![]() Stan Smith at 2009 US Open | |
Details | |
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Duration | 14 February 1972 – 28 November 1972 |
Edition | 3rd |
Tournaments | 33 |
Categories | Group AA (3) Group A (7) Group B (4) Group C (14) Group D (5) |
Achievements (singles) | |
Most tournament titles | ![]() |
Most tournament finals | ![]() |
Prize money leader | ![]() |
Points leader | ![]() |
← 1971 1973 → |
The 1972 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit held that year and organized by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF). It consisted of 33 Grand Prix tournaments in different categories including three of the four Grand Slam tournaments and was followed by a season-ending Masters tournament. The circuit ran from February through November. [1]
The 1972 Grand Prix circuit ran in competition with the 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit and, to a lesser extent, with the smaller 1972 USLTA Indoor Circuit. Five American indoor tournament in February and March were als part of the USLTA Indoor Circuit. [2] In July 1971 at its annual meeting, the ILTF voted to ban all WCT contract professionals from their tournaments and facilities from the beginning of 1972 onwards. This meant that leading WCT players such as Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Arthur Ashe and John Newcombe did not initially have permission to compete in the Grand Prix circuit and Newcombe could not defend his two consecutive Wimbledon titles of 1970 and 1971. In April 1972, however, an agreement was reached between the ILTF and WCT that divided the 1973 tour in a WCT circuit that ran from January through April and a Grand Prix circuit that was scheduled for the rest of the year. [3] Under the agreement the players contracted by the WCT could play in the Grand Prix events as of September 1972. The deal was ratified at the annual ILTF meeting in July. [4]
Group AA tournaments |
Grand Prix Masters |
Group A tournaments |
Group B tournaments |
Group C tournaments |
Team events |
Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
14 Feb | The May Co. International [lower-alpha 1] Los Angeles, California, US Group C 32S/16D | ![]() 6–3, 2–6, 6–2 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 6–2, 5–7, 6–4 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
20 Feb | U.S. National Indoor Championships [lower-alpha 1] Salisbury, Maryland, US Group B Hard – $50,000 – 64S/32D | ![]() 5–7, 6–2, 6–3, 6–4 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 6–4, 6–3 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
28 Feb | Clean Air Classic [lower-alpha 1] New York, US Group C 64S | ![]() 4–6, 7–5, 6–4, 6–1 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 Mar | National Indoor Championships [lower-alpha 1] Hampton, Virginia, US Group C Hard (i) – 32S/16D Singles – Doubles | ![]() 6–3, 6–2, 6–7, 6–4 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 7–5, 7–5 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
12 Mar | Equity Funding International [lower-alpha 1] Washington, D.C., US Group C Carpet (i) – $25,000 – 32S/16D | ![]() 6–3, 6–2, 6–7, 6–4 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 6–4, 6–3 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
27 Mar | Monte Carlo Open Championships Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, France Group C Clay – $20,000 – 32S/32D | ![]() 6–1, 6–0, 6–3 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 3–6, 6–1, 12–10, 6–2 | ![]() ![]() |
Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
13 May | British Hard Court Championships Bournemouth, England * Group C Clay – 32S/16D | ![]() 6–2, 6–4, 6–3 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 7–5, 6–2 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
14 May | Belgian Open Championships Brussels, Belgium Group C Clay – $25,000 – 32S/16D | ![]() 6–4, 6–1, 2–6, 7–5 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 9–7, 6–3 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
22 May | French Open * Paris, France Grand Slam Group AA Clay | ![]() 4–6, 6–3, 6–1, 6–1 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 6–3, 8–6, 3–6, 6–1 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
![]() ![]() 6–2, 6–4 | ![]() ![]() |
Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 Jun | German Open Championships Hamburg, West Germany * Group B Clay – 32S/32D | ![]() 6–3, 9–8, 6–0 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 4–6, 6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
17 Jun | Bristol Open Bristol, England * Group C Grass – 32S/32D | ![]() 6–4, 6–3 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 6–3, 6–2 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
26 Jun | Wimbledon * London, England Grand Slam Group AA Grass | ![]() 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 7–5 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 6–2, 6–2, 9–7 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
![]() ![]() 6–4, 6–4 | ![]() ![]() |
Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
7 Aug | U.S. Clay Court Championships Indianapolis, Indiana, US * Group A Clay – $60,000 – 64S/32D | ![]() 7–6, 6–1, 6–2 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 6–2, 6–3 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
14 Aug | Rothmans Canadian Open Championships Toronto, Ontario, Canada * Group A Clay – $70,000 – 128S/64D | ![]() 6–4, 6–3 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 7–6, 6–3 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
28 Aug | US Open Forest Hills, New York, US * Grand Slam Group AA Singles – Doubles – Mixed doubles | ![]() 3–6, 6–3, 6–7, 6–4, 6–3 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 6–4, 7–6, 6–3 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
![]() ![]() 6–3, 7–5 | ![]() ![]() |
Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
23 Oct | Trofeo Conde de Godó Barcelona, Spain Group A Clay – $66,250 – 32S/32D | ![]() 6–3, 6–2, 6–3 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 6–3, 3–6, 6–4 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
30 Oct | Jean Becker Open Paris, France Group B Hard – $50,000 – 32S/32D Singles – Doubles | ![]() 6–2, 6–2, 7–5 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 6–3, 6–2 | ![]() ![]() |
Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
12 Nov | Stockholm Open Stockholm, Sweden Group A Hard – $63,000 – 64S/32D | ![]() 6–4, 6–3 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() 7–5, 7–6 | ![]() ![]() | ||||
18 Nov | Dewar Cup Nottingham/London, England Carpet – 32S/16D | ![]() 6–4, 6–3 | ![]() | ![]() ![]() | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
28 Nov | Masters Barcelona, Spain Hard (i) – $55,000 – 8S | ![]() 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 2–6, 6–3 | ![]() |
* Tournaments combined with a women's Grand Prix tour event.
Category | W | F | SF | QF | R16 | R32 | R64 |
Group AA tournaments | 100 | 75 | 50 | 25 | 12 | 6 | – |
Group A tournaments | 75 | 52 | 37 | 18 | 9 | – | – |
Group B tournaments | 50 | 36 | 25 | 18 | 6 | – | – |
Group C tournaments | 30 | 20 | 10 | 5 | 3 | – | – |
Group D tournaments | 20 | 12 | 6 | 4 | – | – | – |
No points were awarded for first round losers
Player | Tournaments played | Points | Prize money |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | 24 | 659 | £21,000 |
![]() | 19 | 587 | £14,700 |
![]() | 19 | 468 | £10,500 |
![]() | 14 | 332 | £8,400 |
![]() | 20 | 319 | £6,720 |
![]() | 15 | 263 | £5,460 |
![]() | 22 | 251 | £5,040 |
![]() | 19 | 227 | £4,620 |
![]() | 21 | 204 | £4,200 |
![]() | 13 | 172 | £3,780 |
Cliff Richey, Roscoe Tanner, Alex Metreveli, Tom Okker and Arthur Ashe played too few Grand Prix tournaments to qualify for prize money.
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The list of winners and number of singles titles won, alphabetically by last name:
The following players won their first Grand Prix title in 1972:
Kenneth Robert Rosewall is an Australian former world top-ranking professional tennis player. Rosewall won 147 singles titles, including a record 15 Pro Majors and 8 Grand Slam titles for a total 23 titles at pro and amateur majors. He also won 15 Pro Majors in doubles and 9 Grand Slam doubles titles. Rosewall achieved a Pro Slam in singles in 1963 by winning the three Pro Majors in one year and he completed the Career Grand Slam in doubles.
The ITF Grand Prix Circuit was a professional tennis tour for male players that existed founded in 1970 as the ILTF Grand Prix Tennis Circuit it ran annually until 1989 when it and WCT Circuit were replaced by a single world wide ATP Tour.
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.
George Clifford Richey Jr. is an American former amateur and professional tennis player who was active during the 1960s and 1970s. Richey achieved a highest singles ranking of World No. 6 and reached at least the quarterfinal stage of the singles event at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
The 1984 Volvo Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit held that year. It incorporated the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Grand Prix tournaments and two team events.
The 1983 Volvo Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit held that year. It incorporated the four grand slam tournaments, the Grand Prix tournaments, and two team tournaments (the Davis Cup and the World Team Cup. The circuit was administered by the Men's International Professional Tennis Council.
The 1982 Volvo Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit held that year. It incorporated the four grand slam tournaments, the Grand Prix tournaments. The circuit was administered by the Men's International Professional Tennis Council (MIPTC). On 30 April 1981 World Championship Tennis (WCT) announced its withdrawal from the Grand Prix circuit, which it had been incorporated into since 1978, and the re-establishment of its own tour calendar for the 1982 season. To counter the threat of player leaving the Grand Prix tour for the WCT the MIPTC introduced a mandatory commitment to play at least 10 Grand Prix Super Series tournaments.
The 1981 Volvo Grand Prix was the only men's professional tennis circuit held that year. It consisted of the four Grand Slam tournaments and the Grand Prix tournaments. The World Championship Tennis (WCT) Tour was incorporated into the Grand Prix circuit. The WCT tour consisted of eight regular tournaments, a season's final, three tournaments categorized as special events and a doubles championship. In total 89 tournaments were held divided over 29 countries. The circuit was administered by the Men's International Professional Tennis Council (MIPTC).
The 1980 Volvo Grand Prix was a men's professional tennis circuit held that year. It incorporated the four grand slam tournaments, the Grand Prix tournaments. The Grand Prix circuit is a precursor to the ATP Tour.
The 1979 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit held that year. It consisted of four Grand Slam tournaments, the Grand Prix tournaments and the Nations Cup, a team event.
The 1973 World Championship Tennis circuit was one of the two rival professional male tennis circuits of 1973. It was organized by World Championship Tennis (WCT). In April 1972 WCT signed an agreement with the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) as a result of which the 1973 men's tennis season was divided in a WCT section, which ran from January until May, and a Grand Prix circuit which was held from May onward. The WCT circuit divided the players into two groups of 32 players, with each group playing 11 tournaments of the 22 tournaments. The four highest ranked players from each group qualified for the season finals in Dallas. The total available prize money was almost $1,250,000.
The 1978 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit held that year. It consisted of four Grand Slam tournaments, the Grand Prix tournaments and the Nations Cup, a team event. In addition eight World Championship Tennis (WCT) tournaments, a separate professional tennis circuit held from 1971 through 1977, were incorporated into the Grand Prix circuit. The 28 tournaments with prize money of $175,000 or more formed the Super Series category. Jimmy Connors won 10 of the 84 tournaments which secured him the first place in the Grand Prix points ranking. However he did not play enough tournaments (13) to qualify for largest share ($300,000) of the bonus pool, which instead went to third–ranked Eddie Dibbs.
The 1977 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit administered by the International Lawn Tennis Federation which served as a forerunner to the current Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. The circuit consisted of the four modern Grand Slam tournaments and open tournaments recognised by the ILTF. The Colgate-Palmolive Masters is included in this calendar but did not count towards the Grand Prix ranking. Colgate-Palmolive was the new tour sponsor, taking over from Commercial Union. Guillermo Vilas won the Grand Prix circuit, having accumulated the most points (2,047), and received the largest share from the bonus pool ($300,000). The top eight points ranked singles players as well as the top four doubles teams qualified for the season-ending Masters tournament
The 1976 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit administered by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) which served as a forerunner to the current Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. The circuit consisted of the four modern Grand Slam tournaments and open tournaments recognised by the ILTF. The Commercial Union Assurance Masters is included in this calendar but did not count towards the Grand Prix ranking.
The 1975 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit administered by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) which served as a forerunner to the current Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. The circuit consisted of the four modern Grand Slam tournaments and open tournaments recognised by the ILTF. The Commercial Union Assurance Masters, Davis Cup Final and Nations Cup are included in this calendar but did not count towards the Grand Prix.
The 1974 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit administered by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) which served as a forerunner to the current Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. The circuit consisted of the four modern Grand Slam tournaments and open tournaments recognised by the ILTF. The season-ending Commercial Union Assurance Masters and Davis Cup Final are included in this calendar but did not count towards the Grand Prix ranking.
The 1973 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix was a tennis circuit administered by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) which served as a forerunner to the current Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. The circuit consisted of the four modern Grand Slam tournaments and open tournaments recognised by the ILTF. This article covers all tournaments that were part of that year's Men's Grand Prix. Bonus points were awarded to players who were nominated to play in certain 1973 Davis Cup ties and who miss tournaments through competing in those ties. The Commercial Union Assurance Masters is included in this calendar but did not count towards the Grand Prix.
The 1971 Pepsi Cola Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit held that year. It incorporated three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Grand Prix tournaments. It was the second edition of the Grand Prix circuit and was run by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ITLF). In addition to regular tournament prize money a bonus prize money pool of £60,000 ($150,000) was available to be divided among the 20 highest ranking players after the last tournament. To be eligible for a share of the bonus pool a player had to compete in a minimum of nine tournaments. The circuit culminated in a Masters event in Paris for the seven highest point scoring players. Stan Smith was the winner of the circuit with 187 ranking points and four tournament victories.
The 1970 Pepsi-Cola ILTF Grand Prix was a tennis circuit administered by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) which served as a forerunner to the current Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. It was the inaugural edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of men's tournaments recognised by the ILTF. The creation of the Grand Prix circuit, on an experimental basis during its first year, was announced in April 1970 by the president of the ILTF, Ben Barnett. It was the brainchild of Jack Kramer, former tennis promoter and winner of the Wimbledon and US championships, and was aimed at countering the influence of commercial promoters, particularly Lamar Hunt and his World Championship Tennis circuit and George MacCall's National Tennis League.
The 1974 World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit was one of the two rival professional male tennis circuits of 1974, the other being the Grand Prix circuit. It was organized by World Championship Tennis (WCT). It was the fourth edition of the WCT circuit and a total of 84 players participated. All players took part in the opening U.S. Pro Indoor tournament in Philadelphia and afterwards were divided into three groups of 28 players, with each group playing eight further tournaments.