When Billie Jean beat Bobby - the Battle of the Sexes that defined an era

It was nan only tennis lucifer to commencement pinch a piglet being handed complete to 1 of nan competitors - but this was nary mean match.

On 20 September 1973, an estimated 90 cardinal group astir nan world watched Billie Jean King hit self-proclaimed chauvinist Bobby Riggs successful a best-of-five lucifer astatine nan Houston Astrodome.

There was pageantry, pomp and a $100,000 (£74,765) cheque for nan winner. It was nan 2nd instalment of nan Battle of nan Sexes - but that sanction is much than conscionable a trading slogan.

King's triumph complete Riggs was a portion of nan women's authorities movement. It had nan imaginable to power authorities and nan early of women's tennis.

When Aryna Sabalenka faces Nick Kyrgios connected Sunday, it will beryllium nether nan banner of nan Battle of nan Sexes, but nan stakes will not beryllium arsenic precocious arsenic those that faced King 52 years ago.

"The only similarity is that 1 is simply a boy and 1 is simply a girl. That's it," King told BBC Sport erstwhile asked astir nan Sabalenka-Kyrgios match.

"Everything else, no. Ours was astir societal change; culturally, wherever we were successful 1973. Mine was really political.

"I knew I had to hit him for societal change. I had a batch of reasons to win."

In 1973, King was 29 years old, a 10-time Grand Slam singles champion and astatine nan tallness of her powers. Riggs was 55, having won nan men's singles, doubles and mixed doubles title astatine Wimbledon successful 1939 earlier his profession was interrupted by World War Two.

"He had been pursuing maine astir for 2 years, asking maine to play. I kept saying 'Bobby, I'm not going to play you'," King told BBC World Service's Sporting Witness programme successful 2017.

"I only said yes because Margaret lost."

Australia's Margaret Court, nan 24-time awesome singles champion and past world number one, was 1 of King's fiercest rivals. She stepped successful to play Riggs successful nan first Battle of nan Sexes successful May 1973.

It ended up being labelled nan 'Mother's Day Massacre' aft Riggs comprehensively hit nan 30-year-old 6-2 6-1.

King was very alert of what winning - aliases losing - her lucifer could mean.

Tennis turned professional successful 1968. But erstwhile King won nan first Wimbledon singles title successful nan Open era, she claimed £750 successful prize money. Rod Laver, nan men's champion, took location £2,000.

King and 8 different women, now known arsenic nan 'Original Nine', demanded better.

They formed their ain women's circuit, signing a symbolic $1 statement to compete successful a tourney successful Texas.

They were subsequently banned from competing astatine nan Grand Slams but their bravery paid off. In 1973, they founded nan Women's Tennis Association, a unified assemblage to beforehand and govern nan women's game.

American showman Riggs had spent overmuch of 1973 giving inflammatory interviews, claiming women "play 25% arsenic bully arsenic men, truthful should get 25% of nan money men get" and "if I americium to beryllium a chauvinist pig, I want to beryllium nan number 1 pig".

Riggs knew what he was doing successful challenging King, a subordinate whose nationalist fig was tied into nan ever-growing women's authorities movement. But King knew really symbolic a triumph complete Riggs would be.

"It represented truthful overmuch - equality, freedom, adjacent salary for adjacent work. I knew I had to win," King said.

"But I for illustration pressure. I americium built for that benignant of match."

A student of nan game, King classed Riggs arsenic 1 of her heroes, and she prepared some physically and mentally for nan match.

She watched a replay of his lucifer against Court. At nan start, Riggs presented Court pinch a bouquet of roses. Court curtseyed successful consequence - a move King felt played "right into his hands".

"If that was me, I would person grabbed him and kissed him. If he gets excessively dirty, I tin get reliable too," King told Time magazine, external successful 1973.

Riggs' mentation was not rather arsenic meticulous. He had gone to Wimbledon earlier that twelvemonth to watch King play and was not fazed.

"Billie Jean King is 1 of nan all-time tennis greats, but she doesn't guidelines a chance against me," he told Time.

"I'll psych her retired a small spot - she won't admit it but I tin spot her coming isolated astatine nan seams already..."

King sewage into nan spirit, mocking nan measurement Riggs waddled astir tribunal for illustration a duck. But she knew wherever to tie nan line.

Riggs turned up to a believe convention wearing a garment pinch 2 circles trim retired wherever his nipples were. He joked that King would look amended successful it than him.

The adjacent day, successful their last news conference, a direct-speaking King called him a creep. Riggs asked her to return it back. King looked him consecutive successful nan oculus and said: "Creep stands."

She later told, external nan WTA website: "I knew immoderate group really did judge immoderate of nan sexist things he was spouting, and I wanted to beryllium forceful and clear: it was not OK."

When matchday arrived, nan Astrodome was packed. King's competitors connected nan Virginia Slims circuit were successful attendance. Those successful nan premium $100 seats held signs that publication "whiskey, women and Riggs" and "who needs women?".

King knew she had a portion to play successful nan pre-match theatre. She entered nan arena first connected a litter dressed up pinch feathers, carried by 4 shirtless men dressed arsenic Egyptian slaves.

"The promoter said 'oh you're a feminist, you astir apt won't get connected this Egyptian litter'," King told Sporting Witness.

"I said 'are you kidding? What does being a feminist person to do pinch it? We emotion entertainment. Pick maine up and we go!'"

Riggs followed connected a rickshaw pulled by women wearing "Sugar Daddy" t-shirts - nan sanction of a candy company.

The brace exchanged gifts. Riggs gave King a elephantine lollipop pinch Sugar Daddy written connected it. King handed complete a piglet - a reference to Riggs' estimation arsenic a "male chauvinist pig".

"I called it Robert Larimore Riggs, which is his existent name," King said.

"I said [to nan promoter], you person to make maine 1 promise, you can't termination nan piglet - you cannot usage it for bacon aliases pork, you've sewage to time off it connected a farm, and they did."

Unlike nan Sabalenka and Kyrgios match, location were nary adjustments made. King and Riggs would play 5 sets - which only nan men do astatine nan fields - connected a modular court.

In specified a boisterous environment, nan first group would beryllium crucial. No matter really innately talented Riggs was, he was still a 55-year-old who had not played competitively successful years.

But it was King who went an early break down.

"I felt nan first group was going to beryllium major, psychologically, to him, truthful I had to triumph it. I was playing horribly, making mistakes, and I was giving it to him, basically," King said.

"Then I said 'this is my infinitesimal of truth, this could mean nan quality of winning aliases losing if you don't triumph this set'."

From 3-2 down, King collapsed back. At 5-4 down, and pinch King having group constituent connected nan Riggs serve, nan American, who claimed nan time earlier he had "no nerves", double-faulted. The group went to King.

"That was major. Psychologically for Bobby, that really wounded him. When we changed ends I could show he couldn't judge he mislaid nan first set," King said.

A people fierce player, King changed strategies against Riggs. She dictated play from nan baseline, forcing Riggs to tally from area to area and tiring him. One study said that of nan 109 points she won, 70 of them were outright winners.

King, starring 6-3 6-4, missed her first 2 lucifer points. But again, Riggs, now serving to enactment successful nan match, faltered. A double responsibility astatine deuce erstwhile 5-3 down gave King a 3rd lucifer constituent - and Riggs sent a volley into nan nett to corroborate her victory.

King threw her arms into nan aerial successful celebration, earlier embracing Riggs astatine nan net. As she lifted nan trophy King knew she had stood up for women's athletics and won.

"Winning is ever a relief. I was truthful happy it was over," King said.

"That tennis tribunal is my stage, and you stock it pinch everybody and you want to springiness it nan champion show, but this had a batch riding connected it.

"I had been surviving for that infinitesimal for a agelong time."

In nan contiguous aftermath, Riggs said he had underestimated King. "Whenever I thought I had nan constituent won connected our exchanges, she saved it," he said.

Later, location were allegations that Riggs had deliberately thrown nan match, external to salary disconnected his gambling debts to nan Mafia.

Whatever nan circumstances, King's triumph has stuck successful nan nationalist mind. Not a time goes by erstwhile personification does not mention nan Battle of nan Sexes to her.

"When I met President Obama successful nan Oval Office for nan first time, he said 'I watched that lucifer erstwhile I was 12. I person 2 daughters now and it made a quality successful really I raise them'," King said.

"The women who saw it, it empowered them and gave them self-confidence.

"And nan men travel up to maine and they're nan ones who are very affectional - sometimes they person tears successful their eyes."

King and Riggs, who died successful October 1995, stayed successful touch afterwards, and he remained a sporting leader to her.

"We stayed successful touch and nan nighttime earlier he died, I had a awesome chat pinch him," King said.

"He yet understood it was astir history. I utilized to opportunity to him it was astir history, and he said no, it was astir money.

"He told maine he loved maine and nan adjacent day, he passed away."

King ended her profession pinch 39 Grand Slam titles crossed singles, doubles and mixed doubles.

But she is remembered conscionable arsenic overmuch for her conflict for equality successful sport, and beating Riggs was a important portion of that.

Sabalenka v Kyrgios successful 'Battle of nan Sexes'

Sunday, 28 December from 15:45 GMT