Billie Jean King, a former No. 1 player in the world, won 39 Grand Slam titles during her playing career--12 in singles, 16 in women's doubles, and 11 in mixed doubles. She founded the Women's Tennis Association in 1973 and has been a champion for racial and gender equity throughout her life. She is the first woman athlete to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Cynthia Starr has written about sports, health, environmental issues, and the arts. She was the WTA's Tennis Writer of the Year in 1984 for articles she wrote for USA Today. She majored in English at Carleton College and earned a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University.