The Fed Cup is changing its name to honor all-time tennis great Billie Jean King, the International Tennis Federation announced Thursday.

The international women's team competition will be renamed the Billie Jean King Cup presented by BNP Paribas in 2021. The Billie Jean King Cup Finals are scheduled for April 13-18 in Budapest, Hungary.

King won the competition 10 times as a player and a coach.

"As a global campaigner for equality, who has dedicated her life to fighting discrimination, Billie Jean King perfectly represents the values of this competition," International Tennis Federation president David Haggerty said.

"... This will be the first time that a global team competition will be named after a woman. It is the culmination of landmark reforms to raise the status of this competition and the women's game."

King, 76, became the competition's first-ever Global Ambassador in 2019.

"Playing for our country and playing on a team has always been most fulfilling to me," King said. "This Billie Jean King Cup will be built on the founding principles of equality, inclusion, and freedom. It will be a showcase for programs like the ITF's Advantage All initiative, a gender equality strategy for the 21st century.

"Most importantly, we will build champions on and off the court in every country around the world."

King also shared her excitement on Twitter.

King captured 12 Grand Slam singles titles, including six at Wimbledon. Perhaps she is best known, however, for defeating 55-year-old Bobby Riggs, 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 in the "Battle of the Sexes" match in 1973.

--Field Level Media