SHENZHEN, Guangdong — At 81, tennis great Billie Jean King gesticulated with the excitement of a child as she recalled to reporters the moment her eight-year-old self first dreamed of visiting China.

"China is someplace I've always wanted to come to since I was eight years old. When I was eight, I pulled down the map. I'll never forget. I wanna go to China someday and, finally, I'm here. So this is a dream come true for me," King said in an interview during the 2025 Billie Jean King Cup Finals.

The Billie Jean King Cup, the international women's team tennis competition, was renamed after her in 2020. The tournament, founded in 1963, was originally known as the Federation Cup.

King, born in 1943, won 39 Grand Slam titles during her career, including 12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles and 11 in mixed doubles.

She credited her father for her success.

"My dad was really important, because he pushed me, he believed in me as much as my brother. He was a great life coach, he taught us to always respect people, be kind to others and give everything you have when you play," she said.

Beyond her on-court achievements, King has been a pioneer for gender equality in tennis. She was a founding figure of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) in 1973, serving as its first president and driving reforms that shaped the modern women's tour. Her advocacy was instrumental in achieving equal prize money at the US Open in 1973, a fight that culminated with Wimbledon finally implementing parity in 2007.

"I've been doing that my whole life, really. I used to put my money into all women sports, not just tennis. In the old days, it was like: 'Oh, we're gonna help you.' It's like a charity. Those days are over," she said. "Now women's sports are starting to really get huge in the world. People are using them as an investment, and they get return on their money."

On her first visit to China, King devoted most of her time to the stands of the Shenzhen Bay Sports Center, watching every match of the tournament. "The matches were fantastic, with close scores and high tension. There were moments we were on the edge of our seats, praying, 'don't miss this shot!'"

With the nickname "the World Cup of Tennis", the Billie Jean King Cup features national teams. King emphasized the unique honor for players to represent their countries in an individual-centric sport. "You play for something bigger than yourself, you play for your teammates, you play for your country," she said.

Host China lost to champion Italy 2-0 in the quarterfinals. Despite the defeat, Chinese players Yuan Yue and Wang Xinyu were highly competitive, with both creating chances before faltering on key points.

King, who watched the match, said the Chinese team's performance was promising. "China got so close to winning. It was so close, they can compete right up at the top," she said. "I think China will have a champion in men's and women's soon. I mean you already have one, but I think you'll have more champions," she added.

With the Billie Jean King Cup Finals scheduled to be held in Shenzhen for three consecutive years from 2025 to 2027, King expressed her desire to return to China.

"I hope to come back many more years. When people ask me if I like China, so far I do, but it's the people that make the difference in the country. It's not just beautiful mountains and buildings. It's really about the people," she said.

Xinhua