Battle of the Sexes: King vs Riggs Tennis Match Explained

In September 1973, a 55-year-old former tennis champion stepped onto the Houston Astrodome court with a self-described mission: prove women’s tennis was no match for men. What happened next became one of the most-watched sporting events in television history, drawing 90 million viewers worldwide. Here is the full story behind the Battle of the Sexes.

Year: 1973 · Winner: Billie Jean King · Opponent Age: 55-year-old Bobby Riggs · Final Score: 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 · Global Viewers: 90 million

The key facts table below consolidates verified data from primary and secondary sources about the match.

What was the Battle of the Sexes?

The Battle of the Sexes was a landmark tennis exhibition match played on September 20, 1973, at the Houston Astrodome in Texas. The event pitted 29-year-old Billie Jean King, already an established champion and advocate for women’s equality in tennis, against 55-year-old Bobby Riggs, a former world No. 1 player from the 1930s and 1940s who had retired from professional tennis nearly three decades earlier. The match carried a winner-take-all prize of $100,000.

Riggs had previously challenged top female players, defeating Margaret Court 6-2, 6-1 on May 13, 1973, in a match that became known as the “Mother’s Day Massacre.” After that victory, Riggs called Court the “women’s libber leader” and escalated his challenge to King, reportedly saying “Now I want King bad… We got to keep this sex thing going” and “I’m a woman specialist now,” according to Biography.com (biographical record).

Background of the tennis exhibitions

Riggs, who described himself as a male chauvinist and hustler on his own website, had been deliberately provocative in challenging female players. His entrance into the Astrodome featured a rickshaw accompanied by women, and he wore a “Sugar Daddy” jacket—a spectacle designed to inflame the gender politics of the moment, according to Britannica (authoritative encyclopedia entry).

Key matches in the series

King agreed to face Riggs in July 1973, accepting the challenge that had been declined by other top female players. The match aired on ABC in prime time, exposing the spectacle to tens of millions of American viewers, Wikipedia (comprehensive timeline) confirms.

Who won in Battle of the Sexes?

Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in straight sets with a final score of 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, according to Billie Jean King official site (primary source from winner). King dominated the match despite Riggs’ experience and the pressure of the moment. Riggs reportedly foot faulted several times during the contest, as documented by USTA (official tennis governing body).

Match details

King volleyed shots past Riggs, who experienced hand cramps during the match. The spectacle drew over 50 million U.S. viewers alone, with more than 90 million watching worldwide, Study.com (educational summary with viewership data) reports.

Final score

The decisive 6-3 third set sealed Riggs’ defeat and silenced his claims that women’s tennis was inferior to men’s play. Riggs demanded a rematch after his defeat but never received one, Biography.com (detailed biographical context) notes.

“A proud blow for herself and women around the world.”

— The New York Times, September 21, 1973 (via EBSCO Research Starters)

How old was Bobby Riggs when he played Billie Jean King?

Bobby Riggs was 55 years old when he faced Billie Jean King in September 1973. At that age, Riggs had been retired from top-level professional tennis for nearly three decades, having been a world No. 1 player during the 1930s and 1940s, Billie Jean King official site (primary source from winner) confirms.

Riggs’ background

Despite his age, Riggs remained a skilled player and had shown he could still compete at a high level after defeating Margaret Court 6-2, 6-1 earlier in 1973. His earlier career accomplishments gave him credibility, while his provocative persona gave the match its cultural charge. Riggs appeared on covers of Sports Illustrated and Time after beating Court, Wikipedia (comprehensive timeline and details) records.

Age during the match

The age gap—Riggs at 55 facing King at 29—became part of the narrative. Even with the advantage of youth, King faced enormous pressure in a match that symbolized much more than tennis. Her victory at 29 against a player nearly twice her age cemented her legacy in the sport, National Women’s History Museum (gender equality focus) observes.

Did Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs get along?

King and Riggs maintained a complex relationship over the years that extended beyond their famous match. After the 1973 contest, Riggs demanded a rematch but never received one. The two competitors developed mutual respect even as they represented opposing positions in the gender debate, Biography.com (detailed biographical context) reports.

Pre-match interactions

Before the match, Riggs provoked King with gendered taunts, calling her the “women’s libber leader” after defeating Court. King responded by accepting his challenge, agreeing to the match in July 1973 to settle the score publicly. Riggs’ provocations were calculated to generate publicity, and King’s acceptance was framed as a defense of women’s athletics.

Post-match reflections

King has reflected on the match and Riggs’ legacy in subsequent years, including when Riggs died. The respect between them grew after the contest, though their fundamental disagreements about gender roles in tennis persisted. The exact nuances of their personal rapport over time remain somewhat unclear, as biographical sources differ on the depth of their friendship in later years, Britannica (authoritative encyclopedia) observes.

How much of Battle of the Sexes is true?

The 2017 film Battle of the Sexes dramatizes the real 1973 match, blending documented events with creative liberties for narrative impact. The film, directed by Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton and starring Emma Stone as King and Steve Carell as Riggs, follows the actual timeline closely but compresses and alters certain details for dramatic effect, Golden Age of Tennis (cultural impact analysis) notes.

Film vs reality

The core facts—the match date, score, venue, and outcome—remain accurate in the film. Key characters and events are portrayed faithfully, though composite characters and compressed timelines appear. The film correctly depicts the cultural context of Title IX and the feminist movement of the era, though some dialogue scenes are invented recreations rather than verbatim transcripts.

Fact vs fiction

Viewers seeking perfect fidelity to history will notice differences. The film’s dramatization of Riggs’ gambling debts and personal life takes liberties, and scenes depicting the media circus around the match compress real coverage into shorter spans. However, the film’s central thesis—that King faced enormous pressure representing gender equality—rings true to the documented historical record, Smithsonian Women’s History (museum perspective on impact) confirms. The film’s central thesis—that King faced enormous pressure representing gender equality—rings true to the documented historical record, as confirmed by the Битва статей.

Battle of the Sexes timeline

Three dates define the Battle of the Sexes saga and its aftermath.

Confirmed vs Unclear

Three facts about the match stand as verified: King won 6-4, 6-3, 6-3, Riggs was 55, and 90 million viewers watched worldwide. Several details remain less certain, including the precise nuances of King’s and Riggs’ personal relationship over the years and which specific scenes in the 2017 film are verbatim recreations versus dramatizations for narrative effect.

Quotes

“Now I want King bad… We got to keep this sex thing going.”

— Bobby Riggs, tennis player (via Biography.com)

“I’m a woman specialist now.”

— Bobby Riggs, tennis player (via Biography.com)

“A proud blow for herself and women around the world.”

— The New York Times, September 21, 1973 (via EBSCO Research Starters)

For tennis fans and historians, the Battle of the Sexes remains a touchstone for gender equality in sports. Billie Jean King proved women’s athletics could compete at the highest level, and the cultural shift that followed reshaped prize money and opportunities for female athletes worldwide. The 2017 film keeps the story accessible for new generations, even as some details diverge from the historical record.

The quotes section captures the rhetorical intensity of the era—Riggs’ bravado contrasted with the restrained triumph of the New York Times, revealing how the match transcended athletics to become a statement about gender in American culture.

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The iconic 1973 King vs Riggs showdown captivated 90 million viewers while highlighting gender battles in professional tennis.

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