You probably think you know Bobby Riggs. The name usually triggers one of two images: a 55-year-old man in a yellow "Sugar Daddy" jacket getting his clock cleaned by Billie Jean King, or a loudmouth "male chauvinist pig" who became a 1970s punchline.
It's a caricature. Honestly, it’s a bit of a tragedy that his entire legacy has been flattened into a single night in the Houston Astrodome.
If you actually look at the film—not the kitschy rickshaws and the piglets from 1973, but the way the man moved on a court in 1939—you see something else. You see one of the most brilliant tactical minds to ever hold a wooden racket. Before he was a "hustler," Bobby Riggs was the best tennis player on the planet.
The Triple Crown and the $100,000 Bet
Most people don't realize that in 1939, at just 21 years old, Riggs did something that would be unthinkable for a modern pro. He walked into Wimbledon as a debutant and didn't just win the singles title. He won the doubles. Then he won the mixed doubles.
A clean sweep.
But here’s the kicker: Riggs was a gambler from the jump. Legend has it (and he confirmed it in his autobiography Court Hustler) that he walked into a London betting shop before the tournament. He put down roughly £100 on himself to win all three titles. By the time he walked off the grass, he had parlayed that into a payout of over $100,000 in today's money.
He didn't just play for glory; he played for the bag.
He was 5-foot-7. In a sport that was beginning to be dominated by tall, "big game" hitters like Don Budge, Riggs was a "runt." He couldn't blast you off the court. He didn't have a 120-mph serve. Instead, he had what he called "airtight tennis." Basically, he was a human backboard. If you hit a great shot, he’d find a way to get it back, usually with some annoying spin or a lob that landed precisely two inches from the baseline.
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Why the "Pusher" Label is Total Nonsense
Tennis purists sometimes dismiss Riggs as a "pusher"—someone who just dinks the ball back and waits for you to mess up. Jack Kramer, who was arguably the best player of that era and often Riggs's nemesis, hated that description. Kramer once said the idea that Riggs played "pitty-patty" tennis was a total misconception.
Riggs was a master of the "percentage game." He knew exactly when to drop-shot you and when to lure you to the net just so he could pass you. He once went six months without hitting a double fault. Think about that. The mental discipline required to never gift a point in half a year is borderline sociopathic.
His career stats are actually insane:
- World No. 1 Amateur in 1939.
- World No. 1 Professional in 1946 and 1947.
- Three-time U.S. Pro Champion.
- 6-time Major champion (Singles and Doubles).
Then World War II hit. Like many athletes of his generation, his prime years were swallowed by the Navy. When he came back, the pro circuit was a brutal, barnstorming life. You played the same guy 50 nights in a row in different cities just to keep the lights on. It was during these years that the "Happy Hustler" persona really took root.
The Mother’s Day Massacre: The Match We Forgot
Before the "Battle of the Sexes," there was Ramona, California.
In May 1973, Riggs took on Margaret Court. At the time, Court was arguably the greatest female player in history (she still holds the record for most Grand Slam singles titles). Riggs, aged 55, absolutely dismantled her.
6-2, 6-1.
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It wasn't even close. He used "junk" balls—slow, high-looping shots that gave Court no pace to work with. She was paralyzed by his variety. This is the part of the story that's often skipped over because it doesn't fit the neat narrative of Billie Jean King's later victory. But it’s essential because it explains why Riggs was so confident—and why the world actually thought he was going to beat King.
He wasn't just some old guy talking trash; he had just proven he could beat the top woman in the world using nothing but guile and a short-handled racket.
Did He Throw the Match?
This is the big conspiracy theory that never goes away. Did Bobby Riggs tank the match against Billie Jean King to pay off Mafia gambling debts?
In 2013, an ESPN Outside the Lines report suggested that a man named Hal Shaw overheard mobsters talking about Riggs throwing the match in exchange for clearing his debts. It’s a juicy story. Riggs was a known gambler. He loved the action. And in the King match, he looked... off. He was sluggish. He didn't have the same "airtight" precision he showed against Court.
But honestly? If you talk to the people who were there, most of them think he just got out-hustled by someone who took the moment more seriously than he did.
While Riggs spent the weeks leading up to the match partying, doing talk shows, and eating hamburgers, Billie Jean King was training like a prizefighter. She had watched the Margaret Court match. She knew his game was built on rhythm and psychological warfare. She refused to let him dictate the pace. She stayed at the baseline, handled his lobs, and essentially beat him at his own defensive game.
Riggs was 55. He was out of shape. The Houston heat was brutal. Sometimes a loss is just a loss.
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The Legacy of a "Chauvinist"
Riggs played the "Male Chauvinist Pig" role to perfection. He said women belonged in the kitchen. He said they didn't have the emotional stability for big-time sports.
Was he a sexist? Sorta. He was certainly a product of the 1920s. But he was also a promoter. He knew that in 1973, the best way to get 90 million people to watch a tennis match was to become the villain. He played the part so well that he accidentally became the catalyst for the biggest boom in women’s sports history.
Without Bobby Riggs, the Title IX movement and the push for equal pay wouldn't have had that massive, primetime spotlight. He was the perfect foil.
Interestingly, he and Billie Jean King remained close friends until the day he died of prostate cancer in 1995. They spoke on the phone just before his passing. He knew what they had accomplished together. He was a hustler, sure, but he loved the game more than anything.
How to Use the "Riggs Strategy" in Your Own Game
If you're a tennis player today, you can actually learn a lot from the "airtight" style:
- Prioritize Depth over Power: You don't need a 100-mph forehand if you can land every ball within three feet of the baseline. It keeps your opponent from attacking.
- Master the Lob: It is the most underrated shot in amateur tennis. A high, deep lob is a nightmare for anyone who likes to hang out at the net.
- The Mental Game: Riggs won matches before he even stepped on the court. He made his opponents think they had to play "perfect" to beat him, which caused them to over-hit and make errors.
Bobby Riggs wasn't just a guy who lost a famous match. He was a three-time Wimbledon champion who understood the geometry of a tennis court better than almost anyone in history. He just happened to be a guy who couldn't resist a good bet or a loud microphone.
If you want to dive deeper into the technical side of the 1930s "Game of Giants," look for old footage of the 1939 Wimbledon final. It’s a masterclass in how to win without a "big" game. Otherwise, keep an eye on how modern "counter-punchers" like Daniil Medvedev use similar "annoying" tactics to frustrate the big hitters of the current era. The "Riggs" style isn't dead; it’s just evolved.