The Billie Jean King Cup, in many ways, helped shape a sport and change the course of history. Like King herself, the tournament represents the battle for gender equality, not just in tennis but across all sports.
Thomas Lyte is enormously proud to be the official restorer of the Billie Jean King Cup – a trophy which, perhaps more than any other, is an enduring symbol for the quest for gender equality in sport. Formerly known as the Fed Cup and first introduced to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) in 1963, the trophy is one of tennis’s most highly-prized pieces of silverware.
As a Royal Warrant holder and silversmiths and goldsmiths to Her Majesty the Queen, Thomas Lyte has designed, made and restored some of the most prestigious trophies in world sport, including the Emirates FA Cup and the Rugby World Cup.
The Billie Jean King Cup is a similarly prestigious trophy and one which mirrors the values that we treasure at Thomas Lyte. Billie Jean King is an icon of women’s tennis, winning an astonishing 39 Grand Slams during her 31-year playing career. But her work and influence off the court has been even more remarkable. The founder of the Women’s Tennis Association and the Women’s Sports Foundation, King has been a passionate campaigner for equality and social justice in all walks of life. The Fed Cup was renamed in her honour in 2020.
We’re enormously proud to be charged with restoring the trophy which, like many others, enjoys a busy life 12 months of the year. The Billie Jean King Cup, like the tennis players who play for it, is almost constantly on the road, bringing smiles, inspiring stories and firing imaginations wherever it goes.
As such, restoring the trophy is always an enormous pleasure, with our specialist silversmiths and goldsmiths working tirelessly to ensure that this tennis treasure maintains its mystique year-after-year.
As well as the Billie Jean King Cup, Thomas Lyte are the makers and restorers of the WTA Finals Trophy, also named the Billie Jean King Trophy. In the men’s game we designed and manufactured the ATP World No. 1 Singles Trophy, the Nitto ATP Finals Doubles Trophy, and the ATP World No. 1 Doubles Trophy, all of which are awarded at the concluding event of the tennis season. Our relationship with the sport also extends to restoring the Davis Cup, a trophy first played for in 1900.
Our team make the conceivable possible, while preserving traditional skills, pioneering modern methods, and promoting authentic British craft across the globe. Combining the latest technologies with centuries of knowledge, Thomas Lyte’s silver workshops in London, England house world-class facilities for an elite team of designers and makers, masters of their craft. Learn about 3D printing, electroforming and other new technologies that our team have introduced to our sustainable handcrafting process.
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Thomas Lyte are proud to be the restorers of the Billie Jean King Cup.
Take a glance at these fast facts about the stunning trophy awarded to the victorious team in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
