Kenneth Robert Rosewall is an Australian former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player. He won a record 23 Majors in singles, including eight Grand Slam singles titles and, before the Open Era, a record 15 Pro Slam titles. Rosewall also won a record 24 major men's doubles titles, with nine Grand Slam titles and 15 Pro Slam men's doubles titles. Rosewall had a renowned backhand and enjoyed a long career at the highest levels from the early 1950s to the early 1970s. Rosewall was ranked as the world No. 1 tennis player by multiple sources from 1961 to 1964, multiple sources in 1970 and Rino Tommasi in 1971 and 1972. Rosewall was first ranked in the top 20 in 1952 and last ranked in the top 20 in 1977. Rosewall is the only player to have simultaneously held Pro Grand Slam titles on three different surfaces (1962–1963). At the 1971 Australian Open, he became the first man during the Open Era to win a Grand Slam tournament without dropping a set. Rosewall won world professional championship tours in 1963, 1964, and the WCT titles in 1971 and 1972. A natural left-hander, Rosewall was taught by his father to play right-handed. He developed a powerful, effective backhand but never had anything more than an accurate but relatively soft serve. He was 1.70 m tall, weighed 67 kg (148 lb) and sarcastically was nicknamed "Muscles" by his fellow-players because of his lack of them. He was, however, fast, agile, and tireless, with a deadly volley. Now a father of two and grandfather of five, Rosewall lives in northern Sydney.
World Championship Tennis (WCT) was a tour for professional male tennis players established in 1968 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 1972 U.S. Professional Indoor was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was played at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States that was part of the 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit. It was the fifth edition of the tournament and was held from February 8 through February 13, 1972. Total attendance for the tournament was 57,282. First-seeded Rod Laver won the singles title, his third at the event after 1969 and 1970.
The 1971 World Championship Tennis Finals was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor Sportface carpet courts. It was the first edition of the WCT Finals and the concluding event of the 1971 World Championship Tennis circuit. The eight top players in points qualified for the event. The quarterfinals and semifinals were played at the Hofheinz Pavilion in Houston, Texas from November 19 through November 21 while the final, watched by 8,200 spectators, was played at the Memorial Auditorium in Dallas, Texas, United States on November 26. Ken Rosewall win the event and the accompanying $50,000 first-prize money. Neil Armstrong presented the prizes.
The 1972 World Championship Tennis Finals was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 2nd edition of the WCT Finals and was the season-ending tournament of the 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit. The top eight points winners of the circuit qualified for the tournament which was played at the Moody Coliseum in Dallas, Texas in the United States and ran from May 8 through May 14, 1972. Ken Rosewall won the singles title and the $50,000 first prize. The final was broadcast live in the United States by NBC and watched by an estimated 21.3 million viewers. In his book, The Education of a Tennis Player, finalist Rod Laver commented "I think if one match can be said to have made tennis in the United States, this was it.".
The 1981 World Championship Tennis Finals was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 11th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1981 Volvo Grand Prix. The tournament was played at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas in the United States and was held from April 27 through May 3, 1981. The winners of the eight WCT tournaments that were part of the 1981 Grand Prix circuit qualified for the tournament augmented by the next best performers in the WCT points standings. Guillermo Vilas qualified by winning the last tournament held just before the WCT Finals, the River Oaks Tournament in Houston, but was unavailable to play. Jimmy Connors withdrew before the tournament due to gastroenteritis and Yannick Noah could not participate due to a shoulder injury. They were replaced by Sandy Mayer and Sam Giammalva respectively. First-seeded John McEnroe won the title and $100,000 prize money.
The 1971 Washington Star International was a men's tennis tournament and was played on outdoor clay courts. The event was the third edition of the tournament and was part of both the 1971 Grand Prix circuit and 1971 World Championship Tennis circuit. It was held in Washington, D.C., United States from July 12 through July 18, 1971. Ken Rosewall won the singles title and earned a $10,000 first prize.
The 1971 First National Tennis Classic, also known as the Louisville WCT, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the Louisville Tennis Center in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It was the second edition of the tournament and was held from July 19 through July 25, 1971. The tournament was part of the 1971 World Championship Tennis circuit and offered total prize money of $50,000. The singles final was won by Tom Okker who earned $10,000 first-prize money.
The 1977 Charlotte Tennis Classic, also known by its sponsored name North Carolina National Bank Tennis Classic, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts that was part of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit. It was the seventh edition of the tournament and was held from April 18 through April 24, 1977 at the Julian J. Clark Tennis Stadium, owned by the Olde Providence Racquet Club in Charlotte, North Carolina in the United States. Unseeded Corrado Barazzutti won the singles title and earned $30,000 first-prize money.
The 1976 Charlotte Tennis Classic, also known by its sponsored name North Carolina National Bank Tennis Classic, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts that was part of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit. It was the sixth edition of the tournament and was held from April 13 through April 18, 1976 at the Julian J. Clark Tennis Stadium, owned by the Olde Providence Racquet Club in Charlotte, North Carolina in the United States. Tony Roche won the singles title.
The 1975 Charlotte Tennis Classic, also known by its sponsored name North Carolina National Bank Tennis Classic, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts that was part of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit. It was the fifth edition of the tournament and was held from April 21 through April 27, 1975 at the Julian J. Clark Tennis Stadium, owned by the Olde Providence Racquet Club in Charlotte, North Carolina in the United States. Third-seeded Raúl Ramírez won the singles title.
The 1974 Charlotte Tennis Classic, also known by its sponsored name North Carolina National Bank Tennis Classic, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts that was part of the blue group of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit. It was the fourth edition of the tournament and was held from April 15 through April 21, 1974 at the Julian J. Clark Tennis Stadium on the grounds of the Olde Providence Racquet Club in Charlotte, North Carolina in the United States. Eighth-seeded Jeff Borowiak won the singles title.
The 1973 Charlotte Tennis Classic, also known by its sponsored name North Carolina National Bank Tennis Classic, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts that was part of group B of the World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit. It was the third edition of the tournament and was held from April 17 through April 22, 1973 at the Julian J. Clark Tennis Stadium on the grounds of the Olde Providence Racquet Club in Charlotte, North Carolina in the United States. First-seeded Ken Rosewall won his second successive singles title at the event and earned $10,000 first-prize money.
The 1972 Charlotte Tennis Classic – Singles was an event of the 1972 Charlotte Tennis Classic tennis tournament played at the Julian J. Clark Tennis Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina in the United States from April 18 through April 23, 1972. Arthur Ashe was the defending singles champion but lost in the first round. Second-seeded Ken Rosewall won the singles title, defeating unseeded Cliff Richey in the final, 2–6, 6–2, 6–2.
The 1972 River Oaks Tennis Tournament, also known as the River Oaks Invitational, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts at the River Oaks Country Club in Houston, Texas, U.S. in the United States. It was the 38th edition of the tournament and was held from April 3 through April 9, 1972. The tournament was part of the 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit and offered total prize money of $50,000. The singles title was won by first-seeded Rod Laver who earned $10,000 first-prize money.
The 1970 Atlanta Tennis Classic, also known as the Atlanta WCT, was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts at the DeKalb Tennis Center in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States that was part of the 1970 World Championship Tennis season. It was the inaugural edition of the tournament and was held from May 6 through May 10, 1970. Tom Okker, who survived a match point in his semifinals match against John Newcombe, won the singles title and the accompanying $5,000 first-prize money.
The 1972 Tokyo WCT, was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts at the National Tennis Stadium in Tokyo, Japan that was part of the 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit. It was the inaugural edition of the tournament and was held from 4 October through 7 October 1972. Ken Rosewall won the singles title and the accompanying $10,000 first prize money.
The 1971 Rothmans International Vancouver, also known as the Vancouver WCT, was a men's professional tennis tournament that was part of the 1971 World Championship Tennis circuit. It was held on indoor carpet courts at the PNE Agrodome in Vancouver, British Columbia in Canada. It was the second edition of the tournament and was held from 3 October through 11 October 1971. Fourth-seeded Ken Rosewall won the singles title and earned $10,000 first-prize money.
The 1973 Cleveland Tennis Classic, also known as the Cleveland WCT, was a men's tennis tournament held on indoor carpet courts in Cleveland, Ohio in the United States that was part of the Group B circuit of the World Championship Tennis. It was the second edition of the tournament and was held between the April 9 and April 15, 1973. Fifth-seeded Ken Rosewall won the singles title and earned $10,000 first-prize money as well as 10 WCT ranking points.
The 1970 Rawlings Tennis Classic, also known as the St. Louis WCT, was a men's professional tennis tournament that was part of the 1970 World Championship Tennis circuit. It was held on outdoor hard courts at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in Forest Park in St. Louis, Missouri in the United States. It was the inaugural edition of the tournament and was scheduled from May 25 through June 1, 1970 but both finals were delayed due to a power outage on the day before the finals and rain on the day of the finals. The singles finalists then had to travel to New York to compete in the Tennis Champions Classic before returning. Due to persistent bad weather the singles final was played indoor at the Washington University Field House on June 4, 1970. First-seeded Rod Laver won the singles title and earned $8,000 first-prize money. The doubles finalists Andrés Gimeno and John Newcombe had to travel to Casablanca, Morocco for the Moroccan Pro Championships and their final was rescheduled and played on August 24, 1970. This was followed by a Rawlings Challenge Cup match between tournament winner Rod Laver and Wimbledon champion John Newcombe which was won by Laver 6–3, 8–6.
Ken Rosewall [1] 
Tom Okker / 
Marty Riessen [2]