New York: Former President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, were in the Arthur Ashe Stadium stands to watch Coco Gauffโs first-round victory at the US Open 2023 on Monday night. After that match, Michelle Obama went down on the court to participate in a tribute to Billie Jean King marking the 50th anniversary of the US Open becoming the first Grand Slam tennis tournament to pay equal prize money to women.
โBillie Jean teaches us that when things lie in the balance, we all have a choice to make. We can either wait around and accept what weโre given. We can sit silently and hope someone else fights our battles. Or we can make our own stand,โ the former first lady said during the ceremony between Gauffโs match and 23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovicโs contest that was to follow next in Ashe.
โWe can use whatever platforms we have to speak out and fight to protect the progress weโve made, and level the playing field for all of our daughters and their daughters.โ
Which Obama are you after that 32-POINT GAME?#USOpen pic.twitter.com/nWf6KQ0W94
โ TENNIS (@Tennis) August 29, 2023
In 1972, when King won the US Open, she earned $10,000 for her title, $15,000 less than what the menโs champion earned. She threatened to not play at all the next year โ and added that no other women would, either.
King then helped recruit a sponsor that stepped in and helped make up the difference in 1973, so the two singles champions were paid the same amount: $25,000. It wasnโt until more than 30 years later that Wimbledon became the last major tennis tournament to pay its singles champions equally.
โEven today, there are far too many tournaments out there that still need to give equal pay to women. โฆ Let us remember all of this is far bigger than a championโs paycheck,โ Michelle Obama said on Monday night. โThis is about how women are seen and valued in this world.โ
She also was at Flushing Meadows last year, when she saw American Frances Tiafoe play during his run to the semifinals.