To the list of things one might see during a World TeamTennis match – multicolored courts, rowdy spectators and the oddly played let – add Billie Jean King's philosophy on life.

"It's men and women, or boys and girls, playing on a level playing field and contributing equally to the team effort," King, the tennis great and activist who co-founded the league and its coed format, said recently in Sacramento. "Just like in a family or in the world."

WTT, which plays its regular season this year July 9-28, will hold its marquee draft today. Teams select big-name players who generally play in one or two matches each.

The Capitals figure to protect their rights to Mardy Fish, 30, the top-ranked American male singles player in the world at No. 8. Fish was scheduled to play one match for the Capitals last summer but withdrew because of injury.

Rosters will be filled out during a broader draft in March.

General manager Matt McEvoy said the Capitals "will be looking to add marquee names through the draft and in the coming months, in light of Olympic rosters being set and commitments from players."

In a typical year, WTT vies for players against recuperation time after Wimbledon or tournaments that offer tour points, said King, the six-time Wimbledon singles champion perhaps best known for beating Bobby Riggs in the "Battle of the Sexes" in 1973, a landmark event in the movement for gender equality.

Players who compete in the league enjoy playing for a community and for a team, King said.

"I grew up in team sports," said King, 68. "I like the fact that you have to communicate. I like the fact that you have to learn leadership and supportive roles."

King said she's still approached regularly by men and women about beating Riggs, which she used as a platform to encourage support for Title IX, the 1972 law requiring equal opportunities in athletics and other educational programs.

"It's kind of half and half," King said. "Everybody thinks it would be women. It's not. Men will come up because they have a daughter now, and they say it changed their life, the way they raised their daughter."

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