Book tickets for Billie Jean King at the library from Monday

WESTPORT – Tickets for tennis great Billie Jean King’s appearance at the Westport Library’s 25th anniversary “Booked for the Evening” program go on sale July 15.

King, a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and longtime activist for women’s and LGBTQ rights, is the honoree of the library’s largest annual fundraiser, scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 12, at 8 p.m.

Tickets can be reserved online from Monday, July 15, 10 a.m. at Click here.

The “Booked” event honors “an individual whose work reflects the library’s purpose: to foster a love of learning and improve our understanding of the world. There is perhaps no other figure in the history of sports who has contributed more to fulfilling this mission than King,” the library’s announcement of the program states.

Billie Jean King was one of the best tennis players in the 1960s and 1970s, winning 39 Grand Slam titles during her career, including 12 in singles, and was ranked number 1 in the world five times.

She was instrumental in organizing the Virginia Slims Tour, the first professional tennis tour for women, and the Women’s Tennis Association, of which she became the first president. Using her influence, King successfully pushed for the US Open to become the first Grand Slam tournament in which male and female players received equal prize money.

The US Open site in Flushing Meadow, NY, is now called the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the first major sports venue dedicated to a woman. She has also been inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame, and the International Tennis Federation has renamed the Fed Cup, the largest annual global team competition in women’s sport, the Billie Jean King Cup.

In 2009, President Barack Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her commitment to women and the LGBTQ community, making her the first female athlete to receive this award.

King is also the author of several books, including All In: An Autobiography and We Have Come a Long Way: The Story of Women’s Tennis.

If you have any questions, call the Westport Library at 203-291-4800.