( CNN ) -- It was the ultimate gathering of tennis talent . A host of No.1 ranked women 's players , including Serena Williams , marked the 40th anniversary of the WTA with a unique get together at Wimbledon Sunday . Williams , the latest in an elite list of women to reach the summit of the game since a unified women 's tour was founded in 1973 , led the tributes to Billie Jean King , the driving force and first president of the association . `` Billie Jean has been my ultimate inspiration and taught me so many things about being a champion and staying a champion , '' she told CNN . `` We are celebrating 40 amazing years of the WTA and none of this would have been possible if she had n't taken a stand for everyone . '' King , who won 12 grand slam singles titles , organized the meeting at the Gloucester Hotel in London , just a week before the 1973 Wimbledon Championships , where the Women 's Tennis Association formally came into being . One voice . `` We were working together to gain recognition for the future generation and to have one voice , '' she told CNN . `` Sixty three of us got in a room , we locked the door , we elected the officers and we were in business , '' she recalled . King 's great rivals at the time , Australian pair Margaret Court and Evonne Goolagong , were among the special invitees to the anniversary celebration , along with current stars such as Williams and her arch-rival Maria Sharapova . To the left of Williams were Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert , who between them occupied the No.1 spot for 592 weeks . Swiss miss Martina Hingis , fourth in the all-time list for week 's in the top spot and Monica Seles , also sat side by side . Old rivalries . Seles , who battled it out for top spot with the likes of Hingis , and U.S. pair Jennifer Capriati and Lindsay Davenport , enjoyed being reunited with them , with old rivalries long forgotten . `` It 's a celebration where once we are retired we can relax , we do n't have competitive pressures and we can be friends , '' she told CNN . Germany 's Steffi Graf , who tops the list , was a notable absentee , as was Belgian favorite Kim Clijsters as she is expecting her second child soon . In recent years , a clutch of players such as Dinara Safina , Jelena Jankovic , Ana Ivanovic , Caroline Wozniacki and Victoria Azarenka , have all briefly topped the rankings before Williams has reasserted her dominance in the game by winning three of the last four grand slams . Her 6-2 6-0 dismissal of Kimiko Date-Krumm Saturday took her into the last 16 as she bids to defend her Wimbledon crown . Confident coach . Her coach and partner Patrick Mouratoglou told CNN that Williams was well prepared for her tilt at a 17th grand slam crown . `` She is in good form and for the past year has been working really really hard , '' he said . `` She has big goals and has done all the work necessary to be in a position to win a grand slam . '' Canadian teenager Eugenie Bouchard , who upset Serbia 's Ivanovic in the second round , represented the younger generation at the celebration along with American Madison Keys . She fully appreciates the part played by King and other former players in helping bring riches and media attention to the women 's game . `` I 've learned all about it , it 's a special event , '' she told CNN .
Unique gathering of former women 's No.1 tennis players at Wimbledon . Score: 6 Tributes paid to first WTA president Billie Jean King . Current No.1 Serena Williams took center stage .