Rosie Casals vs Billie Jean King, 1971 US Open final

[peterpeterxxo]

billie jean king is an icon on and off court, she was the reason the womans tour was able to happen so all todays players should be thanking her.

[Ariamaluum]

Tennis then was about throwing off somebody's rhythm and timing whether its by strokes, mope-a-doping, head games, making them think you are coming to net, playing the situation, or shot placement. Yes, now, its Rackets and strings have improved but now with videotape, it is so easy to correct your swings and all those things that I mentioned above due to coaching and videotape. These two didn't have coaches. They were on their own. Videotape was non-existent or downloads during a match.

[FilmNMusicBuff77]

Billie Jean, won this four times: 1967, 1971, 1972, 1974.

Wimbledon six times: 1966-1968, 1972, 1973, 1975

French Open: 1972

Australian Open: 1968

She was a good doubles player.

[converse91970]

I did not realise Ann Jones did commentary work in the USA. I was born in 1970 so I don't remember her as a player although I have seen a video of her beating BJK in the 1969 Wimbledon Final.

She has done Wimbledon tv work for the BBC for years although less prominent in recent times.

[dura1mater]

Keep posting this stuff! I could watch this all day! Why can't they play tennis like this anymore?

[hibernatus]

"trwent" seems to be a "woman-hater", so why the hell, he watch at this video? Casals and King were very great players, and that's all!!

Thanxs for your vids!

[Destined4WestEnd]

why the hell is casals playing with a ball in her hand ! ugh

[Folkstone57]

@Destined4WestEnd These are the days when it was common for players to keep a ball in the hand to keep play continuous. Also, the era of the two-handed backhands hadn't come on yet, which of course forced players who used the two-handed stroke to either drop the second ball, keep it in a pocket or just not hand the second ball handy at all.

[trwent]

Rosie Casals was probably the ugliest dog ever to play professional tennis. She actually made Billie Jean King look pretty.

She was a man-hater, too.

During the King-Bobby Riggs "match" in Houston, Rosie was one of the TV commentators, and she could hardly contain her venom toward Riggs in particular and men in general. She used that "match" as basically a platform to promote her narrow-minded, man-hating beliefs.

[converse91970]

@trwent I am a man, but cannot help thinking that Bobby Riggs did not help himself with the things he said about women's tennis at the time.

[newmark401]

@trwent

I sense a "man" with a small penis and a very large, but very fragile ego...

[trwent]

@newmark401 I sense an ugly bitch with small tits who looks like Janet Reno and smells like someone from France.

[QuantumMaths]

@newmark401 I sense a large, double quarter pounder cheeseburger, wrapped carefully in duct tape and then fed to a small, but healthy chihuahua.

[nelle069214]

they used 2 serve and volley a lot bac then.

[Nuxice]

Yah. It looked Wimbledon to me too. >.>

[DIANAROSS4EVER]

Oh, ugh at the beginning of the video!! who or what is that???!!!

[Nicklas4500]

LOL, that's the lovely Ann Jones, who won the French Open in '61 and '66 and Wimbledon in '69. She reached #2 in the world and was a former table tennis champion. OK, so she's no great beauty but respect for a really fine player ;)

[GhostRaider50]

How it Us Open ??? Looks like Wimbeldon to me..

[dgobbie]

The US Open was played on grass in Forest Hills until 1975, when clay courts (Har-Tru) were used - in 1978, the tournament was moved to its current location in Flushing Meadows

[GhostRaider50]

Hmm thanks,i didnt known that ;) :D

[Folkstone57]

@GhostRaider50 You also know it's not Wimbledon because the 3 court stadium was never used there like at the US & Australian Opens. The outer 2 courts were used to allow the center court to stay in better shape for the final rounds.

[jokerwildest]

@GhostRaider50 Idiot !

[pgmisha]

...thanks for the info on the raquet ...I thought it was all wood til Connor's T2000 ......

[pgmisha]

...is Casals using a metal racquet?

[vgoodperson23]

Yes, I believe it is a Wilson T-2000 all steel racket--and I better be right because the last time I commented on a T-***** dgobbie came out of the umpire chair and corrected me. (It was a T-3000 not a T-2000 that Nancy Richey was using). In 1967 Billie Jean was the first to use one to win a Grand Slam title. Some people thought they were an improvement over wood.

[bernardomk]

In the first BJK's point in the sudden death there's a volley that went long on the base line but it was not called...

[wcy01164]

Billie Jean~ is not my love...

[Summon256]

RIP michael Jackson :(

[Summon256]

so i preffer slow and fluffy over poweful and speedy sorry...

...because - more artistic, more creative, more innovative, original etc...you could put all your tehcnical arsenal just in one rally...from LOBs to drop shots etc...there was more thinking in older tennis...more thrift, more tactics etc...i can go on and on...and volleys looked exceptional aswell...do i need to say more ?

[snrbaires]

I learned to play the sport in the early 70s when wood was still king. Those wooden racquets demanded impeccable technique off the ground, on the approach to the net and at net. While I appreciate the speedier pace of the women's game today, the technique of some of the top players from both tours is at times abominable. Even the great Federer is terrified at net that his forehand volley won't hold up. And don't even get me start on the swing volleys.

[Summon256]

well...thats you i know yet another person in real life, who played tennis almost as much as you...and you know what...he had absolutely opposite experience...me too actually...so if you cand do a shit at net that doesnt mean it isnt effective...

[brwngirl99]

It's interesting how the point system was back then. I like the women players since the Steffi Graf era (nothing against Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, or the other ladies). I enjoy watching the fast pace of the game and the power. It seemed so slow and fluffy back then. :)

[Summon256]

thats SLOW and FLUFFY defenetions are what it makes justice for me ! ...THATS WHAT TENNIS USED TO BE...not just rude power and fast gameplay...tennis is artistic game (atlease it used to be before new times)...

[Tinmanchromed77]

wow this match seems more competitive than some modern ladies' finals I have seen. And I agree with ilovepepe2 and newmark401, Billie Jean King is one of the huge reasons that women's tennis is what it is today.

[Summon256]

Billie Jean King is one of the huge reasons that women's tennis is what it used to be ten-more years ago...not now...now beautiful and artistic tennis ruined by Wiliams's sisters rude and greaze power, with no beauty and grace...B.J.King born tennis, while Wiliiamses destroyed it...

[twilliger123]

ummmm, there are plenty of players who play like the Williams sisters, why are you singling them out...oic, you're a racist piece of Ukranian SHIT! How do you like it, asshole?

[Summon256]

okay also Sharapova, Safina, Ivanovic, Jankovic etc...happy now ? ...oh and by the way i'm not racist anyhow...i consider someone, who call me racist only for the way i said GREAZE and RUDE power - racist themselves...because normal person wouldnt said that...if i'd say that i hate all balck people- then ok...but did i say that ? ...no!...is it your conclusion ? ...most likely...so shut up and enjoy your stupidity...

[Summon256]

i mean...if in the first my comment i'd have given such name as lets say Sharapova or Safina instead of Wiliams sisters you'd call me racist too ? ...just curious...and WOW you even just so retarded, that you bothered and looked at my profile to find out which country i'm from...okay doesnt metter anyway...i hope we'll never have to speak to each other again...

[billgordon37]

I love the red flag the roll out for the sudden death tiebreaker

[miljanasaysrelax]

i agree with ariamaluum. and like back then they would go on the net more often

[Ariamaluum]

Ann Haydon Jones. Tennis version of a "slump buster."

[teflonmagnet]

"sudden death" quite the misnomer. one point for the match would be apt for sudden death.

[ilovepepe2]

great to see footage of Billie Jean King...she went through so much to put women's tennis on the map...a true champion...thanks for posting

[newmark401]

Yes, women's tennis as we now know it is unimaginable without Billie Jean's contribution. I like her backhand in particular in this match.

[Ariamaluum]

or the WNBA.

[Ariamaluum]

Terrible tie-breaking system then.

[switchhitter08]

The best five-out-of-nine tiebreaker is the way they do it today in World Team Tennis.