The WTA was founded in the summer of 1973.when some 60 players joined forces to give women’s professional tennis a stronger, more unified voice.
Friday night, 50 years later, pioneers of the past and present met in New York to honor the important anniversary of an organization that has paved the way for other women’s sports.
Led by Billie Jean King, some 50 WTA legends and current players walked the purple carpet before enjoying a program that paid tribute to five decades of champions and the enduring core principles on which the WTA was founded: equality and inclusion.
Among the special guests were the former individual champions of the US Open Chris Evert, Virginia Wade, Tracy Austin, Gabriela Sabatini and Bianca Andreescu. In addition to Billie Jean King, other WTA founding members such as Rosie Casals, Betty Stove and Francoise Durr also attended. The list of attendees was completed with Pam Shriver, Mary Pierce, Iva Majoli, Mary Joe Fernandez, Barbara Schett and Andrea Petkovic.
the american Coco Gauffchampion these days in Washington, DC and Cincinnati, spoke on behalf of the current generation of the Hologic WTA Tour, paying special tribute to Serena and Venus Williams, who inspired her to become who she is.
Another highlight of the night was the presence of girls from the Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program who support Morgan Stanley and the WTA Foundation Come Play program.
2023-08-27 06:46:33
#Tennis #stars #gather #York #celebrate #50th #anniversary #WTA
