Original 9
Encyclopedia
The Original 9 is the name given to the group of nine female professional tennis
players who formed a new tennis tour, the Virginia Slims Circuit, in 1970 that was the basis for the later WTA Tour. The players rebelled against the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) due to an extreme inequality between the amount of prize money paid to male tennis players and to female tennis players.
held in Bournemouth
, men's singles champion Ken Rosewall
earned US$2,400 while the most successful professional woman received only $720 (the champion that year, Virginia Wade
, was an amateur at the time of the tournament and could only accept $120 in expenses). At the 1968 Wimbledon Championships
, the second Grand Slam
tournament of the open era, the situation was very similar. Rod Laver
, the men's singles champion, received US$4,800 for winning while Billie Jean King
, the women's singles champion, received just US$1,800.
The situation came to a head in 1970, when most tournaments offered four times as much prize money to men than they did to women. At the 1970 Italian Open, men's singles champion Ilie Năstase
was paid US$3,500 while women's singles champion King received just US$600. On top of this, the USLTA failed to organise any tournaments for women in 1970.
, Nancy Richey
, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Valerie Ziegenfuss
, and Julie Heldman
and Australians Kerry Melville Reid and Judy Tegart Dalton - decided to enlist World Tennis magazine publisher Gladys Heldman
to help negotiate for greater equality in prize money and provide valuable public relations
assistance. All the players were putting their tennis careers at risk because the influential USLTA did not back them.
Gladys Heldman and the "Original 9" decided to target the Pacific Southwest Championships held in Los Angeles
on the grounds that it paid eight times more money to men than it did to women. Heldman attempted to get the tournament chairman, former professional tennis player Jack Kramer, to reduce the inequality between the prize money purses for men and women. Kramer refused, leading the "Original 9" to declare at a press conference held at Forest Hills, Boston
that they would boycott the Pacific Southwest Championships and play at what would become the first Virginia Slims Circuit event, a US$7,500 tournament held in Houston, Texas
in September 1970. Despite the USLTA's declaration that it would not sanction this event, the "Original 9" went ahead, with Casals defeating Dalton in the final 5–7, 6–1, 7–5.
, then offered US$5,000 out of her own pocket to allow the "Original 9" to sign token $1 contracts and set up their own tour of eight professional tournaments in 1970. The tour was sponsored by Virginia Slims
. This independent women's professional tennis circuit provided more equal prize money than had been provided previously by the USLTA and other organisations. Despite the USLTA's suspension of the "Original 9" from its tournaments, by the end of the year the Virginia Slims Circuit was able to boost its numbers from nine to forty members, which helped pave the way for the first annual Virginia Slims Circuit in 1971.
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
players who formed a new tennis tour, the Virginia Slims Circuit, in 1970 that was the basis for the later WTA Tour. The players rebelled against the United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) due to an extreme inequality between the amount of prize money paid to male tennis players and to female tennis players.
Background
After the International Lawn Tennis Federation approved open tournaments in 1968, male and female tennis players were treated very differently in terms of the prize money they received. At the first open tournament, the 1968 British Hardcourt ChampionshipsBritish Hard Court Championships
The British Hard Court Championships is a defunct Grand Prix tennis and WTA Tour affiliated tennis tournament played from 1968 to 1983 and 1995 to 1996. It was held in Torquay before moving to the West Hants Tennis Club in Bournemouth in England in the United Kingdom from 1927 to 1983 and in 1995...
held in Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
, men's singles champion Ken Rosewall
Ken Rosewall
Kenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player from Australia. He won 23 Majors including eight Grand Slam singles titles and before the Open Era a record fifteen Pro Slam titles . Rosewall won 9 slams in doubles with a career double grand slam...
earned US$2,400 while the most successful professional woman received only $720 (the champion that year, Virginia Wade
Virginia Wade
Sarah Virginia Wade, OBE is a former English tennis player. She won three Grand Slam singles championships and four Grand Slam doubles championships. She won the women's singles championship at Wimbledon on 1 July 1977, in that tournament's centenary year, the last time any Briton has won a...
, was an amateur at the time of the tournament and could only accept $120 in expenses). At the 1968 Wimbledon Championships
1968 Wimbledon Championships
List of the 1968 Wimbledon Champions. This tournament marked the dawn of a new era for Wimbledon, as it became the second Grand Slam to allow professionals to compete. Champions Laver and King had already won Wimbledon twice before in the amateur era...
, the second Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
tournament of the open era, the situation was very similar. Rod Laver
Rod Laver
Rodney George "Rod" Laver MBE is an Australian former tennis player who holds the record for titles won in career, and was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970...
, the men's singles champion, received US$4,800 for winning while Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King
Billie Jean King is a former professional tennis player from the United States. She won 12 Grand Slam singles titles, 16 Grand Slam women's doubles titles, and 11 Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. King has been an advocate against sexism in sports and society...
, the women's singles champion, received just US$1,800.
The situation came to a head in 1970, when most tournaments offered four times as much prize money to men than they did to women. At the 1970 Italian Open, men's singles champion Ilie Năstase
Ilie Nastase
Ilie Nastase is a Romanian former professional tennis player, one of the world's top players of the 1970s. Năstase was the World No. 1 tennis player between 1973 and 1974 . He is one of the five players in history to win more than 100 ATP professional titles . He was inducted into the...
was paid US$3,500 while women's singles champion King received just US$600. On top of this, the USLTA failed to organise any tournaments for women in 1970.
The campaign
King and eight other female tennis players - Americans Rosemary CasalsRosemary Casals
Rosemary "Rosie" Casals is a former American professional tennis player.Rosemary Casals earned her reputation as a rebel in the staid tennis world when she began competing in the early 1960s. During a tennis career that spanned more than two decades, she won more than 90 tournaments and worked for...
, Nancy Richey
Nancy Richey
Nancy Richey is a former tennis player from the United States.Richey won two Grand Slam singles titles and four Grand Slam women's doubles titles . She was ranked World No...
, Peaches Bartkowicz, Kristy Pigeon, Valerie Ziegenfuss
Valerie Ziegenfuss
Valerie Bradshaw is an American former female professional tennis player. She started off as an amateur player at the beginning of the 1970s before turning professional....
, and Julie Heldman
Julie Heldman
Julie Heldman is a retired American tennis player who won 22 professional tennis titles.In 1969 she was World No. 5, her highest career world ranking, and was ranked No. 2 in the U.S.-Tennis career:...
and Australians Kerry Melville Reid and Judy Tegart Dalton - decided to enlist World Tennis magazine publisher Gladys Heldman
Gladys Heldman
Gladys Medalie Heldman was the founder of World Tennis magazine; she supported Billie Jean King and other female tennis players who formed the Virginia Slims Tour in the early 1970s...
to help negotiate for greater equality in prize money and provide valuable public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
assistance. All the players were putting their tennis careers at risk because the influential USLTA did not back them.
Gladys Heldman and the "Original 9" decided to target the Pacific Southwest Championships held in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on the grounds that it paid eight times more money to men than it did to women. Heldman attempted to get the tournament chairman, former professional tennis player Jack Kramer, to reduce the inequality between the prize money purses for men and women. Kramer refused, leading the "Original 9" to declare at a press conference held at Forest Hills, Boston
Forest Hills, Boston
Forest Hills is a part of the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States.-Overview:As the name indicates, Forest Hills is characterized by hilly terrain and wooded areas within and adjacent to its borders...
that they would boycott the Pacific Southwest Championships and play at what would become the first Virginia Slims Circuit event, a US$7,500 tournament held in Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
in September 1970. Despite the USLTA's declaration that it would not sanction this event, the "Original 9" went ahead, with Casals defeating Dalton in the final 5–7, 6–1, 7–5.
The formation of the Virginia Slims Circuit
Heldman, with the assistance of Joe Cullman of Philip MorrisAltria Group
Altria Group, Inc. is based in Henrico County, Virginia, and is the parent company of Philip Morris USA, John Middleton, Inc., U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company, Inc., Philip Morris Capital Corporation, and Chateau Ste. Michelle Wine Estates. It is one of the world's largest tobacco corporations...
, then offered US$5,000 out of her own pocket to allow the "Original 9" to sign token $1 contracts and set up their own tour of eight professional tournaments in 1970. The tour was sponsored by Virginia Slims
Virginia Slims
Virginia Slims is a brand of cigarette manufactured by Altria Group . The brand was introduced in 1968 and marketed to young professional women using the slogan "You've come a long way, baby." Some media watch groups considered this campaign to be responsible for a rapid increase in smoking among...
. This independent women's professional tennis circuit provided more equal prize money than had been provided previously by the USLTA and other organisations. Despite the USLTA's suspension of the "Original 9" from its tournaments, by the end of the year the Virginia Slims Circuit was able to boost its numbers from nine to forty members, which helped pave the way for the first annual Virginia Slims Circuit in 1971.