Marin Cilic reacts after Billie Jean King posts footage of her back on a tennis court this week

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Billie Jean King has gone down in tennis folklore thanks to her stunning career achievements, and she is now back on the court.

Jean King congratulated Italy on their Davis Cup win, with the 12-time Grand Slam champion clearly still an avid follower of the sport.

Italy also won the Billie Jean King Cup in 2024, with the event named in honour of the legendary figure herself.

ATP Tour number one helped the Italian men defeat the Netherlands in the final of the former, with his nation having beaten Slovakia in the final of the latter.

WTA Tour number four Jasmine Paolini similarly played a key role in that success, with Italian tennis enjoying a superb season.

Marin Cilic reacts to Billie Jean King footage

The likes of Sinner and Paolini will now be focusing on improving in the off-season, although Jean King has also made a return to the court, proving she still has her magic touch with the racket.

Sharing footage on X, she wrote: “Finally back to hitting after recovering from the flu and a sinus infection. Feels great to be back on court!”

READ MORE: Billie Jean King says what she got wrong about Rafael Nadal as she recalls ‘special moment’

And that action caught the attention of 2014 US Open champion Marin Cilic, who commented: “Love the FH reverse half volley.”

What did Marin Cilic achieve in record-breaking season?

Unlike Jean King, former ATP number three Cilic is still going strong in competitive action, with the 38-year-old currently ranked 180th in the world.

In a much quieter season than he has been used to, the Croatian finished 2024 with a six-nine win-loss record.

READ MORE: Tennis fans have clear message for Billie Jean King as she proposes new scoring system for the sport

Impressively, however, he managed to secure his 21st ATP Tour-level title with his win over home favourite Zhang Zhizhen in Hangzhou.

Ranked 777th going into the tournament in September, Cilic became the lowest-ranked player to win a tour-level title in the Open Era with his success.

He also helped send off another veteran in 2024, with Cilic congratulating Juan Martin del Potro on his career after the latter officially retired from tennis.