"Happiness is flipping the coin on Pride Night at the US Open with your partner" - Billie Jean King

Former World No. 1 Billie Jean King was spotted with her partner Ilana Kloss during the second annual celebrations of the Open Pride Day at the 2022 US Open on Thursday.

King took to Twitter to express her delight at partaking in the flip-of-the-coin ceremony with Kloss before the Pride Day exhibition match.

"Happiness is flipping the coin on Pride Night @usopen with your partner," she wrote.

Happiness is flipping the coin on Pride Night @usopen with your partner.

#USOpen

📷: CameraworkUSA https://t.co/bLXx0xWSIi

Billie Jean King has won a staggering 39 Grand Slams, including 12 singles, 16 doubles and 11 mixed doubles titles, making her one of the most decorated players in tennis.

She is also one of the founding members of the WTA and is perhaps best known for her advocacy for gender equality and social justice.

The former World No. 1's tweet generated many heartfelt congratulatory responses from the LGBTQ community and tennis fans around the world.

"Absolutely my heart. All the other Slams should be taking notes. This is honestly something as a young closeted gay kid I would NEVER thought I would get to see. Billie Jean King, you have, and still continue to inspire change when it’s needed. Thank you," a user tweeted.

@BillieJeanKing @usopen @ilanakloss Absolutely my heart 😍 All the other Slams should be taking notes. This is honestly something as a young closeted gay kid I would NEVER thought I would get to see. Billie Jean King, you have, and still continue to inspire change when it’s needed. Thank you

"This makes me so happy!" a user wrote.

@BillieJeanKing @usopen @ilanakloss This makes me so happy!

"Thank you so much. For everything. This was the view from my seat last year. I felt so proud of how far we've come," another user tweeted.

Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss' relationship

In 1981, Billie Jean King became the first prominent female athlete to come out as gay. Shortly after her divorce from Larry King, she met Illana Kloss when Kloss was just a ball girl.

They started playing doubles 10 years later when Kloss was World No. 1 in the doubles rankings. Their similar journeys brewed a special chemistry and both women fell in love. They were in a relationship for four decades without marrying.

It’s Pride Day at the #USOpen.

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

#BeOpen #EqualityForAll https://t.co/4WH0N6iVY0

King shared in her autobiography, "All In," that it was only after tennis champion John McEnroe "needled" her to walk down the aisle that she and Kloss finally tied the knot.

"John McEnroe saw me at Elton’s Smash Hit fund-raiser in Las Vegas and needled me: 'C’mon, Billie Jean! Why not get married? Wrap it up and put a bow on it already!'" she wrote.

King and Kloss married in a secret and intimate wedding. Kloss later spoke about the ceremony, saying keeping it private was "something special we could hold on to."

“So much of our life has been public, keeping this private was something special we could hold on to, just for us,” she said.

Also Checkout:- US Open 2022 Results