Edition 1st Most tournament titles Billie Jean King (17) | Tournaments 69 Most tournament finals Billie Jean King (25) | |
 | ||
Duration 22 December 1970 – 20 December 1971 Categories Grand Slam (4)
Virginia Slims Circuit (19)
ILTF Pepsi Grand Prix (14)
Non-Tour Events (30) | ||
The 1971 Women's Tennis Circuit consisted of a number of tennis tournaments for female tennis players. It was composed of two circuits the Virginia Slims Circuit and the ILTF Pepsi Grand Prix as well as non-tour events.
Contents
Virginia Slims Circuit
Prior to the establishment of this circuit there was an inequality between the prize money purses for male and female tennis players which gave rise to complaints from a number of the leading female tennis players of the time. Nine of them, including Billie Jean King, became later known as the "Original 9" after being banned from the then existing multi-gender invitational professional events run by the influential United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) due to their boycotting of the Pacific Southwest Championships. This resulted in the first Virginia Slims-sponsored event being held in September 1970 in Houston, an event which laid the groundwork for the establishment of the annual Virginia Slims Circuit the following year. In 1971 the total prize money available from the Virginia Slims events was $309,100 and Billie Jean King became the first female athlete in history to earn more than $100,000 in one season.
Schedule
This is a calendar of all events sponsored by Virginia Slims in the year 1971, with player progression documented from the quarterfinals stage. The table also includes the Grand Slam tournaments and the 1971 Federation Cup.
Statistical information
These tables present the number of singles (S), doubles (D), and mixed doubles (X) titles won by each player and each nation during the 1971 Virginia Slims Circuit. They also include data for the Grand Slam tournaments.
1) total number of titles (a doubles title won by two players representing the same nation counts as only one win for the nation);
2) highest amount of highest category tournaments (for example, having a single Grand Slam gives preference over any kind of combination without a Grand Slam title);
3) a singles > doubles > mixed doubles hierarchy;
4) alphabetical order (by family names for players).