Ex-professional tennis player and businesswoman Ilana Kloss had a lasting relationship with her same-sex partner Billie Jean King, another professional tennis player. According to Ilana Kloss, she is lucky to have a life partner who sees the world the same way she does, she always calls Billie the love of her life. Join us as we explore the life and career of this star tennis player.
Ilana Kloss Bio, Age
Ilana Kloss is of Jewish origin and was born on 22 March 1946 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her star sign is Aries and she was born with the first name Ilana Sheryl Kloss. Her parents were identified as Shlaim and Ruth Kloss and she grew up with a sibling, a sister named Yvette Merle Kloss. Merle is now married to Richard Blackman and has a few children named Joshua and Lara Blackman.
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Kloss’s educational background and the institutions she attended are not known, but it is possible that she was educated from the obvious. Ilana speaks fluent English and Afrikaans and currently resides in Chicago, United States.
Ilana Kloss Career
Before Ilana Kloss turned pro in 1972, she competed in Wimbledon and won the title in the junior singles. In 1973, 75, and 77 she won the SA doubles title in collaboration with Linky Boshoff. Illana was at the 1973 Maccabiah Games in Isreal, where she won double gold in both mixed doubles and women’s doubles. At the 1977 Maccabiah Games, she won silver with her mixed doubles.
At the 1974 US Open, she won the title in the junior singles and set the record as the youngest player No. 1 in all of South Africa. Together with Pat Walkden, she defeated Janet Young and Evonne Goolagong and won the title in the final round in Cincinnati.
In 1976, she became the number 19 in singles and the number 1 in doubles worldwide. That was the year she brought in a crop of doubles titles – she won the Us Open title, the US Clay Courts, the Italian Open, the British Hard Courts Championship, the German Open, and Hilton Head. As if that wasn’t enough, Ilana Kloss also won the mixed doubles title at the French Open. She won the British clay court championship, the German championship, and the 1977 Canadian championship.
Many years later, in 1999, the tennis expert won the US Open championship in doubles and mixed doubles. She was part of the South African team that participated in the Federation Cup from 1973 to 1977 with a compilation of the 12-5 wins/losses.
In 1974 she became part of the WTT team San Francisco Golden Gaters, where she advanced to the WTT final in 1975. In order to participate in the clay court tournaments in Europe, Kloss had to leave the Golden Gaters before the 1976 season, as this was contrary to the WTT schedule, but she returned for the 1978 season. Her coaching activities also included her time with the Chicago Fyre in 1983, where she prepared them for a WTT championship, which earned her the title of Trainer of the Year. She also played as a player and coach with the Miami Beach Breakers in 1985. In 1987 she was named Vice President of the WTT. A few years later, in 1991, Ilana Kloss became Executive Director and has served as Chairman and Commissioner of World Team Tennis since 2001. It is important to mention that she became a minority owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team in 2018. She was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of the USA and the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2006 and 2010 respectively.
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Height & Other Facts About Billie Jean King’s Partner
Love life
She is an outspoken lesbian, a fervent supporter of LGBT rights, and enjoys a relationship with her same-sex partner Billie Jean King – a former U.S. tennis player number one. Billie is the ex-wife of Larry King, who filed for divorce because he realized that she was attracted to women. Billie and Ilana have been living together for 40 years, many believe they will be married in 2018, but according to Billie, her wedding will be conducted by Mayor David Dinkins if and when they decide to get married.
Ilana Kloss Net Worth
The net worth of the veteran tennis player seems to be under review, but it is believed that she has accumulated an enormous fortune in the millions, especially with her track record in her career and all the outstanding championships she has won in the past.
Height
Their shape is of the hourglass type and their physique can only be described as athletic. She is 5 feet 5 inches tall and has a body mass of 55 kg. Both her eyes and her hair have the same shade of brown.
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