BILLIE JEAN KING

Billie Jean King won her first tennis championship when she was just fourteen years old. She went on to win thirty nine Grand Slam singles, doubles and mixed double titles over a career spanning two decades. A champion for the women’s movement, she drew attention to the inequality in prize money afforded to women’s champions in comparison to men. She was the first American athlete to acknowledge having a homosexual relationship. King retired from professional play in 1984 and now serves on the boards of the Women's Sports Foundation as well as the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

King's selection includes:

NELSON MANDELA

'He has touched my heart, just as he has influenced the hearts and minds of people all over the world.'