1982 (age 38-39)
Listed below are 19 singles tournaments (1 of which she won), with a win-loss record of 28-18 (11-8 indoor, 0-0 unknown, 13-4 grass, 0-2 hard, 4-4 clay). She also won 1 women's doubles title.
Week of January 11
Avon Championships of Cincinnati, Riverfront Coliseum, Cincinnati, Ohio
Indoor carpet
King was seeded [8]
1R d. Rosalyn Fairbank 6-3, 7-6(6)
2R d. Pam Casale 7-5, 6-4
QF d. Sylvia Hanika [2] 7-5, 6-4
SF lost to Barbara Potter [5] 7-5, 1-6, 6-4
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss):
1R d. Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat / Pam Teeguarden 6-3, 6-2
QF lost to Anne Smith / Pam Shriver [4] 6-2, 6-4
After her first round win, King said, "I feel better than I have since 1975. I won't be No. 1 again, but I'll have good matches. I haven't met the person in individual sport who, at 38 years old, is willing to pay the price to be No. 1 again."
Week of January 25
Avon Championships of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois
Indoor carpet
King was seeded [8]
1R d. Kathy Jordan 6-1, 6-4
2R lost to Dianne Fromholtz Balestrat 7-5, 6-2
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss):
1R lost to Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver [1] 6-4, 6-2
Week of February 1
Avon Championships of Detroit, Detroit, Michigan
Indoor carpet
King was seeded [8]
1R lost to Ann Kiyomura 6-3, 3-6, 1-0 retired
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss):
1R d. Mary Lou Daniels Piatek / Wendy White Prausa [4] 6-4, 5-7, 6-1
QF lost to Rosalyn Fairbank Nideffer / Bonnie Gadusek 6-1, 6-1
After walking off the court in the middle of her match with Ann Kiyomura, King said, "I was fighting myself the whole time. I apologize. It was very unprofessional. But I couldn't stand out there and go through the motions." Later, King said that she had not been 100 percent since learning of the shooting death of tennis professional Andrea Buchanon, a close friend.
Week of February 15
Avon Championships of Houston, Houston, Texas
Indoor carpet
King was unseeded
1R lost to Sue Barker 6-2, 6-1
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss):
QF lost to Mary Lou Daniels Piatek / Wendy White Prausa 6-4, 6-4
"A crowd of 2,200 sat in polite, unhappy silence as Sue Barker humiliated" King in their first round match. After the match, Barker was apologetic, almost to the point of being condescending. King said, "When we're younger, we all say we're going to quit when we're No. 1. People ask me now why I won't quit. They just don't understand. It's like dancing or singing or playing a musical intrument. You can't all of a sudden say, 'Oh, I don't like that anymore.' I still enjoy it even if I'm not as good as I used to be. It's like Nureyev. When he dances, he doesn't leap as high as he did. But some people still come to see him. What is good enough? If you're the fifth or eighth or tenth best doctor in the world, should you quit? I don't think so."
Week of February 22
Avon Championships of California, Oakland, California
Indoor carpet
King was unseeded
1R lost to Virginia Ruzici [8] 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss):
1R d. Pam Casale Telford / Leigh Thompson 6-3, 7-6
2R d. Rosemary Casals / Wendy Turnbull [1] 6-4, 6-4
QF lost to Kathy Jordan / Pam Shriver [4] 6-3, 4-6, 7-6
King lost her fourth consecutive singles match and said, "I'm pretty discouraged. I'm in good shape physically, but I'm not playing any of the big points like I should."
Week of March 1
Avon Championships of Los Angeles, The Forum, Los Angeles, California
Indoor carpet
King was unseeded
1R d. Bettina Bunge [4] 4-6, 7-5, 6-1
2R d. Leigh-Anne Thompson 6-1, 7-5
QF d. Andrea Leand 3-6, 6-0, 7-6(4)
SF lost to Mima Jausovec [5] 6-4, 6-2
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss):
1R d. Pat Medrado / Claudia Monteiro 6-4, 6-1
QF advanced by walkover versus Andrea Jaeger / Betsy Nagelsen
SF lost to Barbara Potter / Sharon Walsh Pete [3] 6-3, 7-6
King won the first 5 games of the third set during her first round upset of Bettina Bunge. This ended King's 4-match losing streak.
Week of March 8
Avon Championships of Dallas, Dallas, Texas
Indoor carpet
King was unseeded
1R lost to Wendy White Prausa 7-6(1), 6-2
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss) (seeded [5]):
1R d. Jo Durie / Anne Hobbs 6-2, 6-3
2R d. Sandy Collins / Mareen "Peanut" Louie Harper 6-3, 0-6, 6-0
QF d. Rosemary Casals / Wendy Turnbull [3] 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
SF d. Eva Pfaff / Helena Sukova 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
F lost to Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver [1] 6-4, 6-4
Week of March 15
Avon Championships of Boston, Boston, Massachusetts
Indoor carpet
King was unseeded
1R d. Pam Shriver [2] 6-7, 6-2, 6-4
2R d. Ann Kiyomura 6-4, 6-2
QF lost to Wendy Turnbull [5] 6-4, 7-6(3)
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss) (seeded [3]):
1R d. Kate Latham / Yvonne Vermaak 6-4, 6-1
QF d. Barbara Jordan / Nancy Yeargin 6-1, 6-3
SF lost to Rosemary Casals / Wendy Turnbull [2] 6-1, 7-6
By upsetting Pam Shriver in the first round, King denied Shriver the chance to play at the season-ending Avon Championships in New York City. "King ... simply outwore her younger and stronger opponent. King lost serve just once, in the third game of the first set, and as if to show the world it was no fluke, closed out the match with a love game, winning, fittingly, on a backhand volley set up by a deep serve." Shriver was bitter after the match. "I figured I had done them a big favor by coming here, and I wondered who I was going to get in the draw. Billie Jean was the worst that could be. All our matches are close, and I've seen her hack it away in other matches. But not with me. I just hope the WTA is happy, that's all I can say. The crowd was cheering for her as the underdog, and that was kind of a joke. I figured I should be the underdog or at least the savior." King lost her temper while serving at 6-5 in the second set of her quarterfinal against Wendy Turnbull. King threw her racquet off the court, received a conduct warning, lost the game, and then slammed her racquet against the umpire's chair. Obviously unsettled, she then fell behind quickly 4-1 in the tiebreaker. The loss was her first to Turnbull in singles after 10 consecutive wins and ended King's hopes of qualifying for the Avon Championships.
Week of April 5
Family Circle Magazine Cup, Sea Pines Racquet Club, Hilton Head, South Carolina
Clay
King was seeded [11]
1R lost to Pam Casale 6-7, 6-4, 6-4
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss) (seeded [4]):
1R d. Lisa Bonder Kreiss / Zina Garrison 3-6, 7-5, 6-1
2R d. Andrea Leand / Anne White 6-4, 6-1
QF lost to Candy Reynolds / Paula Smith [5] 0-6, 6-4, 6-4
Week of April 12
Bridgestone Doubles, Fort Worth, Texas
Clay
Played with Ilana Kloss
QF lost to Sue Barker / Ann Kiyomura [4] 7-5, 6-1
Week of May 3
Ellesse Italian Open, Perugia
Clay
King was seeded [6]
1R bye
2R d. Patricia Medrado 2-6, 6-4, 7-5
3R d. Ivanna Madruga-Osses 6-2, 0-6, 6-4
QF d. Sylvia Hanika [3] 6-0, 0-6, 6-3
SF lost to Hana Mandlikova [2] 3-6, 6-1, 6-3
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss) (seeded [2]):
1R d. Marie Pinterova / Naoko Sato 6-4, 3-6, 6-0
2R d. Penny Mager / Amanda Tobin Evans 6-0, 6-3
QF d. Bonnie Gadusek / Renata Tomanova [7] 6-3, 6-3
SF d. Rosalyn Fairbank Nideffer / Tanya Harford [3] 4-6, 6-0, 6-1
F lost to Kathleen Horvath / Yvonne Vermaak [6] 2-6, 6-4, 7-6
Week of May 10
Toyota Swiss Open, Lugano
Clay
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss) (seeded [2]):
1R lost to Bonnie Gadusek / Renata Tomanova 7-6, 6-3
Week of May 17
German Open, Berlin
Clay
King was seeded [6]
1R bye
2R lost to Duk-Hee Lee 2-6, 6-3, 6-2
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss) (seeded [3]):
1R d. Sandy Collins / Barbara Lemberg 6-4, 6-2
2R lost to Jo Durie / Kim Sands 2-6, 7-5, 6-4
Week of May 24
French Open, Roland Garros, Paris
Clay
King was seeded [10]
1R bye
2R d. Leigh-Anne Thompson 6-4, 6-4
3R lost to Lucia Romanov 6-3, 6-4
Women's doubles:
Did not play.
Mixed doubles:
Did not play.
King played the third round match while suffering from a virulent stomach virus. She would have played Chris Evert had King beaten Romanov. She never again played the French Open.
Week of June 7
Edgbaston Cup, Birmingham, United Kingdom
Grass
King was seeded [4]
1R bye
2R d. Lele Forood 5-7, 6-3, 6-1
3R d. Marjorie Blackwood 7-6, 6-1
QF d. Leslie Allen [9] 6-3, 7-6
SF d. Betsy Nagelsen [7] 6-3, 6-7, 6-4
F d. Rosalyn Fairbank 6-2, 6-1
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss) (seeded [4]):
1R d. Elizabeth Jones / Deborah Jevans Jarrett 6-1, 6-4
2R d. Sophie Amiach / Corinne Vanier 6-3, 3-6, 6-0
QF lost to Ann Kiyomura / Sharon Walsh Pete [6] 6-4, 3-6, 7-5
King won the final in 51 minutes for her first singles title since September 1980 in Tokyo. King won the Maud Watson Trophy for the first time in her career. This was the original trophy at Wimbledon, first won by Watson in 1884.
Week of June 14
BMW Championships, Eastbourne, United Kingdom
Grass
King was seeded [11]
1R d. Elizabeth Jones 6-4, 6-2
2R lost to Rosalyn Fairbank 6-1, 1-6, 6-3
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss) (seeded [6]):
1R d. Claudia Monteiro / Pat Medrado 6-3, 7-5
2R d. Diane Desfor / Barbara Hallquist 6-3, 6-4
QF lost to Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver [1] 6-1, 6-2
Week of June 21
Wimbledon, All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, London, United Kingdom
Grass
King was seeded [12]
1R bye
2R d. Claudia Pasquale 6-3, 6-2
3R d. Tanya Harford 5-7, 7-6(2), 6-3
4R d. Wendy Turnbull [6] 6-2, 6-3
QF d. Tracy Austin [3] 3-6, 6-4, 6-2
SF lost to Chris Evert [2] 7-6(4), 2-6, 6-3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wiQ_Ct_GFQc
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss) (seeded [9]):
1R bye
2R lost to Claudia Monteiro / Pat Medrado 7-6, 3-6, 7-5
Mixed doubles (with Owen Davidson) (seeded [8]):
1R d. John Feaver / Anne Hobbs 6-3, 5-7, 7-5
2R d. Ray Moore / Tanya Harford 6-1, 7-6
3R lost to Dennis Ralston / Sharon Walsh Pete 6-4, 6-4
In her third round match with Tanya Harford, King saved 3 match points at 7–5, 5–4 (40–0). King said in her post-match press conference, "I can't recall the previous time I have been so close to defeat and won. When I was down 4–5 and love–40, I told myself, 'You have been here 21 years, so use that experience and hang on.'"
In the fourth round, King upset Wendy Turnbull in straight sets. Turnbull said after the match, "I grew up reading and hearing about Billie Jean. Because of all she's won and all she's done, all of us have held her somewhat in awe. We still do, I think. I played terribly. I think part of it was my psyche, my mental block."
King then upset Tracy Austin in the quarterfinals to became the oldest female Wimbledon semifinalist since Dorothea Douglass Lambert Chambers in 1920. This was King's first career victory over Austin after five defeats and reversed the result of their 1979 Wimbledon quarterfinal. King said in her post-match press conference, "Today, I looked at the scoreboard when I was 2–0 in the third set and the '2' seemed to be getting bigger and bigger. In 1979, when I was up 2–0 at the same stage, I was tired and didn't have anything left. But today I felt so much better and was great mentally." About the win, King said, "It was very gratifying. But Tracy was not match tough. She has had injuries the last two years and hasn't had a chance to play as much as she should." Austin said, "Since she had never beaten me, I thought I might win. I was eager to get through and play Chris [Evert] in the semifinals." But Austin said it was "no miracle" that King won. "She's a smart lady. She loves tennis. She thinks tennis 24 hours a day."
Two days later in the semifinals, which was King's 250th career match at Wimbledon in singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles, Chris Evert needed 5 match points and 1 hour, 56 minutes to defeat King. King was down a set and 2–1 in the second set before winning five consecutive games to even the match. King explained that she actually lost the match in the first set by failing to convert break points at 15–40 in the second and fourth games. "I am learning how to play again. I have started to believe again. I think I can win again. I'm upset I lost. I had a lot of chances in the first set. I'm proud I gave full effort, but I don't like the end result. Chris played well - she had to." Evert said, "I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know whether Billie Jean could keep up the kind of tennis she played against Austin. But I didn't want to underestimate her just because of her age. I hadn't played her much in recent years, and I had forgotten how tough her first serve is. It is one of the toughest, with so much spin on it. It's tough to hit good passing shots off it. She has the best volley in women's tennis. I tried to keep her in the backcourt. I never got negative. I never got discouraged."
The following picture was taken sometime during this tournament.
Week of August 9
Toyota Classic, Atlanta, Georgia
Indoor carpet
Women's doubles (with Chris Evert) (seeded [4]):
1R d. Iva Budarova / Marcella Skuherska 6-3, 6-3
QF d. Sherry Acker / Lele Forood 6-1, 6-3
SF d. Yvonne Vermaak / Nancy Yeargin (score unknown)
F lost to Betsy Nagelson / Kathy Jordan [1] 4-6, 7-6(11), 7-6(3)
Week of August 16
Player’s Canadian Open, Montreal
Hard
King was seeded [8]
1R bye
2R lost to Iva Budarova 4-6, 6-3, 3-1 retired (right knee injury)
King claimed that an injury to her right knee forced her default, but there was speculation that King actually defaulted in protest against the officiating. King was the victim of a number of questionable line calls. But after the match, King said, "A lot of people will think I'm not playing because of the [upcoming US] Open. But I'm more concerned with my health. I was in a Catch-22 situation out there. I didn't run after some balls, and the people probably think I was dogging it. But if I ran after them, I was worried I might hurt my knee further. I was in a no-win situation. In my own self interest, I had to stop. I did not leave because of the officiating. I used to play through injuries like this. But when I'm lying in the hospital bed for a month, who takes care of me then?" On the other hand, a courtside photographer reported that King said as she was leaving the court, "I can't play with this officiating."
Week of August 23
Volvo Women's Tennis Cup, Mahwah, New Jersey
Hard
Women's doubles (with Ilana Kloss) (seeded [5]):
1R d. Vicki Nelson / Kim Steinmetz 6-2, 6-3
2R lost to Andrea Temesvari / Jo Durie 7-5, 3-6, 6-2
Week of August 30
US Open, New York City
Hard
King was seeded [12]
1R lost to Susan Mascarin 6-3, 6-2
Women's doubles (with Chris Evert) (seeded [15]):
1R d. Eva Pfaff / Renata Tomanova 7-5, 6-0
2R d. Jennifer Goodling / Vicki Nelson Dunbar 6-1, 6-0
QF failed to advance by walkover versus Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver [1]
Mixed doubles (with Robert Van't Hof) ([unseeded]):
1R d. Craig Wittus / Kim Steinmetz 6-4, 6-2
2R lost to Kevin Curren / Anne Smith [1] 6-3, 6-3
King led 3-0 (30-15) before Susan Mascarin came back to win the match. King said, "I was trying as hard as I could. Nothing went right. I was exasperated." She never again played singles at the US Open.
Week of September 20
U.S. Indoor Championships, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Indoor carpet
Women's doubles (with Pam Shriver) (seeded [3]):
1R d. Lele Forood / Sherry Acker 7-5, 6-3
QF d. Jane Preyer / Anna Maria Fernandez 6-2, 6-3
SF lost to Sharon Walsh Pete / Barbara Potter [1] 6-2, 2-6, 6-3
Week of October 18
Anglo American Life Indoors, Johannesburg, South Africa
Team competition
Indoor
d. Jennifer Mundel 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
d. Tanya Harford 6-4, 6-2
Week of November 15
National Panasonic Open, Brisbane, Australia
Grass
Women's doubles (with Anne Smith) (seeded [4]):
1R d. Iva Budarova / Nerida Gregory 6-1, 6-2
2R d. Christiane Jolissaint / Marcella Mesker 7-6, 6-3
QF d. Candy Reynolds / Paula Smith [6] 6-1, 7-5
SF d. Rosemary Casals / Wendy Turnbull [1] 6-3, 7-6
F d. Claudia Kohde Kilsch / Eva Pfaff [8] 6-3, 6-4
Week of November 22
New South Wales Building Society Open, Sydney, Australia
Grass
King was seeded [9]
1R lost to Sherry Acker 6-4, 6-4
Women's doubles (with Anne Smith) (seeded [5]):
1R d. Chris O'Neil / Pay Whytcross 6-2, 7-5
2R d. Anna Maria Fernandez / Beth Norton 6-3, 6-4
QF d. Jennifer Mundel Reinbold / Beverly Mould 6-3, 6-0
SF lost to Claudia Kohde Kilsch / Eva Pfaff 6-4, 6-3
Week of November 29
Australian Open, Melbourne
Grass
King was seeded [9]
1R d. Jane Preyer 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
2R d. Petra Delhees 6-1, 4-6, 7-5
3R d. Barbara Potter [7] 6-4, 6-2
QF lost to Chris Evert [2] 6-2, 6-2
Women's doubles (with Anne Smith) (seeded [4]):
1R d. Chris O'Neil / Pam Whytcross 6-3, 7-6
2R d. Keryn Pratt / Linda Cassell 6-3, 6-3
QF d. Christiane Jolissaint / Marcella Mesker 7-6, 2-6, 7-5
SF lost to Martina Navratilova / Pam Shriver [1] 6-3, 3-6, 6-4
There was no mixed doubles event.