Women’s sport is finally turning the corner; Billie Jean King is always the one to endorse such developments. The American veteran shares a long history of contributing immensely towards achieving gender equity. Over the years, King has been an avid advocate for various movements and causes—such as eradicating pay disparity and achieving equal pay for women in tennis. Moreover, she has always dropped a word or two on controversial issues in the sport.

The latest WTA-Saudi collaboration, frowned upon by many due to the nation’s record on women’s rights leading to ‘sports wash’ accusations, wasn’t blatantly dismissed by the 80-year-old but, instead, examined on its merits.

“I think they’ll be there. The thing I’m concerned about is the women, I want change if we go. But I’m big on engagement and inclusion so it’s a tough one. I know people are going to go there,” King said. Staying on course, she also explained how women’s sports have gained significant traction; notably three-fold of what they achieved in the past.

Having stressed her desire to raise the profile of the BJK Cup days ago, King, in a conversation with Today, discussed niche topics that never lost relevance in women’s sports. The 12-time Major winner highlighted that women are rightfully being endowed with what they deserved years ago simply because of a change in people’s perception. “We used to get four percent of media content. Then we went up to five, now we’re at 15. That’s where the money is but people are now investing in women’s sport, not looking at it as a charity. Big difference,” King added.

With sights set on spectating thrilling performances at the BJK Cup, women’s tennis is only reaching its summit for the season. But there have been quite a few abrupt withdrawals from the event.

Billie Jean King Cup faces a couple of notable withdrawals

The timing of the Billie Jean King Cup in 2022 forced some of the players to opt out of the annual championship. A quick turnaround after the WTA Finals put the contestants in a fix. The schedule remains the same this year as well, however, players have opted out due to issues unrelated to scheduling.

Taking everyone by surprise, World No. 6 Jessica Pegula pulled out of the event and was replaced in the American team by Ashlyn Krueger. While the United States Tennis Association aired the update, they refrained from citing reasons for the sudden withdrawal. Later, Japanese superstar Naomi Osaka also confirmed skipping the BJK Cup. In her statement, the young talent outlined injuries as the pivotal reason for not being able to represent her nation at the event.

Overall, things have been set in motion. While some players will be missed by fans, others will look to engage the crowd with their thrilling showdowns as the teams aim to thwart Canada’s title defense. The event will take place in Malaga from November 13 to 20, 2024.