ITF

ITF World Winter 2020 15 NAME IN LIGHTS When Fed Cup was renamed Billie Jean King Cup in September, the world stopped to take notice Sir Elton John has topped the billing for most of his professional life and he was once again the headline act when applause rang out following the birth of the Billie Jean King Cup. It was late September when the ITF announced that Fed Cup, the women's world cup of tennis, was to be rebranded and evolve into Billie Jean King Cup by BNP Paribas – the first time a major global team competition had been named after a woman. Within hours of the announcement, Sir Elton had taken to social media to pass on his congratulations to an inspirational figure who he has shared a strong association and friendship with for the best part of five decades. Accompanying a famous photograph of the pair dating back to 1974, Sir Elton wrote: "My dear friend Billie Jean King is a true icon and I am so proud that the ITF has renamed Fed Cup the Billie Jean King Cup after her. Shine the light, Billie Jean!" Sir Elton was by no means alone in marking the news, with tennis royalty queuing up to celebrate the historic announcement, which comes as little surprise given the iconic status that King commands. King, after all, is a champion on the court with 39 Grand Slam titles across singles, doubles and mixed doubles, while she also won the competition which now bears her name 10 times as both player and captain. Off the court, she is a pioneer. Whether it be fighting the disparity between men's and women's prize money, testifying on Capitol Hill in a bid to pass Title IX or the Battle of the Sexes, she is someone who has dedicated her life to combating discrimination. The values which King represents epitomise the ethos of a tournament which has grown to become the largest international team competition in women's sport, with 116 nations entered in 2020. Renaming the tournament follows the introduction of a new Finals format which will bring the best 12 nations together over one week in Budapest to compete to become world champions. From 2021, under its new name, the Billie Jean King Cup Finals will award the biggest annual prize fund in women's team sports and equivalent to that offered to the men playing Davis Cup Finals. Serena Williams, a 23-time Grand Slam singles champion and Fed Cup winner with the United States in 1999, was among those to toast the rename, as was Simona Halep of Romania, whose passion for the tournament is clear. "Congratulations on the creation of Billie Jean King Cup," said Halep, who helped Romania reach the semi-finals in 2019. "It is such a special event and I am really happy to hear that it will have a bright future." Petra Kvitova, a six-time winner of the competition having formed an integral part of the Czech Republic side which has been so " THANK YOU VERY MUCH BILLIE JEAN FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE WOMEN'S GAME. " PETRA KVITOVA CLICK FOR VIDEO

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