Way back in 1973 Billy Jean King, one of the all time greats of women's tennis, beat former Wimbledon men's champ Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes" match at the Houston Astrodome.
She did it in straight sets too, during a time when women's professional tennis was still coming of age and large disparities existed between the pay packets of men and women players.
So I imagine that she must have taken no small measure of personal satisfaction at the news that the All England Tennis Club has finally decided to offer equal prize money in both the men's and women's competitions at Wimbledon this year.
It's just a pity that it took them so long to get around to doing what should have been done long ago.
Women's tennis has been exiting to watch for a very long time, and has produced great rivalries and countless classic battles over the years, some more intense than in the men's game, and it's about time that they are equally rewarded for their contribution.
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