[5] Prior to the establishment of this circuit there was an inequality between the prize money purses for male and female tennis players which gave rise to complaints from a number of the leading female tennis players of the time.

Nine of them, including Billie Jean King, became later known as the "Original 9" after being banned from the then existing multi-gender invitational professional events run by the influential United States Lawn Tennis Association (USLTA) due to their boycotting of the Pacific Southwest Championships.

[6] In 1971 the total prize money available from the Virginia Slims events was $309,100 and Billie Jean King became the first female athlete in history to earn more than $100,000 in one season.

This years singles title leader Billie Jean King won her 17 tournaments across all three circuits.

[citation needed] This is a calendar of all events sponsored by Virginia Slims in the year 1971, with player progression documented from the quarterfinals stage.