50 ans plus tard, à 79 ans, King a encore beaucoup de choses à faire. Elle investit dans un nombre croissant d’équipes et de ligues sportives, notamment l’Angel City FC de la National Women’s Soccer League, les Los Angeles Dodgers et la prochaine Professional Women’s Hockey League. Elle siège toujours au conseil d’administration de l’influente Women’s Sports Foundation, qu’elle a fondée en 1974. Elle a récemment lancé une société de production visant à raconter les histoires d’autres personnes qui changent la donne comme elle. Et elle est porte-parole de la société pharmaceutique Moderna, défendant l’importance de la vaccination et d’autres mesures de santé préventives.
With all this and more keeping her busy with near-constant travel and engagements, Billie Jean King’s wellness practices are essential. And it’s more than just being up-to-date on her vaccines—though that’s key, too. King makes a point to move her body regularly, and even rediscovered her love for playing tennis recently. Here, she shares the wellness practices that keep her going.
Why she’s passionate about getting vaccinated
King strongly believe in focusing on prevention and keeping our bodies healthy in the first place. “This is one time we can help ourselves,” she says. “It’s important to consult with your doctor, but I’m big on it—I think I have six COVID vaccinations now. I’m up to steam. Especially since I’m older. I don’t feel old, but I’m older.”
La leçon de bien-être qu’elle a apprise de sa mère
« Je me souviens que ma mère, au début des années 80, lui disait : « Billie, continue d’avancer, sinon c’est fini », raconte King. « Elle avait tout à fait raison. Elle se forçait à bouger – elle a commencé à aller au gymnase, à soulever des poids et à faire des choses qu’elle n’avait jamais faites.
King dit que sa mère a toujours été une très bonne nageuse, même si elle n’en a jamais parlé. « Il s’agissait toujours des prouesses sportives de mon père, mais ma mère m’a raconté beaucoup plus tard dans sa vie qu’elle battait les garçons en courant et en bodysurfant des vagues de 15 pieds », explique King. « Elle était vraiment courageuse quand elle était plus jeune et elle continuait à se dépasser ; elle allait à des cours de danse. Danser, c’est amusant, mais je ne fais pas ça – je devrais probablement commencer à le faire. Quoi qu’il en soit, il s’agit de bouger et de faire de son mieux.
How she got back into tennis
During the pandemic, King’s wife, fellow former tennis pro Ilana Kloss, suggested they hit a ball around to stay busy. “Once I hit one ball, I was off and running,” says King. Now, she’s back to playing tennis at least three times a week.
“It’s changed my life, » she says. « I’m so much happier—I look forward to it. Actually, I don’t look forward to it sometimes. It’s a lot of work. But once it’s over I’m so glad I did it. It’s so much fun to feel the ball against the strings; it’s really magical for me and it always has been since I was 11 years old. I think that helps me stay young. »
« It’s so much fun to feel the ball against the strings; it’s really magical for me. » —Billie Jean King
She says that playing tennis regularly also helps her emotionally and mentally. « One thing we tend to do as we age is say, I don’t want to do that, it takes too much effort. But I have to push myself. I’m trying my guts out. I can’t run more than, like, three feet—I’ve had so many knee operations—but I’m trying so hard.”
How she prioritizes sleep
Instagram may have you believe that having a “wellness routine” means going to bed early and waking up early, but King begs to differ. She’s not stingy about sleep—she gets at least eight hours a night—but she prioritizes it in a way that works for her. That usually means staying up until 1 am and sleeping in until 9.
“I try to move everything back and start later,” she says. “I do my best thinking when it’s quiet at night.”
How she’s empowering the next generation of advocates
Billie Jean King’s wellness practices also include her advocacy. As a very young tennis player, King realized how much inequality existed in her sport. “I didn’t know the word ‘platform’ in those days, but that’s what I was visualizing, that maybe somebody would listen to me. Maybe I can make the world a better place through sports,” she says. “Each generation has to fight really hard.”
She believes that now is the time for her to support the younger generation so that they can lead the fight. “I keep telling athletes that they need to understand the business, because most people do not,” she says. “We’ve got to make sure that we have not only a seat at the table, but a voice and a vote.”