Billie Jean King once that if you want to be the best, you must never let anyone, anyone, know what you really feel. You see, she told me, they can't hurt you if they don't know. Concerning the qualities of a champion tennis player, King said, King's friend Elton John wrote the song “Philadelphia Freedom”, a nod to her World TeamTennis team, for King. Released New Year's Day 1975, became a number 1 hit. Charles M. Schulz, creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip, was an admirer and close friend. Schulz referred to King several times in "Peanuts" and used the comic strip to
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center All 33 courts have used the DecoTurf cushioned acrylic surface since the facility was built in 1978. Near Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, and LaGuardia Airport, the tennis center is open to the public for play except during the US Open, junior and wood-racquet competitions. Formerly called the USTA National Tennis Center, the facility was rededicated for Billie Jean King on August 28, 2006. The idea of the tennis center came about in January 1977, when William Hester, the then-incoming president of the USTA, saw the underused Singer Bowl on a flight into nearby LaGuardia Airport. He