50th anniversary of King’s pioneering effort to launch a women’s pro tennis circuit.“We feel it’s long overdue,” ITF president David Haggerty said. “All major team competitions, including Davis Cup, are named after men, and we think it’s really fitting that the women’s world cup of tennis would be named after someone as iconic as Billie Jean King, who changed the face of women’s sports.”King and her peers, known as the “Original 9,” risked their careers to start the Virginia Slims tour.