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She too could run down the impossible, exciting crowds with her flair and creativity. She also won seven grand slam doubles titles with her famous par...
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I'm gonna hit you you just do what you gotta yet.
It's like to hear it through there.
If you dream and you can do it to me.
It's always youth.
You're the one that's gonna make the difference here the one.
We want it bad enough he beat you gotta go on trying get a -- I can get back -- stepped out.
Winner I think what came about was my desired to want to win.
We sort of came from the wrong side of the tracks from reporter you know tennis was a rich person's sport and it was important for me to -- -- Why do you see you had to eat them.
Well I think that sort of gave me a level playing field they may have their right now -- -- -- -- you know nice cars and houses.
But I have my tennis.
Born in San Francisco Rosie was brought -- by her great aunt and uncle and a former athlete her uncle Manny introduced her to the game and drove her around to local tournaments.
Half the time I bet the push cart gets started we used to live -- a little hill.
And that's going to be baker would sit there my dad it's okay jump in and it pushes you double -- -- and started and that I would.
He would push the -- down the -- I was starting around the block and pick up.
Outstanding it just by two and a quarter Rosie won most points on guts and pure hustle and quickly established herself as the best player in northern California.
He's a -- to get behind.
The court get out and come on and yell at me.
Yeah and Beckett.
He's.
This joke.
-- -- weights.
Don't talk to me it won't go.
They've got a deep fault me you know because you in no coaching is allowed.
At sixteen she met -- 21 year old Billie Jean King in the state finals and quickly made an impression.
She just gave it every -- she had she always left -- guts on the court.
As she was kind of -- -- straighten me out with their baby blues and say.
-- maybe we may be down match point -- we're gonna win this match.
And believe me we won that match.
-- -- -- form one of the most formidable doubles teams of all time winning seven grand slams together.
Was she easy to play with no she was not easy to play with.
But she brought out the best in me because.
I believed in her and I think with a partner and a team -- -- -- you've got to believe you gotta believe your partner I was much more uptight.
-- -- formats may be enough not hit a ball.
And she sound files you know I -- You know like this is not that's not the way to win.
When she was awful I could be very.
When when I wasn't said that she could be very good when both of us -- We're really -- we were unbeatable.
Then in 1968.
The Grand Slam tournaments opened up their draws to allow professional players to compete against amateurs for the first time.
This open era finally gave players a chance to make a living playing tennis.
What was tennis life back then for women how -- one person.
I can tell you that we we we weren't.
Given the same.
Opportunities.
That the guys had.
Where there was price many the ratio was ten to one.
So you are second class citizens and that was very difficult to take after a while.
Because how we felt we were equal.
In 1970.
After repeated attempts to get Jack Kramer and the US TA to increase women's price -- Rosie Billie Jean and seven other players decided to boycott Jack's very own southwest Pacific tournament a move that didn't sit well with the US TA.
We never look back and is the best move the women could have ever made.
Because that really put women's tennis on the map.
They became the original nine and signed one dollar contracts and started what would become the Virginia slims tour.
A lucrative ten week tour that brought women's tennis into the mainstream.
We were scared but you know -- sometimes you just have to that leap of faith and Rosie was right there and just persuading people to listen.
We have this idea it's gonna work.
The -- he did such a great job.
You've given so much to tennis what his tennis -- you can tennis tennis -- given me in my life I think really why am.
Now like our generation will we we never made enough money that we can say now we're retired we have to do anything this generation can't.
But I've gotten a lot of -- out of it so.
You know.
I'm tennis against and ten assists Ryan.
But look.
Good job boy Italian.
