Switzerland crowned 2022 Billie Jean King Cup champions.
Switzerland are Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge champions for the first time after a 2-0 victory over Australia in Glasgow.
Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Partners with Tory Burch as Official Outfitter and Reveals “Billie Blue” Winner’s Jacket.
Tory Burch is now the official outfitter of the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge, the women’s World Cup of Tennis and the largest annual international team event in women’s sports. In June, sports icon and equality champion Billie Jean King joined Burch on stage at the Tory Burch Foundation’s third Embrace Ambition summit to announce the partnership.
Burch has long admired King for her tireless work to advance women’s equality in sports and beyond. King was instrumental in the fight for equal pay in sports and worked for the passage of Title IX in 1972, which remains the only U.S. law that protects gender equality. In 2009, Burch launched the Tory Burch Foundation to empower women and support women entrepreneurs through grants, loans, mentorship, and education.
Burch and King have designed a winner’s jacket for the champion team of the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals (November 8th – 13th in Glasgow, Scotland). The jacket comes in “Billie Blue” with a special Billie Jean King Cup patch and a message from King embroidered on the lining. It is the first tennis jacket of its kind in women’s professional sports.
Burch also designed uniforms for the ball people, umpires, and lineswomen. A special capsule of tennis polos, sweatshirts, hats, and a bracelet is available on toryburch.com, with proceeds benefiting the Tory Burch Foundation and the Billie Jean King Leadership Initiative.
“I am in awe of Billie Jean. What she means to young women is hard to describe,” Burch says. “I’m thrilled for our partnership. Personally, I’m really excited about the winner’s jackets. I thought about those green jackets they give men at the Masters, and I wanted to make something as iconic for world champion women athletes.”
“This is a 21st century partnership for the women’s World Cup of Tennis that embraces ambition and focuses on advancing equality around the globe using tennis to make a difference in the lives of others,” adds King.
The 12 countries that have qualified for the 2022 Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals include the USA, Canada, Great Britain, Czech Republic, Italy, Kazakhstan, Poland, Spain, Switzerland, Australia, Slovakia, and Belgium.
The Tory Burch Foundation is also the non-profit partner of the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge. In collaboration with King and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the Foundation will establish a fellowship to support a women entrepreneur in the sports field, launching in 2023.
The Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge is managed and run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the world governing body of tennis. The ITF reinvests 90% of world cup revenue into the development of women’s tennis at the grassroots level through its 210 National Tennis Federation members and in countries where support is most needed.