Being King of Edgbaston is a top memory for Billie Jean

In a glorious career that spanned four decades, brought 39 Grand Slam crowns and 67 singles titles in the Open era alone, it is her victory on the lawns of Edgbaston that remains one of the legendary Billie Jean King's favourites. The American's place in Tennis folklore is perhaps higher than any other. All of the superstars who followed, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, the Williams sisters and Maria Sharapova stand - and earn - on the 65-year-old's shoulders. It is no exaggeration to say professional women's Tennis didn't exist before King made it her mission to end the era of 'shamateurism', when leading players had very little in terms of public profile and were paid under the table to attend the leading tournaments. King, and leading players like Warwickshire's Ann Jones, pioneers of their day, won the ultimate battle of the sexes to set up what is now a sporting behemoth - the Women's Tennis Association . Her place in the annals of Tennis is secured not just by what she did on the court but also her deeds off it. And as a keen student of Tennis history that means everything, almost as much as winning in the first two years of the tournament now known as the Aegon Classic. King was near the end of her career when, in 1982, she arrived in Birmingham for a new competition, the Edgbaston Cup. The torrent of titles had slowed to a trickle, indeed it had been seven years since she won the last of her six Wimbledon singles championships. But even after all her efforts, which started when she went out to Justina Bricka in the first round of the 1959 US Open, there was still one omission on her CV - the Maud Watson trophy. The silver flower basket, awarded to the victor in Birmingham, was the reward for the first women ever to win Wimbledon in 1884. As mementos go there are very few more important in the sport. And King knew it. "I wanted to win it so much just because I wanted a photo with it," King says. "I thought that would be a fantastic end to a good week. "I was at the point in my career when it was coming to an end and everyone knew it. "They used to have it on display in the club and whenever I walked past it I would turn 360 degrees just to stare at it. "I am such a keen student of the sport's history I knew what a wonderful trophy it was. I always wanted to win that one because of the connection it has. "I used to imagine what it would be like for Maud winning it and playing in long white skirts so when I won I was thrilled." That victory came courtesy of a straightforward 6-2, 6-1 beating of Rosalyn Fairbank Nideffer in the final and propelled the veteran to her best performance in a Grand Slam in three years. Her run to the last four at the All England Club saw her knockout Wendy Turnbull and Tracy Austin as she became the oldest semi-finalist at the championships since 1920. Chris Evert ended her dream. King knew she had happened upon something useful, a grass court tournament two weeks before Wimbledon began and so in 1983 she was back to defend her title. She was victorious once again, this time with a 6-0, 7-5 win over Alycia Moulton. Once again she made the semis at SW19 before being ousted by Andrea Jaeger. Those two wins at Edgbaston Priory were to be the final two titles of her outstanding career and fittingly King, who had done so much to improve women's Tennis, finished by lifting the trophy that bore the name of the player who started the ball rolling. But that comes to an end a week on Sunday when the last final to be played in Birmingham takes place after the Lawn Tennis Association put the event out to tender. No new venue has been announced but the chance that the link between Maud Watson, King and Sharapova will be broken remains sharply in focus. "I am very sad for Birmingham if it is the last one," King said. "I really enjoyed coming over and enjoyed the city. "When I arrived there I would see a small club that was giving us an opportunity to play there which was hard on members and a stretch for the people who were working on it but they never complained. "There are a lot of good people at the club for whom I have a lot of regard." And vice versa, indeed it isn't just those at Edgbaston Priory who remember fondly what King did for the sport, it's everyone.. CLASSIC WINNERS 2008 DFS Classic Kateryna Bondarenko (UKR) def Yanina Wickmayer (BEL) 7-6 (7), 3-6, 7-6 (4) 2007 DFS Classic Jelena Jankovic (SER) def Maria Sharapova (RUS) 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 2006 DFS Classic Vera Zvonareva (RUS) def Jamea Jackson (USA) 7-6 (12), 7-6 (5) 2005 DFS Classic Maria Sharapova (RUS) def Jelena Jankovic (FRA) 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 2004 DFS Classic Maria Sharapova (RUS) def Tatiana Golovin (FRA) 4-6, 6-2, 6-1 2003 DFS Classic Magdalena Maleeva (BUL) def Shinobu Asagoe (JAP) 6-1, 6-1 2002 DFS Classic Jelena Dokic (YUG) def Anastasia Myskina (RUS) 6-2, 6-3 2001 DFS Classic Nathalie Tauziat (FRA) def Miriam Oremans (HOL) 6-3, 7-5 2000 DFS Classic Lisa Raymond (USA) def Tamarine Tanasugarn (THA) 6-2, 6-7, 6-4 1999 DFS Classic Julie Halard (FRA) def Nathalie Tauziat (FRA) 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 1998 Cancelled 1997 DFS Classic Nathalie Tauziat (FRA) def Yayuk Basuki (POL) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2 1996 DFS Classic Meredith McGrath (USA) def Nathalie Tauziat (FRA) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 1995 DFS Classic Zina Garrison (USA) def Lori Mc- Neil (USA) 6-3, 6-3 1994 DFS Classic Lori McNeil (USA) def Zina Garrison (USA) 6-2, 6-2 1993 DFS Classic Lori McNeil (USA) def Zina Garrison (USA) 6-4, 2-6, 6-3 1992 Dow Classic Brenda Schultz McCarthy (HOL) def Jenny Byrne (AUS) 6-2, 6-2 1991 Dow Classic Martina Navratilova (USA) def Natasha Zvereva (RUS) 6-4, 7-6 1990 Dow Classic Zina Garrison (USA) def Helena Sukova (CZE) 6-4, 6-1 1989 Dow Classic Martina Navratilova (USA) def Zina Garrison (USA) 7-6, 6-3 1988 Dow Classic Claudia Kohde-Kilsch (GER) def Pam Shriver (USA) 6-2, 6-1 1987 Dow Classic Pam Shriver (USA) def Larisa Neiland (RUS) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 1986 Edgbaston Cup Pam Shriver (USA) def Manuela Maleeva (BUL) 6-2, 7-6 1985 Edgbaston Cup Pam Shriver (USA) def Betsy Nagelsen 6-1, 6-0 (USA) 1984 Edgbaston Cup Pam Shriver (USA) def Anne White (USA) 7-6, 6-3 1983 Edgbaston Cup Billie Jean King (USA) def Alycia Moulton (USA) 6-0, 7-5 1982 Edgbaston Cup Billie Jean King (USA) def Rosalyn Fairbank Nideffer (SA) 6-2, 6-1"I always wanted to win the Maud Watson trophy because of the connection it has