Fifty years ago, a tennis match transformed perceptions of women’s sport. It was 1973 and women’s tennis was struggling to gain recognition and credibility comparable to the men’s game. Enter Billie Jean King, a tennis star in her own right, to save the reputation of women’s tennis. She challenged Riggs to a ‘Battle of the Sexes’ exhibition match. This reality only highlights the misjudgement behind reviving the ‘Battle of the Sexes’: a spectacle that helped push women’s tennis forward fifty years ago, but in 2025 served only to set it back.