Tennis / Julie Cart : Billie Jean King Is Still Looking to the Future

Billie Jean King is crusading, again. As a player she railed against under-the-table payments. Later, she risked even more by founding and supporting the upstart women’s circuit, the Virginia Slims.

For years, Billie Jean King was one of the few women whose names could be found in the sports pages. King loved to banter with sportswriters and she was never more comfortable than when she was expounding on issues.

Not a thing has changed. King is the commissioner of the newly formed TeamTennis professional tennis league. This is supposed to make her management, but the job has merely allowed her another forum from which to speak. To no one’s great surprise, she is speaking about the same issues she found pressing 20 years ago.

“There simply isn’t enough tennis in America,” King said. “Tennis needs much, much more exposure. There may be lots of local tournaments, but there can really never be enough local tournaments. Then you have to ask yourself, ‘Who is playing in the local tournaments?’ Are we seeing the same people or are we bringing new people to the game?

“Do you really think that with a population of 10 million, we have enough professional tennis in Los Angeles?”

King was in Los Angeles this week, stopping on a barnstorming tour of the eight cities with TeamTennis franchises. She is saying the same things in San Antonio and Sacramento--”There isn’t enough tennis in (blank). We need more.”

TeamTennis hopes to bring a high level of professional tennis to the public. King said she was not concerned that the league hasn’t signed any highly recognizable players, adding that the team concept and the identification with a city will help draw fans.

“When I was a girl growing up in Long Beach, I was a Lakers fan,” she said. “I wish there had been team tennis in Los Angeles. I could have come to the games and watched and then wished I could have played on the Los Angeles team. That’s what makes fans, the closeness. Getting to know the personality of the players.”

King is animated when she talks about the league, she’s animated when she talks about corporate involvement and she’s animated when she’s plotting the future of TeamTennis and tennis in general. In her mind, the two are intertwined.

“We aren’t looking for people in this league who are fly-by-night,” she said. “Domino’s (the pizza company that is sponsoring the league) has made a commitment, and we want people who are going to run this like a business, not a hobby. There’s too much of that in sports already. I’m excited about the concept, and I’m also excited about our recreational league. This is how you get tennis to spread.”

King said that the league had already signed up 10,000 youngsters in Florida.

“We are in this for the long haul,” King said. “I know that when people get out and watch the matches, they will love it. The more tennis they see, the more they will want.”

The Los Angeles Strings are coached by Lorne Kuhle and the team is made up of Penny Barg, Lisa Bonder, Steve Meister and Eliot Teltscher. The season will run from July 11 through Aug. 10 with seven home games at the Forum.

Tennis Notes Dick Gould of Stanford has been named Southern Division Coach of the Year in the Pacific 10 Conference. Dan Goldie of Stanford was named Player of the Year in the division. Goldie, a senior from McLean, Va., won the NCAA singles title and ranks among the nation’s top 10 collegiate players and top 100 players world wide. Gould, in his 14th year with the Cardinal, guided the team to its eighth national title. . . . Californians dominated the places on the Junior Federation Cup team, which will compete on the Virginia Slims and USTA circuit this summer. California players named to the team are: Leigh Anne Eldredge, Altadena; Monique Javer, Hillsborough; Caroline Kuhlman, USC; Jennifer Prah, Cal; Karen Shin, Woodland Hills; Marianne Werdel, Bakersfield; Anna Ivan, Palo Alto, and Stephanie London, Rolling Hills Estates. Kuhlman and Werdel will also travel to Moscow in July to compete in the Goodwill Games. . . . The 84th annual Southern California Junior sectional tournament will run June 21-29 at Los Caballeros Racquet and Sports Club in Fountain Valley. . . . Junior Davis Cup competition will be held June 22-July 4 at UC Santa Barbara. Greg Patton, tennis coach at UC Irvine, will captain the team of boys 16 and 18. Among the players invited to try out are: 16--Pete Sampras, Rancho Palos Verdes; Giora Payes, Los Angeles, and Michael Chang, La Costa. 18--Steve Oliver, Westlake Village; Carl Chang, La Costa; Mike Briggs, Newport Beach, and Jeff Tarango, Manhattan Beach. . . . The Junior Wightman Cup for girls 16 and 18 is scheduled to be held at Sonoma State June 26-July 5. The team is captained by Lucy Fernandez of USC. Among the players invited to try out are: 16--Krista Amend, Rolling Hills; Debbie Graham, Fountain Valley, and as an alternate, Cammie Foley, San Diego. 18--Noelle Porter, San Juan Capistrano, and Cinda Gurney, Palos Verdes.