Billie Jean King Reflects on Her Battle of the Sexes Win on 50th Anniversary: ‘I Like Pressure’ (Exclusive)

Billie Jean King celebrates 50 years of equal pay for dominant play.

Last Wednesday, on the 50th anniversary of her historic victory in the Battle of the Sexes — when she defeated the loud-mouthed Bobby Riggs in a three-set showdown — the 79-year-old tennis champion celebrated “Women Changing the Game” with PEOPLE & Elf SKIN.

During the celebration, King sat down with PEOPLE Editor-in-Chief Wendy Naugle for a Q&A and reflected on her landmark career — including her fight for equal pay for men and women at the US Open, which also celebrated its 50th anniversary this month — and how she paved the way for others.

“I’m always looking forward, but sometimes it’s good to look back and know what that day was like,” King Naugle says when asked what the anniversary of the Battle of the Sexes means to her. “Until we saw part of the game [on ESPN]…you forget how they spoke about us women, and about themselves.”

Billie Jean King the winner with the trophy after winning the match against Bobby Riggs.

Jerry Cooke/Sports Illustrated/Getty

When the tennis mogul took on Bobby Riggs 50 years ago, 90 million people around the world watched, and the impact of her victory was immediate. “Women had confidence for the first time,” says the 12-time Grand Slam singles champion. “They didn’t think much of themselves before the game. They had no direction, and after that game they thought they could be and do anything. And the men on the other hand… they said, ‘I have a daughter… and of course I want my daughter to have the same opportunities as my son.’ The day after that match you couldn’t go to the tennis court in this country and tennis absolutely took off.”

Billie Jean King calls Coco Gauff ‘the reason we fought so hard’ for equal pay on 50th anniversary (Exclusive)

While King’s success is largely her own, she credits her parents for giving her and her brother Randy the opportunity to achieve on their own. “They never asked us if we won. I think that’s a big reason why we like pressure because they didn’t put pressure on us. So there was room to breathe,” says the tennis champion. “My dad would say: ‘I only have one question, did you do your best?… that’s enough’, and when I won, I would be very excited, and my mum would say: ‘You still have the dishes to dry.’ ”

King revealed herself that she likes the pressure. “When I was going to play Bobby Riggs, he kept saying, ‘You can’t handle the pressure.’ I say, ‘I like the pressure,’ she says. ‘I like it. Go ahead. Ball by ball.’ ”

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Looking back on everything she has achieved in the past 50 years and before, the Battle of the Sexes champion says she always knew her goal. “I wanted to change the hearts and minds of people.”

“All genders deserve to have the best that life has to offer… One of the goals of my generation, of all of us old people, is to pass the torch to each generation. Our generation, my generation, it was actually about the future. It wasn’t about us. We knew we weren’t going to make a lot of money… We dreamed of the Coco Gauffs of the world.”

When asked what her advice is for these future generations, King replies, “Put in the time and effort. Promote and give. You have to give to get.” Clarifying, she adds: “I think the more you give, the more you get. I mean, my life has been sensational from that point of view. But it’s like, if you really care about your sport, if you care about future generations, then show it… Make time for everything. You just never know how the other person will touch your life or how you will touch theirs.”

Despite retiring from tennis, King’s work is hardly done. Answering the question of what is next for her, the former no. 1 tennis player in the world replied: “I have work tomorrow.” She adds: “It’s not a job for me. These are experiences… I take it moment by moment.”

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Source: HIS Education