Racquet Sports Industry Magazine Names 2023 ‘Champions of Tennis’

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Tennis icon Billie Jean King is the journal’s “Particular person of the Yr,” whereas people and organizations from throughout the nation are acknowledged in 27 extra classes.

NEW YORK, NY (Dec. 13, 2023) — Tennis legend and social activist Billie Jean King has been named “Particular person of the Yr” for 2023 by Racquet Sports activities Trade journal within the publication’s January 2024 issue. King led off the journal’s 23nd annual “Champions of Tennis Awards,” which honor individuals, companies and organizations devoted to bettering the game and enterprise of tennis and racquet sports activities.

King’s file on the tennis court docket is extraordinary—39 Grand Slam titles (12 singles, 16 girls’s doubles and 11 combined doubles), seven Fed Cup titles, and far more—however as a pioneer and advocate for equality and social justice, few Individuals can come near what she has stood for and achieved.

“With all that Billie Jean King has performed, and continues to do, a case may simply be made for her to be our ‘Particular person of the Yr’ in just about any yr,” says Racquet Sports activities Trade Editor Peter Francesconi. “However in 2023, wherein Billie Jean turned 80 years previous, we have fun key anniversaries that she helped result in. This yr, the US Open marked the fiftieth anniversary of awarding equal prize cash to female and male gamers, which was a transfer spearheaded by King. It was additionally the fiftieth yr of the Girls’s Tennis Affiliation, which was based by King. And 50 years in the past, her iconic win over Bobby Riggs within the ‘Battle of the Sexes’ modified our perspective on girls in sports activities and society.

“Title IX was handed in 1972 prohibiting sex-based discrimination in colleges and different training programming receiving federal funds, and Billie Jean made that landmark laws come alive for all Individuals,” Francesconi provides. “Her braveness, ardour and willingness to make use of her platform to champion such necessary beliefs has made the game, and this nation, higher.”

Along with its Particular person of the Yr award, Racquet Sports activities Trade additionally named winners in 27 different classes for its 2023 Champions of Tennis Awards (see the January 2024 Racquet Sports Industry digital edition at www.tennisindustrymag.com for extra on these winners):

Particular person of the Yr: Billie Jean King, Chicago, Ailing.
Lifetime Achievement Award: Kirk Anderson, Portland, Ore.
Tennis Trade Service Award: John Embree, Orlando, Fla.
Professional/Specialty Retailer of the Yr: Your Serve Tennis, Atlanta, Ga.
Business Facility of the Yr: North Hills Membership, Raleigh, N.C.
Municipal Tennis Facility of the Yr: Kroc Tennis Heart, Greenville, S.C.
Builder/Contractor of the Yr: Jeff Nichols/American Tennis Courts Inc., Cellular, Ala.
Gross sales Rep of the Yr: Cynthia Shipper, Dallas, Texas
Grassroots Tennis Champion of the Yr: Loretta Conway, Steamboat Springs, Colo.
Junior Tennis Champion of the Yr: Rob Oppenheim, Bridgeport, Conn.
Wheelchair Tennis Champion of the Yr: Anthony Lara, Chino, Calif.
Neighborhood Tennis Affiliation of the Yr: Alternative Tennis Academy, Southeastern Michigan
Racquet Technician/Stringer of the Yr: Albert Lee, Potomac, Md.
Public Park of the Yr: Hampden Park, Studying, Pa.
Mass Service provider/Chain Retailer of the Yr: Dick’s Sporting Items, Coraopolis, Pa.
Excessive College Coach of the Yr: Invoice Shardlow, North Yarmouth, Maine
Tennis Advocate of the Yr: Angela Emery, Casper, Wyo.
Park & Recreation Company of the Yr: Cellular (Ala.) Park & Rec Division
Adaptive Tennis Champion of the Yr: Janet Lefkowitz, Greenburgh, N.Y.
Nationwide Junior Tennis & Studying Chapter of the Yr: Benefit Youngsters, Gilford, N.H.
Grownup Tennis Supplier of the Yr: Tennis in Your Park, USTA Northern Part
Revolutionary Media Protection of the Yr: Mark Preston/USOpen.org, New York
College Tennis Facility of the Yr: Byron Heart Colleges West Athletic Complicated, Byron Heart, Mich.
Faculty Tennis Facility of the Yr: Philip & Cheryl Milstein Tennis Heart, Columbia College, New York, N.Y.
Public Tennis Facility of the Yr: Dwight Davis Tennis Heart, St. Louis, Mo.
PTR Member of the Yr: Tito Perez, Setauket, N.Y.
USPTA Member of the Yr: Simon Paek, Fullerton, Calif.
USTA Part of the Yr: USTA Missouri Valley

Racquet Sports Industry (previously Tennis Trade), the biggest racquet sports activities commerce journal on the planet, has been overlaying the tennis enterprise and the game for 52 years. It’s revealed 10 occasions a yr by Tennis Channel Inc. Accessible in each print and digital editions, RSI is the official publication of the Tennis Trade Affiliation, U.S. Racquet Stringers Affiliation and American Sports activities Builders Affiliation. Go to www.tennisindustrymag.com.