She had first asked him for a divorce in 1969; he did not agree until 1987. She does not deny that much of the marriage was wonderful. Before meeting him she had kissed one woman at university but had not given much thought to being attracted to women. “Well, actually, she kissed me,” King clarified, setting out a theory that people, romantically, fall into “seekers” and “soughts.”.
Her private life collided with that public role. She now identifies as a lesbian. Her internal struggle over her sexuality was coming to a head, and her marriage to the lawyer and sports promoter Larry King was increasingly strained.
She was hooked as soon as she tried the game. It was not long, she has recalled, before she was telling her parents she would be the No 1 player in the world.
Across her career she won 39 Grand Slam titles — 12 in singles, 16 in doubles and 11 in mixed doubles — and became world No 1. She has long tied that record to the off-court fight to secure equal prize money for men and women, a campaign she says changed women’s lives.