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World Championship Tennis

March 01, 2023

Not to be confused with World Tennis Championship or ITF World Champions.

World Championship Tennis (WCT) was a tour for professional male tennis players established in 1968 (the first players signed a contract at the end of 1967) and lasted until the emergence of the ATP Tour in 1990. A number of tennis tournaments around the world were affiliated with WCT and players were ranked in a special WCT ranking according to their results in those tournaments.

The WCT had an important impact on the commercial development of tennis. It instituted a tie-breaker system and outfitted players with colored clothing, a radical idea at that time. WCT also strongly encouraged the audience to cheer for players, rather than politely applaud, as the more staid tennis audiences had done before. They publicly emphasized their prize money structure and special bonus pool as an incentive to attract top players.

History

World Championship Tennis was founded in September 1967 by New Orleans sports promoter David Dixon, who had earlier witnessed the dreary conditions of the professional circuit before the open era when he visited a poorly promoted match between Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall.[1] In August of that year, he had presented his idea of a pro tennis tour to Lamar Hunt and Al Hill Jr., who agreed to invest.[2][3] WCT became the major professional tennis tour of players under contract of the early seventies.

After starting with the "Handsome Eight", the original eight players (Dennis Ralston, John Newcombe, Tony Roche, Cliff Drysdale, Earl Buchholz, Niki Pilić, Roger Taylor and Pierre Barthès), the first WCT tournament was held in January 1968 in Sydney, Australia and used the VASSS scoring system. According to sportswriter Rod Humphries, this first event was a hastily organized tournament held in the parking lot of the Channel 7 television studios in Epping and was won by Tony Roche.[4] The first American WCT tournament was held in February 1968 in Kansas City.[3][5][6] In March 1968 Hunt and Hill took over Dixon's 50% stake in WCT and Dixon left the organization. WCT took a loss of $300,000 during its first year of operation. Al Hill, Jr. became president of WCT.[7]

By early 1970, the WCT had signed other players (Marty Riessen, Ray Moore, Tom Okker, Arthur Ashe) and in July it acquired the player contracts of the other major professional organization, the National Tennis League (NTL), which had under contract players from the former professional group of Jack Kramer, namely Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall and Pancho Gonzáles as well as Andrés Gimeno, Roy Emerson, and Fred Stolle.[8]

In 1971, the WCT circuit grew to 21 tournaments around the globe.[9] In July 1971, at its annual meeting, the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) voted to ban all WCT contract professionals from the ILTF tournaments and facilities from the beginning of 1972 onwards.[10] At the end of the 1971 WCT season, the top eight players from the season were seeded according to their WCT rankings and played a year-end championship tournament in November. This was held about two weeks before the similar championship of the rival Grand Prix circuit, called The Masters. For commercial reasons, from 1972 onward this championship, played on indoor carpet, was usually held in the spring in Dallas, Texas and became known as the WCT Finals. The tournament ran for 19 years and the last championship was held in 1989. The format for this event was adopted by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the year-end Tour Finals.

In April 1972 an agreement was reached between the ILTF and WCT that divided the 1973 tour in a WCT circuit that ran from January through May and a Grand Prix circuit that was scheduled for the rest of the year. Under this agreement WCT players were again allowed to play the Grand Prix tournaments.[11]

The WCT tour was merged into the Grand Prix tennis circuit in 1978. On 30 April 1981 WCT announced its withdrawal from the Grand Prix circuit and the establishment of its own full calendar season for 1982. According to Lamar Hunt the reasons for the withdrawal were the restrictions placed on them by the Men's Professional Council, the administrators of the Grand Prix circuit.[12] In January 1983, WCT sued the Men's International Professional Tennis Council (MIPTC), the Association of Tennis Professionals and the ITF, claiming unfair restriction of trade.[13] In November 1983 a settlement resulted in WCT's reincorporation into the Grand Prix with effect from 1985.[14]

1989 was the last season of WCT. The ATP established its own tennis circuit from 1990. On August 28, 1990, after the Tournament of Champions event at Forest Hills, WCT announced its dissolution.[15]

WCT also built and operated tennis clubs in the United States; WCT Lakeway World of Tennis in Lakeway (metro Austin), Texas and WCT Peachtree World of Tennis in Peachtree Corners (metro Atlanta), Georgia.[citation needed]

WCT by year

WCT 1968

Main article: 1968 World Championship Tennis circuit

WCT 1969

Main article: 1969 World Championship Tennis circuit

WCT 1970

Main article: 1970 World Championship Tennis circuit

WCT 1971

Main article: 1971 World Championship Tennis circuit

WCT 1972

Main article: 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit

WCT 1973

Main article: 1973 World Championship Tennis circuit

WCT 1974

Main article: 1974 World Championship Tennis circuit

WCT 1975

Main article: 1975 World Championship Tennis circuit

WCT 1976

Main article: 1976 World Championship Tennis circuit

WCT 1977

Main article: 1977 World Championship Tennis circuit

WCT 1982

Main article: 1982 World Championship Tennis circuit

WCT 1983

Main article: 1983 World Championship Tennis circuit

WCT 1984

Main article: 1984 World Championship Tennis circuit

WCT 1985

WCT tournaments returned to the Grand Prix stage after a three-year absence during 1982–84. There were only four events. The titles were split between Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe, winning two each. While McEnroe entered into all four, Lendl played just two and won both. McEnroe grabbed WCT Houston title beating Kevin Curren in the final.

The WCT Finals in Dallas saw the unexpected defeat of McEnroe in the quarter-finals by Joakim Nyström in three straight sets. The title was captured by Lendl, whose success completed a triplicate of titles in three weeks: Fort Myers on hard, Monte Carlo on clay and Dallas on the carpet. Other players have won three, even four, tournaments in successive weeks in the Open Era, but never on different surfaces.[citation needed]

In Atlanta, McEnroe won the final over Paul Annacone, prevailing in three close sets. The WCT Tournament of Champions in Forest Hills ended with much anticipated final between Lendl and McEnroe. Despite winning only two of his last 12 matches over McEnroe in ATP tournaments, Lendl beat McEnroe 6–3 6–3.

Nabisco Grand Prix
Date Location Tournament Prize Money/
Surface 		Final Semifinals
Mar 3 Houston, USA WCT Houston Shoot-Out $300,000
Carpet		   John McEnroe d.   Kevin Curren, 7–5, 6–1, 7–6 John McEnroe d. Peter Fleming, 6–4, 6–0
Kevin Curren d. Shahar Perkiss, 6–2, 6–2
April 14 Dallas, USA Buick WCT Finals $500,000
Carpet		   Ivan Lendl d.   Tim Mayotte, 7–6, 6–4, 6–1 Ivan Lendl d. Jimmy Connors, 6–3, 2–1 ret.
Tim Mayotte d. Joakim Nyström, 6–4, 4–6, 6–2, 7–5
April 28 Atlanta, USA WCT Atlanta $300,000
Carpet		   John McEnroe d.   Paul Annacone, 7–6, 7–6, 6–2 John McEnroe d. Mike Leach, 6–3, 6–3
Paul Annacone d. Kevin Curren, w/o
May 12 Forest Hills, USA Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions $500,000
Clay (Har-Tru)		   Ivan Lendl d.   John McEnroe, 6–3, 6–3 Ivan Lendl d. Aaron Krickstein, 6–1, 2–6, 6–1
John McEnroe d. Henrik Sundström, 6–2, 3–6, 6–2

WCT 1986

The WCT Atlanta tournament was marked by early exits of both top seeds, Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker, in the first round. Edberg lost to Mikael Pernfors and Becker to eventual runner-up Tim Wilkison. In Dallas, Anders Järryd was the unexpected winner, having replaced the injured Ivan Lendl in the 12-player draw.

Nabisco Grand Prix
Date Location Tournament Prize Money/
Surface 		Final Semifinals
Apr 6 Atlanta, USA WCT Atlanta $220,000
Carpet		   Kevin Curren d.   Tim Wilkison, 7–6, 7–6 Kevin Curren d. Brian Teacher, 6–4, 6–2
Tim Wilkison d. David Pate, 6–4, 2–6, 6–4
Apr 13 Dallas, USA Buick WCT Finals $500,000
Carpet		   Anders Järryd d.   Boris Becker, 6–7, 6–1, 6–1, 6–4 Anders Järryd d. Mats Wilander, 6–4, 7–5, 6–3
Boris Becker d. Stefan Edberg 7–6, 7–6, 4–6, 7–6
May 11 Forest Hills, USA Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions $500,000
Clay (Har-Tru)		   Yannick Noah d.   Guillermo Vilas, 7–6, 6–0 Yannick Noah d. Ivan Lendl, 6–3, 7–5
Guillermo Vilas d. Martín Jaite, 6–3, 6–3
Oct 12 Scottsdale, USA WCT Scottsdale Open $220,000
Hard		   John McEnroe d.   Kevin Curren, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2 John McEnroe d. David Pate, 6–3, 6–3
Kevin Curren d. Todd Witsken, 7–5, 6–7, 6–4
Nov 23 Houston, USA WCT Houston Shoot-Out $220,000
Carpet		   Slobodan Živojinović d.   Scott Davis, 6–1, 4–6, 6–3 Slobodan Živojinović d. Derrick Rostagno, 6–4, 6–4
Scott Davis d. Eliot Teltscher, 7–5, 6–4

WCT 1987

Nabisco Grand Prix
Date Location Tournament Prize Money/
Surface 		Final Semifinals
Apr 12 Dallas, USA WCT Finals $500,000
Carpet		   Miloslav Mečíř d.   John McEnroe, 6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2 Miloslav Mečíř d. Andrés Gómez, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, 6–2
John McEnroe d. Stefan Edberg, 7–6, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4
May 10 Forest Hills, USA Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions $500,000
Clay (Har-Tru)		   Andrés Gómez d.   Yannick Noah, 6–4, 7–6, 7–6 Andrés Gómez d. Boris Becker, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3
Yannick Noah d. Slobodan Živojinović, 6–3, 7–5
Oct 11 Scottsdale, USA WCT Scottsdale Open $232,000
Hard		   Brad Gilbert d.   Eliot Teltscher, 6–2, 6–2 Brad Gilbert d. Michael Chang 6–3, 6–4
Eliot Teltscher d. David Pate 7–6, 7–5

WCT 1988

Nabisco Grand Prix
Date Location Tournament Prize Money/
Surface 		Final Semifinals
Apr 3 Dallas, USA WCT Finals $500,000
Carpet		   Boris Becker d.   Stefan Edberg, 6–4, 1–6, 7–5, 6–2 Boris Becker d. Brad Gilbert, 6–4, 6–2, 6–1
Stefan Edberg d. Yannick Noah, 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3
May 8 Forest Hills, USA Eagle Tournament of Champions $485,000
Clay (Har-Tru)		   Andre Agassi d.   Slobodan Živojinović, 7–5, 7–6, 7–5 Andre Agassi d. Aaron Krickstein, 6–3, 6–3
Slobodan Živojinović d. Luiz Mattar, 7–6, 6–3
Oct 9 Scottsdale, USA WCT Eagle Classic $297,000
Hard		   Mikael Pernfors d.   Glenn Layendecker, 6–2, 6–4 Mikael Pernfors d. Kevin Curren, 4–6, 6–2, 6–3
Glenn Layendecker d. Jim Pugh, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1

WCT 1989

1989 was the final year of the WCT tour. Only three events were organized, all of them were incorporated into the Nabisco Grand Prix and gaining ATP ranking points.

The 19th (and last) WCT Finals in Reunion Arena, Dallas saw John McEnroe win his fifth Dallas title. His semifinal with Ivan Lendl produced the best match of the tournament and McEnroe managed to beat Lendl for the first time in a little more than three and a half years. The tournament was negatively impacted by the withdrawals of Boris Becker (who did not appear at all) and Andre Agassi (walking off the court during a second set match with McEnroe). Brad Gilbert entered the event to fill the gap for Becker and surprisingly made it to the final. Later in spring, Lendl captured last two WCT titles in Scottsdale and Forest Hills[16] to close the WCT era.

Nabisco Grand Prix
Date Location Tournament Prize Money/
Surface 		Final Semifinals
Mar 5 Dallas, USA WCT Finals $500,000
Carpet		   John McEnroe d.   Brad Gilbert, 6–3, 6–3, 7–6 John McEnroe d. Ivan Lendl, 6–7, 7–6, 6–2, 7–5
Brad Gilbert d. Mikael Pernfors, 6–3, 6–7, 6–3, 6–3
Mar 12 Scottsdale, USA WCT Eagle Classic $297,000
Hard		   Ivan Lendl d.   Stefan Edberg, 6–2, 6–3 Ivan Lendl d. Emilio Sánchez, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3
Stefan Edberg d. Amos Mansdorf, 6–7, 6–4, 6–1
May 8 Forest Hills, USA Eagle Tournament of Champions $485,000
Clay (Har-Tru)		   Ivan Lendl d.   Jaime Yzaga, 6–2, 6–1 Ivan Lendl d. Andre Agassi, 6–2, 6–3
Jaime Yzaga d. Michael Chang, 6–4, 6–3

WCT 1990

There was no WCT tour in 1990, when the ATP established its own circuit named the ATP Tour, however there was one (final) tournament sanctioned by WCT.[15] The Forest Hills WCT at West Side Tennis Club was moved from Har-Tru green clay to hardcourts and run as special non-ATP Tour event. Ivan Lendl stamped his WCT dominance winning the last title.

Special event
Date Location Tournament Prize Money/
Surface 		Final Semifinals
Aug 26 Forest Hills, USA WCT Tournament of Champions $500,000
Hard		   Ivan Lendl d.   Aaron Krickstein, 6–4, 6–7, 6–3 Ivan Lendl d. Henri Leconte, 6–7, 6–3, 6–1,

WCT Year-end Championship Finals

Main article: WCT Finals

The WCT Finals were usually held in Dallas. The 1971 quarterfinals and semifinals were played in Houston, and the final was played at the Memorial Auditorium in Dallas. The 1972–1979 editions were played at the Moody Coliseum, and the 1980–1989 tournaments at Reunion Arena in Dallas.

The first edition of the WCT Finals in 1971 was played in November, just a few days before The Masters, the equivalent of the WCT Finals for the rival Grand Prix circuit. Because of TV pressure, the second edition was held in May 1972 and most of the following editions were organized in between months of March and May. Nevertheless, in 1972 another edition, less important and with half the prize money, was held in November in Rome. The prize money offered to the winner, Arthur Ashe, was $25,000 compared to the $50,000 won by Ken Rosewall for the main edition in May.

A decade later there were three editions of the WCT Finals; the most important one in Dallas, and the others in autumn in Naples, Italy, and in winter (in January 1983) in Detroit.

Year Champion Runner-up Score
1971   Ken Rosewall   Rod Laver 6–4, 1–6, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–4)
1972   Ken Rosewall   Rod Laver 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6
1972 winter (Rome)   Arthur Ashe   Bob Lutz 6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6
1973   Stan Smith   Arthur Ashe 6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4
1974   John Newcombe   Björn Borg 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–2
1975   Arthur Ashe   Björn Borg 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–0
1976   Björn Borg   Guillermo Vilas 1–6, 6–1, 7–5, 6–1
1977   Jimmy Connors   Dick Stockton 6–7, 6–1, 6–4, 6–3
1978   Vitas Gerulaitis   Eddie Dibbs 6–3, 6–2, 6–1
1979   John McEnroe   Björn Borg 7–5, 4–6, 6–2, 7–6
1980   Jimmy Connors   John McEnroe 2–6, 7–6, 6–1, 6–2
1981   John McEnroe   Johan Kriek 6–1, 6–2, 6–4
1982   Ivan Lendl   John McEnroe 6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3
1982 fall (Naples)   Ivan Lendl   Wojciech Fibak 6–4, 6–2, 6–1
1982 winter (Detroit)   Ivan Lendl   Guillermo Vilas 7–5, 6–2, 2–6, 6–4
1983   John McEnroe   Ivan Lendl 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6
1984   John McEnroe   Jimmy Connors 6–1, 6–2, 6–3
1985   Ivan Lendl   Tim Mayotte 7–6, 6–4, 6–1
1986   Anders Järryd   Boris Becker 6–7, 6–1, 6–1, 6–4
1987   Miloslav Mečíř   John McEnroe 6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2
1988   Boris Becker   Stefan Edberg 6–4, 1–6, 7–5, 6–2
1989   John McEnroe   Brad Gilbert 6–3, 6–3, 7–6

WCT final rankings by year

1971

  1.   R. Laver
  2.   T. Okker
  3.   K. Rosewall
  4.   C. Drysdale
  5.   A. Ashe
  6.   J. Newcombe
  7.   M. Riessen
  8.   B. Lutz
  9.   R. Emerson
  10.   A. Gimeno

1972

One ranking was issued for the second part of 1971 and first part of 1972, and another for the second part of 1972 final standings. The first eight players in the second ranking played the 1972 autumn-winter WCT Finals held in Rome.

1973

The players were separated into two groups, A & B, with each group playing certain tournaments. The top 4 from each group qualified for the final at the end of the season.[17]

1974

The group was divided into three groups, Red, Blue, and Green and the top 8 points winners qualified for the final (marked with*): 2 players by group plus the other two players having most points. Each group played separate tournaments except the Philadelphia tournament at the start of the season.

1975

The group was divided into three groups again, Red, Blue, and Green and the top 8 points winners qualified for the final (marked with *). Each group played separate tournaments except the Philadelphia tournament at the start of the season.

1976–1983: All the players were put back together and played the same tournaments.

1982

WCT expanded from the previous year and broke away from the Grand Prix for the year. There were three finals, Spring (Dallas) the most important one, Fall (Naples, Italy) and Winter (Detroit) and therefore three different points tables for each season:[21]

1983

There were only 9 tournaments and the WCT were back with the Grand Prix circuit.

  1.   I. Lendl
  2.   J. McEnroe
  3.   G. Vilas
  4.   V. Gerulaitis
  5.   J. L. Clerc
  6.   P. McNamee
  7.   T. Šmíd
  8.   W. Fibak
  9.   B. Taróczy
  10.   B. Scanlon

WCT Challenge Cup

Some special events such as the Aetna World Cup (where the Australian pros and the US pros faced in a team event because in 1970, at the start of this event, contract pro players weren't allowed to enter the Davis Cup) or the Challenge Cup (an 8-man tournament) were held by the WCT organization.

List of WCT Challenge Cup winners

See also

References

  1. ^ John Barrett, ed. (1971). World of Tennis 1971. London: Queen Anne Press. pp. 141–144. ISBN 978-0362000917.
  2. ^ "Hunt gains breakthrough with TV tennis contract". The Windsor Star. November 4, 1971 – via Google News Archive.
  3. ^ a b Tom Koch (March 1988). "It Was 20 Years Ago Today". D Magazine.
  4. ^ "Roche at Top Form in Final" Sydney Morning Herald, January 26, 1968. Page 12
  5. ^ Frank Deford (February 12, 1968). "Now Tennis Goes Mod". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 28, no. 6. pp. 12–15.
  6. ^ "Tennis Amateur Says Wage Runs About $9,600 a Year". Lawrence Journal-World. AP. January 4, 1968. p. Eleven.
  7. ^ Bob Briner; Frank Deford (April 19, 1971). "But It Looked Like A Great New Racket". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 34, no. 16. pp. 56–64.
  8. ^ "Lamar Hunt obtains six pro tennis stars". Eugene Register-Guard. July 29, 1970. p. 2D – via Google News Archive.
  9. ^ Wind, Herbert Warren (1979). Game, Set, and Match : The Tennis Boom of the 1960s and 70s (1. ed.). New York: Dutton. pp. 65–70. ISBN 0525111409.
  10. ^ Bud Collins (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (2nd ed.). [New York]: New Chapter Press. p. 160. ISBN 978-0942257700.
  11. ^ "ITF – History". International Tennis Federation (ITF).
  12. ^ John Barrett, ed. (1982). World of Tennis 1982. London: Queen Anne Press. pp. 167–177. ISBN 0356085961.
  13. ^ Curry Kirkpatrick (May 16, 1983). "And Suddenly He's A Man Of Clay". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 58, no. 20. pp. 40–47.
  14. ^ John Barrett, ed. (1984). World of Tennis 1984. London: Willow Books. p. 11. ISBN 9780002181228.
  15. ^ a b "W.C.T. Out of Business". The New York Times. August 28, 1990.
  16. ^ "Some Changes At Forest Hills". The New York Times. April 29, 1989.
  17. ^ John Barrett, ed. (1974). World of Tennis '74. London: Queen Anne Press. pp. 167, 168. ISBN 978-0362001679.
  18. ^ World of tennis 1977 : a BP yearbook. Internet Archive. London : Macdonald & Jane's. 1977. p. 142. ISBN 978-0-354-09010-0.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  19. ^ John Barrett, ed. (1980). World of Tennis 1980. London: Queen Anne Press. p. 179. ISBN 9780362020120.
  20. ^ Tingay, Lance; Barrett, John; International Tennis Federation (1982). Slazengers world of tennis 1982 : the official yearbook of the International Tennis Federation. Internet Archive. London : Queen Anne Press. p. 178. ISBN 978-0-356-08596-8.
  21. ^ Slazengers world of tennis. 1983. Internet Archive. London : Queen Anne Press. 1983. p. 161. ISBN 978-0-356-09383-3.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)

External links

  • WorldChampionshipTennis.com: The official website of World Championship Tennis, LLC, owner of the historical archives of World Championship Tennis.
  • The $35,000 Racquet Dave Cody, Commonwealth Times 1981-02-17, pages 1,12-13,24, Description of 1981 Richmond WCT.

March 01, 2023
world, championship, tennis, confused, with, world, tennis, championship, world, champions, tour, professional, male, tennis, players, established, 1968, first, players, signed, contract, 1967, lasted, until, emergence, tour, 1990, number, tennis, tournaments,. Not to be confused with World Tennis Championship or ITF World Champions World Championship Tennis WCT was a tour for professional male tennis players established in 1968 the first players signed a contract at the end of 1967 and lasted until the emergence of the ATP Tour in 1990 A number of tennis tournaments around the world were affiliated with WCT and players were ranked in a special WCT ranking according to their results in those tournaments The WCT had an important impact on the commercial development of tennis It instituted a tie breaker system and outfitted players with colored clothing a radical idea at that time WCT also strongly encouraged the audience to cheer for players rather than politely applaud as the more staid tennis audiences had done before They publicly emphasized their prize money structure and special bonus pool as an incentive to attract top players Contents 1 History 2 WCT by year 2 1 WCT 1968 2 2 WCT 1969 2 3 WCT 1970 2 4 WCT 1971 2 5 WCT 1972 2 6 WCT 1973 2 7 WCT 1974 2 8 WCT 1975 2 9 WCT 1976 2 10 WCT 1977 2 11 WCT 1982 2 12 WCT 1983 2 13 WCT 1984 2 14 WCT 1985 2 15 WCT 1986 2 16 WCT 1987 2 17 WCT 1988 2 18 WCT 1989 2 19 WCT 1990 3 WCT Year end Championship Finals 4 WCT final rankings by year 4 1 1971 4 2 1972 4 3 1973 4 4 1974 4 5 1975 4 6 1976 4 7 1977 4 8 1978 4 9 1979 4 10 1980 4 11 1981 4 12 1982 4 13 1983 5 WCT Challenge Cup 5 1 List of WCT Challenge Cup winners 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksHistory EditWorld Championship Tennis was founded in September 1967 by New Orleans sports promoter David Dixon who had earlier witnessed the dreary conditions of the professional circuit before the open era when he visited a poorly promoted match between Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall 1 In August of that year he had presented his idea of a pro tennis tour to Lamar Hunt and Al Hill Jr who agreed to invest 2 3 WCT became the major professional tennis tour of players under contract of the early seventies After starting with the Handsome Eight the original eight players Dennis Ralston John Newcombe Tony Roche Cliff Drysdale Earl Buchholz Niki Pilic Roger Taylor and Pierre Barthes the first WCT tournament was held in January 1968 in Sydney Australia and used the VASSS scoring system According to sportswriter Rod Humphries this first event was a hastily organized tournament held in the parking lot of the Channel 7 television studios in Epping and was won by Tony Roche 4 The first American WCT tournament was held in February 1968 in Kansas City 3 5 6 In March 1968 Hunt and Hill took over Dixon s 50 stake in WCT and Dixon left the organization WCT took a loss of 300 000 during its first year of operation Al Hill Jr became president of WCT 7 By early 1970 the WCT had signed other players Marty Riessen Ray Moore Tom Okker Arthur Ashe and in July it acquired the player contracts of the other major professional organization the National Tennis League NTL which had under contract players from the former professional group of Jack Kramer namely Rod Laver Ken Rosewall and Pancho Gonzales as well as Andres Gimeno Roy Emerson and Fred Stolle 8 In 1971 the WCT circuit grew to 21 tournaments around the globe 9 In July 1971 at its annual meeting the International Lawn Tennis Federation ILTF voted to ban all WCT contract professionals from the ILTF tournaments and facilities from the beginning of 1972 onwards 10 At the end of the 1971 WCT season the top eight players from the season were seeded according to their WCT rankings and played a year end championship tournament in November This was held about two weeks before the similar championship of the rival Grand Prix circuit called The Masters For commercial reasons from 1972 onward this championship played on indoor carpet was usually held in the spring in Dallas Texas and became known as the WCT Finals The tournament ran for 19 years and the last championship was held in 1989 The format for this event was adopted by the Association of Tennis Professionals for the year end Tour Finals In April 1972 an agreement was reached between the ILTF and WCT that divided the 1973 tour in a WCT circuit that ran from January through May and a Grand Prix circuit that was scheduled for the rest of the year Under this agreement WCT players were again allowed to play the Grand Prix tournaments 11 The WCT tour was merged into the Grand Prix tennis circuit in 1978 On 30 April 1981 WCT announced its withdrawal from the Grand Prix circuit and the establishment of its own full calendar season for 1982 According to Lamar Hunt the reasons for the withdrawal were the restrictions placed on them by the Men s Professional Council the administrators of the Grand Prix circuit 12 In January 1983 WCT sued the Men s International Professional Tennis Council MIPTC the Association of Tennis Professionals and the ITF claiming unfair restriction of trade 13 In November 1983 a settlement resulted in WCT s reincorporation into the Grand Prix with effect from 1985 14 1989 was the last season of WCT The ATP established its own tennis circuit from 1990 On August 28 1990 after the Tournament of Champions event at Forest Hills WCT announced its dissolution 15 WCT also built and operated tennis clubs in the United States WCT Lakeway World of Tennis in Lakeway metro Austin Texas and WCT Peachtree World of Tennis in Peachtree Corners metro Atlanta Georgia citation needed WCT by year EditWCT 1968 Edit Main article 1968 World Championship Tennis circuit WCT 1969 Edit Main article 1969 World Championship Tennis circuit WCT 1970 Edit Main article 1970 World Championship Tennis circuit WCT 1971 Edit Main article 1971 World Championship Tennis circuit WCT 1972 Edit Main article 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit WCT 1973 Edit Main article 1973 World Championship Tennis circuit WCT 1974 Edit Main article 1974 World Championship Tennis circuit WCT 1975 Edit Main article 1975 World Championship Tennis circuit WCT 1976 Edit Main article 1976 World Championship Tennis circuit WCT 1977 Edit Main article 1977 World Championship Tennis circuit WCT 1982 Edit Main article 1982 World Championship Tennis circuit WCT 1983 Edit Main article 1983 World Championship Tennis circuit WCT 1984 Edit Main article 1984 World Championship Tennis circuit WCT 1985 Edit WCT tournaments returned to the Grand Prix stage after a three year absence during 1982 84 There were only four events The titles were split between Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe winning two each While McEnroe entered into all four Lendl played just two and won both McEnroe grabbed WCT Houston title beating Kevin Curren in the final The WCT Finals in Dallas saw the unexpected defeat of McEnroe in the quarter finals by Joakim Nystrom in three straight sets The title was captured by Lendl whose success completed a triplicate of titles in three weeks Fort Myers on hard Monte Carlo on clay and Dallas on the carpet Other players have won three even four tournaments in successive weeks in the Open Era but never on different surfaces citation needed In Atlanta McEnroe won the final over Paul Annacone prevailing in three close sets The WCT Tournament of Champions in Forest Hills ended with much anticipated final between Lendl and McEnroe Despite winning only two of his last 12 matches over McEnroe in ATP tournaments Lendl beat McEnroe 6 3 6 3 Nabisco Grand Prix Date Location Tournament Prize Money Surface Final SemifinalsMar 3 Houston USA WCT Houston Shoot Out 300 000Carpet John McEnroe d Kevin Curren 7 5 6 1 7 6 John McEnroe d Peter Fleming 6 4 6 0Kevin Curren d Shahar Perkiss 6 2 6 2April 14 Dallas USA Buick WCT Finals 500 000Carpet Ivan Lendl d Tim Mayotte 7 6 6 4 6 1 Ivan Lendl d Jimmy Connors 6 3 2 1 ret Tim Mayotte d Joakim Nystrom 6 4 4 6 6 2 7 5April 28 Atlanta USA WCT Atlanta 300 000Carpet John McEnroe d Paul Annacone 7 6 7 6 6 2 John McEnroe d Mike Leach 6 3 6 3Paul Annacone d Kevin Curren w oMay 12 Forest Hills USA Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions 500 000Clay Har Tru Ivan Lendl d John McEnroe 6 3 6 3 Ivan Lendl d Aaron Krickstein 6 1 2 6 6 1John McEnroe d Henrik Sundstrom 6 2 3 6 6 2WCT 1986 Edit The WCT Atlanta tournament was marked by early exits of both top seeds Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker in the first round Edberg lost to Mikael Pernfors and Becker to eventual runner up Tim Wilkison In Dallas Anders Jarryd was the unexpected winner having replaced the injured Ivan Lendl in the 12 player draw Nabisco Grand Prix Date Location Tournament Prize Money Surface Final SemifinalsApr 6 Atlanta USA WCT Atlanta 220 000Carpet Kevin Curren d Tim Wilkison 7 6 7 6 Kevin Curren d Brian Teacher 6 4 6 2 Tim Wilkison d David Pate 6 4 2 6 6 4Apr 13 Dallas USA Buick WCT Finals 500 000Carpet Anders Jarryd d Boris Becker 6 7 6 1 6 1 6 4 Anders Jarryd d Mats Wilander 6 4 7 5 6 3 Boris Becker d Stefan Edberg 7 6 7 6 4 6 7 6May 11 Forest Hills USA Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions 500 000Clay Har Tru Yannick Noah d Guillermo Vilas 7 6 6 0 Yannick Noah d Ivan Lendl 6 3 7 5 Guillermo Vilas d Martin Jaite 6 3 6 3Oct 12 Scottsdale USA WCT Scottsdale Open 220 000Hard John McEnroe d Kevin Curren 6 3 3 6 6 2 John McEnroe d David Pate 6 3 6 3 Kevin Curren d Todd Witsken 7 5 6 7 6 4Nov 23 Houston USA WCT Houston Shoot Out 220 000Carpet Slobodan Zivojinovic d Scott Davis 6 1 4 6 6 3 Slobodan Zivojinovic d Derrick Rostagno 6 4 6 4 Scott Davis d Eliot Teltscher 7 5 6 4WCT 1987 Edit Nabisco Grand Prix Date Location Tournament Prize Money Surface Final SemifinalsApr 12 Dallas USA WCT Finals 500 000Carpet Miloslav Mecir d John McEnroe 6 0 3 6 6 2 6 2 Miloslav Mecir d Andres Gomez 6 7 7 6 6 4 6 2 John McEnroe d Stefan Edberg 7 6 6 7 7 6 6 4May 10 Forest Hills USA Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions 500 000Clay Har Tru Andres Gomez d Yannick Noah 6 4 7 6 7 6 Andres Gomez d Boris Becker 4 6 6 4 6 3 Yannick Noah d Slobodan Zivojinovic 6 3 7 5Oct 11 Scottsdale USA WCT Scottsdale Open 232 000Hard Brad Gilbert d Eliot Teltscher 6 2 6 2 Brad Gilbert d Michael Chang 6 3 6 4 Eliot Teltscher d David Pate 7 6 7 5WCT 1988 Edit Nabisco Grand Prix Date Location Tournament Prize Money Surface Final SemifinalsApr 3 Dallas USA WCT Finals 500 000Carpet Boris Becker d Stefan Edberg 6 4 1 6 7 5 6 2 Boris Becker d Brad Gilbert 6 4 6 2 6 1 Stefan Edberg d Yannick Noah 6 2 4 6 6 3 6 3May 8 Forest Hills USA Eagle Tournament of Champions 485 000Clay Har Tru Andre Agassi d Slobodan Zivojinovic 7 5 7 6 7 5 Andre Agassi d Aaron Krickstein 6 3 6 3 Slobodan Zivojinovic d Luiz Mattar 7 6 6 3Oct 9 Scottsdale USA WCT Eagle Classic 297 000Hard Mikael Pernfors d Glenn Layendecker 6 2 6 4 Mikael Pernfors d Kevin Curren 4 6 6 2 6 3 Glenn Layendecker d Jim Pugh 3 6 6 4 6 1WCT 1989 Edit 1989 was the final year of the WCT tour Only three events were organized all of them were incorporated into the Nabisco Grand Prix and gaining ATP ranking points The 19th and last WCT Finals in Reunion Arena Dallas saw John McEnroe win his fifth Dallas title His semifinal with Ivan Lendl produced the best match of the tournament and McEnroe managed to beat Lendl for the first time in a little more than three and a half years The tournament was negatively impacted by the withdrawals of Boris Becker who did not appear at all and Andre Agassi walking off the court during a second set match with McEnroe Brad Gilbert entered the event to fill the gap for Becker and surprisingly made it to the final Later in spring Lendl captured last two WCT titles in Scottsdale and Forest Hills 16 to close the WCT era Nabisco Grand Prix Date Location Tournament Prize Money Surface Final SemifinalsMar 5 Dallas USA WCT Finals 500 000Carpet John McEnroe d Brad Gilbert 6 3 6 3 7 6 John McEnroe d Ivan Lendl 6 7 7 6 6 2 7 5 Brad Gilbert d Mikael Pernfors 6 3 6 7 6 3 6 3Mar 12 Scottsdale USA WCT Eagle Classic 297 000Hard Ivan Lendl d Stefan Edberg 6 2 6 3 Ivan Lendl d Emilio Sanchez 6 2 3 6 6 3 Stefan Edberg d Amos Mansdorf 6 7 6 4 6 1May 8 Forest Hills USA Eagle Tournament of Champions 485 000Clay Har Tru Ivan Lendl d Jaime Yzaga 6 2 6 1 Ivan Lendl d Andre Agassi 6 2 6 3 Jaime Yzaga d Michael Chang 6 4 6 3WCT 1990 Edit There was no WCT tour in 1990 when the ATP established its own circuit named the ATP Tour however there was one final tournament sanctioned by WCT 15 The Forest Hills WCT at West Side Tennis Club was moved from Har Tru green clay to hardcourts and run as special non ATP Tour event Ivan Lendl stamped his WCT dominance winning the last title Special event Date Location Tournament Prize Money Surface Final SemifinalsAug 26 Forest Hills USA WCT Tournament of Champions 500 000Hard Ivan Lendl d Aaron Krickstein 6 4 6 7 6 3 Ivan Lendl d Henri Leconte 6 7 6 3 6 1 WCT Year end Championship Finals EditMain article WCT Finals The WCT Finals were usually held in Dallas The 1971 quarterfinals and semifinals were played in Houston and the final was played at the Memorial Auditorium in Dallas The 1972 1979 editions were played at the Moody Coliseum and the 1980 1989 tournaments at Reunion Arena in Dallas The first edition of the WCT Finals in 1971 was played in November just a few days before The Masters the equivalent of the WCT Finals for the rival Grand Prix circuit Because of TV pressure the second edition was held in May 1972 and most of the following editions were organized in between months of March and May Nevertheless in 1972 another edition less important and with half the prize money was held in November in Rome The prize money offered to the winner Arthur Ashe was 25 000 compared to the 50 000 won by Ken Rosewall for the main edition in May A decade later there were three editions of the WCT Finals the most important one in Dallas and the others in autumn in Naples Italy and in winter in January 1983 in Detroit Year Champion Runner up Score1971 Ken Rosewall Rod Laver 6 4 1 6 7 6 7 3 7 6 7 4 1972 Ken Rosewall Rod Laver 4 6 6 0 6 3 6 7 7 61972 winter Rome Arthur Ashe Bob Lutz 6 2 3 6 6 3 3 6 7 61973 Stan Smith Arthur Ashe 6 3 6 3 4 6 6 41974 John Newcombe Bjorn Borg 4 6 6 3 6 3 6 21975 Arthur Ashe Bjorn Borg 3 6 6 4 6 4 6 01976 Bjorn Borg Guillermo Vilas 1 6 6 1 7 5 6 11977 Jimmy Connors Dick Stockton 6 7 6 1 6 4 6 31978 Vitas Gerulaitis Eddie Dibbs 6 3 6 2 6 11979 John McEnroe Bjorn Borg 7 5 4 6 6 2 7 61980 Jimmy Connors John McEnroe 2 6 7 6 6 1 6 21981 John McEnroe Johan Kriek 6 1 6 2 6 41982 Ivan Lendl John McEnroe 6 2 3 6 6 3 6 31982 fall Naples Ivan Lendl Wojciech Fibak 6 4 6 2 6 11982 winter Detroit Ivan Lendl Guillermo Vilas 7 5 6 2 2 6 6 41983 John McEnroe Ivan Lendl 6 2 4 6 6 3 6 7 7 61984 John McEnroe Jimmy Connors 6 1 6 2 6 31985 Ivan Lendl Tim Mayotte 7 6 6 4 6 11986 Anders Jarryd Boris Becker 6 7 6 1 6 1 6 41987 Miloslav Mecir John McEnroe 6 0 3 6 6 2 6 21988 Boris Becker Stefan Edberg 6 4 1 6 7 5 6 21989 John McEnroe Brad Gilbert 6 3 6 3 7 6WCT final rankings by year EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed March 2009 Learn how and when to remove this template message 1971 Edit R Laver T Okker K Rosewall C Drysdale A Ashe J Newcombe M Riessen B Lutz R Emerson A Gimeno1972 Edit One ranking was issued for the second part of 1971 and first part of 1972 and another for the second part of 1972 final standings The first eight players in the second ranking played the 1972 autumn winter WCT Finals held in Rome Second part of 1971 first part of 1972 R Laver K Rosewall T Okker C Drysdale M Riessen A Ashe B Lutz J Newcombe R Emerson C Pasarell Second part of 1972 J Newcombe A Ashe T Okker M Cox C Drysdale M Riessen B Lutz N Pilic R Emerson T Roche I El Shafei 1973 Edit The players were separated into two groups A amp B with each group playing certain tournaments The top 4 from each group qualified for the final at the end of the season 17 Group A S Smith R Laver R Emerson J Alexander C Richey D Stockton B Lutz B Gottfried C Dibley J Fillol Group B K Rosewall A Ashe M Riessen R Taylor M Cox B Fairlie J Kodes T Okker R Tanner T Gorman 1974 Edit The group was divided into three groups Red Blue and Green and the top 8 points winners qualified for the final marked with 2 players by group plus the other two players having most points Each group played separate tournaments except the Philadelphia tournament at the start of the season Red group I Năstase T Okker T Gorman C Drysdale N Pilic A Pattison J Alexander M Riessen T Roche F McMillan Blue group J Newcombe S Smith A Metreveli D Stockton J Hrebec J Borowiak R Case R Ramirez J Fillol C Richey Green group A Ashe R Laver B Borg J Kodes M Cox R Tanner E Dibbs R Taylor A Panatta O Parun 1975 Edit The group was divided into three groups again Red Blue and Green and the top 8 points winners qualified for the final marked with Each group played separate tournaments except the Philadelphia tournament at the start of the season Red group J Alexander H Solomon M Cox S Smith D Stockton B Lutz P Dent C Drysdale V Amritraj M Riessen Blue group R Laver R Tanner R Ramirez B Gottfried V Gerulaitis J Fillol A Stone A Pattison J Borowiak I El Shafei Green group A Ashe B Borg T Okker B Mottram B Hewitt O Parun K Warwick J Higueras P Dominguez B Giltinan 1976 1983 All the players were put back together and played the same tournaments 1976 Edit A Ashe 18 R Ramirez G Vilas E Dibbs B Borg D Stockton B Lutz H Solomon V Gerulaitis B Gottfried 1977 Edit D Stockton E Dibbs J Connors I Năstase C Drysdale W Fibak V Gerulaitis A Panatta C Barazzutti H Solomon K Rosewall 1978 Edit V Gerulaitis B Borg E Dibbs R Ramirez I Năstase S Mayer J Connors B Gottfried D Stockton C Barazzutti 1979 Edit J McEnroe 19 B Borg V Gerulaitis J Connors R Tanner G Mayer A Ashe G Vilas G Masters J Alexander B Gottfried I Năstase 1980 Edit J McEnroe B Scanlon J Connors I Lendl R Tanner H Gunthardt V Amritraj J Sadri J L Clerc B Gottfried G Mayer 1981 Edit R Tanner 20 J Connors W Fibak Y Noah J McEnroe V Amritraj B Gottfried V Gerulaitis S Mayer G Mayer 1982 Edit WCT expanded from the previous year and broke away from the Grand Prix for the year There were three finals Spring Dallas the most important one Fall Naples Italy and Winter Detroit and therefore three different points tables for each season 21 Spring I Lendl J L Clerc W Fibak V Amritraj T Smid P McNamara J McEnroe V Gerulaitis B Taroczy E Dibbs Summer Fall I Lendl T Smid J L Clerc G Vilas J Kriek J Higueras H Gunthardt W Fibak R Tanner L Bourne Winter W Fibak B Scanlon K Curren G Vilas B Taroczy P McNamee I Lendl B Teacher To Gullikson T Smid 1983 Edit There were only 9 tournaments and the WCT were back with the Grand Prix circuit I Lendl J McEnroe G Vilas V Gerulaitis J L Clerc P McNamee T Smid W Fibak B Taroczy B ScanlonWCT Challenge Cup EditSome special events such as the Aetna World Cup where the Australian pros and the US pros faced in a team event because in 1970 at the start of this event contract pro players weren t allowed to enter the Davis Cup or the Challenge Cup an 8 man tournament were held by the WCT organization List of WCT Challenge Cup winners Edit 1976 Honolulu Ilie Năstase defeated Arthur Ashe 6 3 1 6 6 7 6 3 6 1 1976 7 Las Vegas Ilie Năstase defeated Jimmy Connors 3 6 7 6 6 4 7 5 1977 Las Vegas Jimmy Connors defeated Roscoe Tanner 6 2 5 6 3 6 6 2 6 5 1978 Montego Bay Ilie Năstase defeated Peter Fleming 2 6 5 6 6 2 6 4 6 4 1979 Montreal Bjorn Borg defeated Jimmy Connors 6 4 6 2 2 6 6 4 1980 Montreal John McEnroe defeated Vijay Amritraj 6 1 6 2 6 See also EditGrand Prix tennis circuit History of tennisReferences Edit John Barrett ed 1971 World of Tennis 1971 London Queen Anne Press pp 141 144 ISBN 978 0362000917 Hunt gains breakthrough with TV tennis contract The Windsor Star November 4 1971 via Google News Archive a b Tom Koch March 1988 It Was 20 Years Ago Today D Magazine Roche at Top Form in Final Sydney Morning Herald January 26 1968 Page 12 Frank Deford February 12 1968 Now Tennis Goes Mod Sports Illustrated Vol 28 no 6 pp 12 15 Tennis Amateur Says Wage Runs About 9 600 a Year Lawrence Journal World AP January 4 1968 p Eleven Bob Briner Frank Deford April 19 1971 But It Looked Like A Great New Racket Sports Illustrated Vol 34 no 16 pp 56 64 Lamar Hunt obtains six pro tennis stars Eugene Register Guard July 29 1970 p 2D via Google News Archive Wind Herbert Warren 1979 Game Set and Match The Tennis Boom of the 1960s and 70s 1 ed New York Dutton pp 65 70 ISBN 0525111409 Bud Collins 2010 The Bud Collins History of Tennis 2nd ed New York New Chapter Press p 160 ISBN 978 0942257700 ITF History International Tennis Federation ITF John Barrett ed 1982 World of Tennis 1982 London Queen Anne Press pp 167 177 ISBN 0356085961 Curry Kirkpatrick May 16 1983 And Suddenly He s A Man Of Clay Sports Illustrated Vol 58 no 20 pp 40 47 John Barrett ed 1984 World of Tennis 1984 London Willow Books p 11 ISBN 9780002181228 a b W C T Out of Business The New York Times August 28 1990 Some Changes At Forest Hills The New York Times April 29 1989 John Barrett ed 1974 World of Tennis 74 London Queen Anne Press pp 167 168 ISBN 978 0362001679 World of tennis 1977 a BP yearbook Internet Archive London Macdonald amp Jane s 1977 p 142 ISBN 978 0 354 09010 0 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link John Barrett ed 1980 World of Tennis 1980 London Queen Anne Press p 179 ISBN 9780362020120 Tingay Lance Barrett John International Tennis Federation 1982 Slazengers world of tennis 1982 the official yearbook of the International Tennis Federation Internet Archive London Queen Anne Press p 178 ISBN 978 0 356 08596 8 Slazengers world of tennis 1983 Internet Archive London Queen Anne Press 1983 p 161 ISBN 978 0 356 09383 3 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link External links EditWorldChampionshipTennis com The official website of World Championship Tennis LLC owner of the historical archives of World Championship Tennis The 35 000 Racquet Dave Cody Commonwealth Times 1981 02 17 pages 1 12 13 24 Description of 1981 Richmond WCT Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title World Championship Tennis amp oldid 1125438064, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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