"One of the kindest people I know" - Billie Jean King wishes Evonne Goolagong Cawley on her birthday
American tennis legend Billie Jean King took to Twitter to wish her former rival Evonne Goolagong Cawley a very happy birthday.
King described Goolagong Cawley as one of the most generous individuals she knows and gave her followers a glimpse of the Major singles titles the Australian has won throughout her career.
The 12-time Grand Slam winner captioned her post with:
"Happy birthday to Australian tennis legend Evonne Goolagong (Cawley). The 7x Grand Slam Women’s Singles champion won: 4 #AusOpen, 2 #Wimbledon, 1 #RolandGarros. She is also one of the kindest people I know."
4 #AusOpen 
: Alamy
Happy birthday to Australian tennis legend Evonne Goolagong (Cawley).
The 7x Grand Slam Women’s Singles champion won:
🎾 4 #AusOpen
🎾 2 #Wimbledon
🎾 1 #RolandGarros
She is also one of the kindest people I know.
📷: Alamy https://t.co/8tgHx6VB4i
Born on July 31, 1951, Evonne Goolagong Cawley was a force to be reckoned with on the court. Her seven Grand Slam victories—four at the Australian Open, two at Wimbledon, and one at the French Open—will forever be remembered.
Additionally, she spent nine years in the top 10, and for one week in 1976, she reached the top of the rankings, with her 68 WTA titles simply adding to her success. Popularly known as “Gong”, she retired in the middle of the 1980s, but had a lasting impact on tennis history.
An Indigenous icon. An Australian tennis legend.
Here’s to you on your birthday, Evonne Goolagong Cawley 🥳 https://t.co/4JnMjaCp5F
"The most exciting match I ever played was the 1974 US Open final against Billie Jean King" - Evonne Goolagong Cawley
Evonne Goolagong Cawley and Billie Jean King competed frequently against one another throughout their careers. The most intriguing matchup between them took place in the 1974 US Open final, where Goolagong Cawley was defeated by King in three sets, 3-6, 6-3, 7-5.
in an interview, Goolagong Cawley described the match with the American in 1974 as "the most exciting match she has ever played." Even after the game was over, the Australian admitted that she felt goosebumps.
"My greatest high was to hit a ball well, to try to do it perfectly, to try different things, whether they came off or not," Goolagong Cawley said, adding, "I can think of matches I played where I played one or two points perfectly, and that gave me a thrill. The most exciting match I ever played was the 1974 US Open final against Billie Jean King."
"What I recall most about that match was standing there in the Forest Hills stadium after Billie Jean and I had a great point. I looked down at my arms, and there were goosebumps," she added.