Imagine Serena Williams handing out free tickets to one of her tennis matches in a grocery store parking lot or Sloane Stephens and Madison Keys going on local radio shows to ask fans to tune into their championship match at the U.S. Open.
The thought might seem far-fetched, but 47 years ago, that was a reality for the "Original 9," the women who created what would become the Women's Tennis Association.
Led by Billie Jean King and partnering with Gladys Heldman -- former publisher of World Tennis Magazine and whose daughter, Julie Heldman, was a member of the Original 9 -- they created the Virginia Slims Circuit so women could have a space to compete for equitable prize money and opportunities.
Each of the "9" -- King, Heldman, Kristy Pigeon, Valerie Ziegenfuss, Jane "Peaches" Bartkowicz, Nancy Richey, Rosemary "Rosie" Casals, Kerry Melville Reid, and Judy Tegart-Dalton -- signed symbolic $1 contracts ahead of the first Virginia Slims event in Houston in 1970. They risked suspension -- and expulsion -- from the tennis community for their actions.
"It took a bold move. We stuck together, knew what was right, and made it happen," Casals said in a phone interview.
Each woman had their motivations and role to play. King was the face of the movement and the leader. Pigeon worked with Heldman to convince Joesph Cullman, the former CEO of Phillip Morris -- a U.S based global cigarette and tobacco company -- that women's tennis was a good investment.
"I wanted to go to college," Pigeon noted, who won the junior championship at Wimbledon in 1968. "There were no scholarship opportunities for me."
Playing professional tennis provided the possibility of paying for her education, as long as the prize money was equitable.
"I wouldn't say that we were the direct reason Title IX came along, but we played a role in improving conditions for women in sport," Pigeon added.
In 1970, the Open Era was two years old, and while the men saw their purses steadily increase, the gulf between the prize money allocated to men and women had ballooned. At the Italian Open that year, the men's champion Ilie Nastase took home $3,500 while King pocketed just $600. These events provide the backdrop to the iconic "Battle of the Sexes" match between Riggs and King, which took place on September 20, 1973.
The moment is enshrined in the new film, "Battle of the Sexes," starring Oscar winner Emma Stone as Billie Jean King and actor Steve Carell as Bobby Riggs, which hits theaters on Sept. 22. Eight of the "9" -- Richey was absent -- gathered in Los Angeles on Sept. 16 for the premiere of the film.
"A whole new generation gets to learn how fabulous Bille Jean and Gladys were. This movie will show the upcoming generation what it was like back then," Ziegenfuss said.
"Battle of the Sexes," the film, delves into this backstory, exploring what King and other professional women were fighting for at the time.
"The important details of what happened are all right there in the film," Ziegenfuss said. "They got the headbands and the hairstyles right. They got the '70s right."
Getting the era right means shining a bright light on the struggles and difficulties faced by the women striving to make a difference. If a couple of things didn't break their way, who knows what women's tennis would look like today?
"[Billie Jean and Gladys] were our two leaders and we couldn't have done it without either one," Ziegenfuss added. "It was just tremendous that we had the leading tennis player, who was such a giving person and had such a passion for the game. And without Gladys's knowledge and contacts, we would have never had sponsorship and been able to [build our tour]."
From the actions of the "Original 9," the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) was born, which still hosts the women's tour. Today, some of pro tennis' biggest stars are women, and female tennis players are amongst the highest compensated athletes in women's sports.
"We've come a long way, baby, but I don't think it's ever over. Each generation has to move it forward," Casals said.
At the 2017 U.S. Open, both the women's champion Sloane Stephens and men's champion Rafael Nadal were awarded $3.7 million.