For many years, the Worldwide Tennis Federation (ITF) has labored to attain fairness, equity and justice in athletics. It strives to supply the identical alternatives to female and male athletes whereas breaking down stereotypes and limitations associated to gender. To perform this objective, the Worldwide Tennis Federation has relied on feminine athletes who haven’t solely confirmed themselves on the courtroom however are equally devoted to seeing this shared imaginative and prescient off the courtroom come to fruition. Most notably, Billie Jean King has helped the Worldwide Tennis Federation change the trajectory of tennis ceaselessly for the advantage of future generations.

The Early Days of the Worldwide Tennis Federation – The Fed Cup

The Fed Cup (or Federation Cup because it has been beforehand known as) started in 1963. Since its inception, it has been well known because the main world competitors for girls’s tennis groups because it mirrored one thing that solely males’s tennis had, the Davis Cup. On the time of its inauguration, the Fed Cup represented the golden jubilee, or fiftieth anniversary, of the Worldwide Tennis Federation. At its first occasion, 16 international locations participated. And on June twentieth, 1963, the US received the primary Fed Cup on the Queen’s Membership in London with Darlene Exhausting, Billie Jean King, Margaret Smith and Lesley Turner. To safe the victory, the U.S. needed to overpower Australia. You will need to observe that there was no money prize for putting first throughout its first years. The groups needed to finance all journey and bills themselves.

The Worldwide Tennis Federation includes over 200 member nations, making it some of the expansive federations in worldwide sports activities competitions. It was impressed by a visionary of the sport, Duane Williams. In 1913, it was based underneath the identify Worldwide Garden Tennis Federation (ILTF). Since then, it has maintained duty for finishing up a number of important features. First, these embrace administrative duties round guidelines, taking part in courtroom laws and sport gear. Second, this pertains to structuring, growing and selling the sport in circuits such because the World Tennis Tour Juniors, Seniors Tennis Tour, Seashore Tennis Tour, Males’s World Tennis Tour, Ladies’s World Tennis Tour and the UNIQLO Wheelchair Tennis Tour. And lastly, the ITF is tasked with organizing competitions such because the Olympic Video games, the Australian Open, Roland Garros, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Billie Jean King Cup in honor of Billie Jean King herself.

Billie Jean King’s Legacy

Billie Jean King, or Billie Jean Moffitt, was born November twenty second, 1943, in Lengthy Seashore, California. All through childhood, she was an important baseball and softball participant. At age eleven, she made the official change to tennis. She took the initiative by shopping for her personal gear and taking classes open to the general public. These classes have been taught by the legendary Clyde Walker at Lengthy Seashore courts.

Quick-forward to 1959, and Billie Jean King was recent into the competitors circuit. Though, it took her solely a short while to turn into a extremely embellished star. In 1972, she earned main bragging rights, changing into one in all just a few girls to attain first in all 4 Grand Slam occasions. That very same 12 months, she was the primary feminine athlete to win Sports activities Illustrated Journal’s Sportsperson of the 12 months award. She would later win near 40 Grand Slam singles, doubles and hybrid double titles and 20 Wimbledon championships.

Except for that, she has established the Ladies’s Tennis Affiliation and Ladies’s Sports activities Basis and earned a spot on the “100 Most Essential Individuals of the twentieth Century” listing from Life Journal. In 2009, she was introduced with a Presidential Medal of Freedom. And in 2018, she added the Lifetime Achievement Awards at BBC Sports activities Persona of the 12 months Awards to her excellent resume. Two years later, in 2020, the Fed Cup was rebranded because the Billie Jean King Cup in appreciation of her trailblazing work. 

The Later Days of the Worldwide Tennis Federation – The Billie Jean King Cup

The Billie Jean King Cup is a worldwide tennis staff match run by the Worldwide Tennis Federation (ITF). The Billie Jean King Cup has been celebrated as probably the most outstanding yearly worldwide occasion in aggressive staff sports activities for feminine athletes. Fashionable-day tennis legends like Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Amelie Mauresmo, Petra Kvitova and Sloane Stephens have all competed within the match and are available away victorious. In 2022, the Billie Jean King Cup ran from November eighth to November thirteenth on the Emirates Area in Glasgow, Nice Britain. Twelve groups performed within the finals and Switzerland received with a 2-0 sweep in opposition to Australia.

The Billie Jean King Cup Gold and Silver Commemorative Cash

Collectively, the Worldwide Tennis Federation and Rosland Capital created unique 999.9 fantastic gold and 999.0 fantastic silver cash, with the obverse sides that includes an effigy of the late Queen Elizabeth II createdby artist Ian Rank-Broadley, for the 2022 occasion within the UK. Each coin sorts have been minted as proofs, the best customary in numismatics, and are 2022 authorized tender. Swiss-based PAMP SA, often acknowledged as probably the greatest non-public mints, produced the collectibles. The Swiss-based PAMP SA additionally produced the Worldwide Tennis Federation’s and Rosland Capital’s 2019 ¼ ozGold Coin for the Fed Cup three years prior. The 2022 cash not solely characteristic Billie Jean King, but in addition her Cup’s brand. The specialty cash for the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup embrace the two.5 ozSilver Coin, the ¼ ozGold Coin and the 1.5 ozGold Coin.

• 2.5 ozSilver Coin Specs 
  • Weight: 2.5 Troy oz.
  • Diameter: 50mm
  • Depth: 3.7 mm
  • Edge: Reeded
  • Amount: 2,500
• ¼ ozGold Coin Specs
  • Weight: ¼ Troy Oz.
  • Diameter: 22 mm
  • Depth: 1.06 mm
  • Edge: Reeded
  • Amount: 5,000
• 1.5 ozGold Coin Specs 
  • Weight: 1.5 Troy oz.
  • Diameter: 40mm
  • Depth: 1.93 mm
  • Edge: Reeded
  • Amount: 100

Many sports activities fanatics and people within the tennis trade expressed anticipation across the coin launch, with main sports activities media retailers comparable to Tennis Threads Journal and Every day Sports activities Information protecting the collaboration. Management on the Worldwide Tennis Federation expressed this identical pleasure. For instance, Kelly Fairweather, Worldwide Tennis Federation CEO, mentioned to the general public, “We’re very happy to have labored with Billie Jean King Enterprises and Rosland on this assortment and the outcomes are improbable. Billie Jean has introduced recent vitality and pleasure to this nice competitors, and it’s becoming we will have a good time her unbelievable achievements by this assortment.”

All three cash from the partnership can be found in specialty designer packaging that mixes practicality, craftsmanship, consideration to element, aesthetics and authenticity. Billie Jean King’s official signature is featured in delicate white cursive centered above or beneath the coin. The vivid white Billie Jean King Cup brand in caps displays off the navy blue and aqua design properly. On the reverse facet of the packaging, the navy background is substituted for brilliant white. An announcement of metallic fineness, weight, proof high quality and signature of the accredited assayer at PAMP can also be included. 

Honoring a Legend and Fostering Appreciation for Tennis 

Collectively, the Worldwide Tennis Federation and Rosland Capital have created merchandise to honor the Fed Cup, Billie Jean King herself and the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup. The pair has seamlessly mixed the wealthy historical past of those organizations, competitions and occasions whereas fostering a brand new sense of hope for tennis. Rosland Capital has additionally taken on a a lot bigger duty because it pertains to sports activities. Rosland Capital is deeply dedicated to taking part in charitable causes and dealing in humanitarian areas to learn weak communities. It appreciates the bridges that sports activities create and the huge platform they current. In recent times, Rosland Capital has supported Sir Jackie Stewart’s Race In opposition to Dementia Charity and the Hold Combating Basis impressed by  System 1 champion Michael Schumacher. Be taught extra about Rosland Capital’s previous and present philanthropic efforts right now.