For about the last twelve years, I have been researching and compiling every competitive tennis match Billie Jean Moffitt King played from 1958 through 1990, recently expanded to include junior tournaments. I have also been locating pictures and videos of her in action.
The research is not complete, although it is complete enough to publish. So far, her overall singles record is 1,109-250 (81.6%).
Some have said that she dodged clay court tournaments. I am missing some playing surface information for her tournaments. Based on what I have found to date, she played 52 clay court tournaments plus 5 Federation Cup or Wightman Cup ties on clay. She won 11 singles titles on this surface. In total, 13.7% of her matches were on clay, and she won 77.4% of those (144-42, including indoor clay). Only 8 players managed to beat King more than once on clay: Chris Evert (six times), Helga Niessen Masthoff (four times), Francoise Durr (three times), Ann Haydon Jones (twice), Rosemary Casals (twice), Virginia Wade (twice), and Kerry Melville Reid (twice). Her other losses were to the following 22 players: Margaret Smith Court, Hana Mandlikova, Dorothy Head Knode, Edda Buding Düchting, Christine Truman Janes, Carol Ann Loop, Robyn Ebbern Vincenzi, Victoria Palmer Heinecke, Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy, Nancy Richey, Lesley Turner Bowrey, Lea Pericoli Fontana, Frances "Nell" Truman Robinson, Marie Neumannova Pinterova, Karen Krantzcke, Julie Heldman, Michelle Tyler, Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat, Pam Casale, Duk Hee Lee, Judy Tegart Dalton, and Lucia Romanov.
On other surfaces, she was 409-81 (83.5%) on grass, 215-45 (82.7%) on outdoor hard courts, 304-74 (80.4%) on indoor courts (not including indoor clay), 31-7 (81.6%) on unknown court surfaces (matches verified by myself), and 6-1 (85.7%) in matches credited by either the United States Tennis Association or the International Tennis Hall of Fame (matches that I have not yet verified).
The research is not complete, although it is complete enough to publish. So far, her overall singles record is 1,109-250 (81.6%).
Some have said that she dodged clay court tournaments. I am missing some playing surface information for her tournaments. Based on what I have found to date, she played 52 clay court tournaments plus 5 Federation Cup or Wightman Cup ties on clay. She won 11 singles titles on this surface. In total, 13.7% of her matches were on clay, and she won 77.4% of those (144-42, including indoor clay). Only 8 players managed to beat King more than once on clay: Chris Evert (six times), Helga Niessen Masthoff (four times), Francoise Durr (three times), Ann Haydon Jones (twice), Rosemary Casals (twice), Virginia Wade (twice), and Kerry Melville Reid (twice). Her other losses were to the following 22 players: Margaret Smith Court, Hana Mandlikova, Dorothy Head Knode, Edda Buding Düchting, Christine Truman Janes, Carol Ann Loop, Robyn Ebbern Vincenzi, Victoria Palmer Heinecke, Annette Van Zyl DuPlooy, Nancy Richey, Lesley Turner Bowrey, Lea Pericoli Fontana, Frances "Nell" Truman Robinson, Marie Neumannova Pinterova, Karen Krantzcke, Julie Heldman, Michelle Tyler, Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat, Pam Casale, Duk Hee Lee, Judy Tegart Dalton, and Lucia Romanov.
On other surfaces, she was 409-81 (83.5%) on grass, 215-45 (82.7%) on outdoor hard courts, 304-74 (80.4%) on indoor courts (not including indoor clay), 31-7 (81.6%) on unknown court surfaces (matches verified by myself), and 6-1 (85.7%) in matches credited by either the United States Tennis Association or the International Tennis Hall of Fame (matches that I have not yet verified).
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