. Our job is to share this vision with future generations of young girls, because if you can see it, you can be it.”
The ITF has today also announced Microsoft and Magellan Corporation as new partners. Microsoft become the Global Technology and Innovation Partner in a collaboration that represents another step in embracing King’s legacy of advancing the sport of tennis for all by bringing real-time data insights to the court at the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
Illinois-based global steel distributor Magellan Corporation has a strong track record supporting major sports properties and women-forward initiatives; their involvement as a Global Partner of the Billie Jean King Cup underlines their commitment to equality and represents another boost for women’s tennis.
The Billie Jean King Cup becomes the first major annual global team sports event to be named for a woman and in 2021 will award the biggest annual prize fund in women’s team sports.