Coco Gauff thanks Billie Jean King as she’s handed £2.37m cheque for winning US Open
Coco Gauff made a poignant comment to Billie Jean King as she picked up her US Open winner's cheque.
The US Open is celebrating 50 years of equal pay, with King playing an integral role in shaping equality for women in tennis.
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Gauff was handed her $3million [£2.37m] prize shortly after beating Aryna Sabalenka.
She looked at King and said: "Thank you, Billie, for fighting for this."
In 1973, the US Open became the first sporting even to offer equal prize money for men and women.
King won the 1972 US Open and used her leverage as champion to threaten a boycott of the tournament unless the same money was given to men and women.
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She was paid $15,000 less than her male counterpart, Illie Nastase, got for winning the same title.
Her longtime fight for equality came to fruition that year and has been, and continues to be, one of the most important figures in the sport.
King won 39 Grand Slam titles across her illustrious career that covered more than 30 years.
She was celebrated for her fine work in women's sport before the US Open began, but said more still needs to be done.
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"Women's tennis is the leader in women's sports," King said during her speech. "But while we celebrate today, our work is far from done."
Many of the tournaments outside the four Grand Slams still offer unequal prize money.
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