True legends are rare in sport, so when it was announced that Billie Jean King was here at the Sunday Times Sportswomen Of The Year awards, a 'wow' boomed around the Nursery Pavilion venue.

In a remarkable tennis career, King, who is 64 on Thursday, won 39 grand-slam singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles - a record 20 of those at Wimbledon.

But she did more than just gain personal triumph. In 1973, she met Bobby Riggs in the famous ‘ Battle of the Sexes’ match at the Houston Astrodome in Texas.

It was played in front of an estimated global television audience of 50 million. King triumphed and said at the time: "I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn’t win that match. It would ruin the women’s tour and effect all women’s self esteem.

“For me it was life or death. Had I lost, I would have been devastated. Sure, it was a tennis game, but it was really about equality and respect and women being treated and paid the same way as men.'”

King changed the face of the sport because in that same year she formed the Women’s Tennis Association and was named the organisation’s first president.

Today, 24 years later, 2007 saw Wimbledon finally come into line with all the grand slams with equal prize money for men and women.

What a day that was for King. “Every time we can change a benchmark like this, it helps people ask in their daily life, ‘Are we insisting on equality for our sons and daughters?’ so that makes it a very important moment in history,” she said.

Monica Seles, the Former world No 1, said: “Billie Jean King is responsible for everything we have. If you don’t have respect for her, I don’t know who you’ll have respect for.”

As King took to the stage, the audience were treated to a montage of her greatest tennis triumphs. At the finish, she waved to each corner of the room and said: "I cannot thank you enough for this award.”

She then reflected on how difficult it has been in the battle for women's rights. "When we first used to play, we used to get $14 a day,” King said. “We did not even have press conferences back home for us and I would like people to think about the media because without them, no one would know what we look like or what we feel. No matter our colour, our religion, sport brings us together.

"In 1968, when we first got prize money, I received £750 and Rod Laver got £2000. It has really been a challenge and a fight. It is not about the money, it is about the message. It has always been the case for me to fight for equal rights.

"Women are under-served in general. The 21st Century will be the century for women. It really is happening in the world and women's sports really has a chance to help. We are even willing to play five sets - but I don't think they want us to."

King won the first of her six Wimbledon singles titles in 1966, having played at the tournament five years earlier and she has been returning to the event for 46 years. “It is great to be back in London,” she said. “I have never missed a year of Wimbledon since 1961.

"I love it. I see my friends. As I don't play now I have no pressure. I use my first week of Wimbledon to see my friends and being at Wimbledon because as a child I dreamed about winning there."

Today she was a winner again. "You are supposed to be elderly to receive a lifetime achievement," she joked.

Presented by: Dee Dutta, Corporate Vice President, Worldwide Head of Marketing, Sony Ericsson

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