Tennis legend Billie Jean King has had a tartan designed in her honour, to mark the former world number one’s Scottish heritage.
The “Billie Jean King Tartan” includes purple, red, black and the “Billie blue” hue she wore throughout her career.
It was designed by experts at Berwickshire-based ScotlandShop, after they were contacted ahead of King’s recent 80th birthday, in November.
The design is inspired by the Moffat Clan tartan in honour of King’s maiden name Moffitt and also incorporates the colours of the BJK Enterprises logo, which features her favourite purple.
Emily Redman, international brand manager and tartan designer with ScotlandShop, said she was initially contacted by a close family friend of the tennis legend in Scotland.
She then worked with King and her wife, former tennis doubles ace Ilana Kloss, 67, to create the unique pattern, which has now been lodged in the official Scottish Register of Tartans in Edinburgh.
Ms Redman said: “Billie has Scottish heritage and her maiden name is Moffitt so it made sense to take reference from the Moffatt Clan tartan.
“We looked at Billie Jean King Enterprises and its logo, which is purple and red, and also incorporated ‘Billie blue’, so we were working with a great colour palette.
“I worked on the initial designs and then Billie chose her favourite. It’s been a great honour.”
Billie Jean King is one of the greatest champions in tennis history, winning 39 Grand Slam titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles during her career.
A founder of the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and Women’s Sports Foundation, she has also long been a pioneer for equal rights in sport.
She famously won the Battle of the Sexes match in 1973, against 55 year old former Wimbledon men’s champion Bobby Riggs, which helped challenge societal perceptions of women’s abilities in sports.
She said later: “I thought it would set us back 50 years if I didn’t win that match. It would ruin the women’s tour and affect all women’s self-esteem. To beat a 55-year-old guy was no thrill for me. The thrill was exposing a lot of new people to tennis.”
Although born in Long Beach, California, on a visit to Glasgow in 2022 she spoke of her Scottish ancestry.
