Full name | Anthony Dalton Roche |
---|---|
Country (sports) | Australia |
Residence | Turramurra, New South Wales, Australia |
Born | Wagga Wagga, Australia | 17 May 1945
Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) |
Turned pro | 1968 (amateur from 1963) |
Retired | 1979 |
Plays | Left-handed (one-handed backhand) |
Prize money | US$ 529,199 |
Int. Tennis HoF | 1986 (member page) |
Singles | |
Career record | 838-338 (71.2%) [1] |
Career titles | 46 [2] |
Highest ranking | No. 2 (1969, Lance Tingay ) [3] |
Grand Slam singles results | |
Australian Open | SF (1965, 1967, 1969, 1975) |
French Open | W (1966) |
Wimbledon | F (1968) |
US Open | F (1969, 1970) |
Doubles | |
Career record | 208–94 (Open era) |
Career titles | 18 (Open era) |
Highest ranking | No. 1 (1965) |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
Australian Open | W (1965, 1967, 1971, 1976, 1977) |
French Open | W (1967, 1969) |
Wimbledon | W (1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1974) |
US Open | W (1967) |
Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
Australian Open | W (1966) |
Wimbledon | W (1976) |
Team competitions | |
Davis Cup | W (1965, 1966, 1967, 1977) |
Anthony Dalton Roche AO MBE (born 17 May 1945) is an Australian former professional tennis player.
A native of Tarcutta, Roche played junior tennis in the New South Wales regional city of Wagga Wagga. [4] He won one Grand Slam singles title, the 1966 French Open at Roland Garros, and 15 Grand Slam doubles titles.
In 1968, Roche won the WCT/NTL combined professional championship in men's singles in the final event of the season at Madison Square Garden. He was ranked World No. 2 by Lance Tingay of The Daily Telegraph in 1969. [3]
He won the U.S. Pro Championships in 1970 at Longwood in Boston. Roche won the New South Wales Open twice, in 1969 and 1976. He won a key Davis Cup singles match in 1977.
He also coached multi-Grand Slam winning world No. 1s Ivan Lendl, Patrick Rafter, Roger Federer and Lleyton Hewitt as well as former World No. 4 Jelena Dokic.
Roche started to play tennis at school when he was nine. His father, who worked as a butcher, and his mother were both recreational tennis players and encouraged his interest. [5] Roche grew up playing in Australia under the tutelage of Harry Hopman, who also coached other Australian tennis players such as Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall.
Roche had a successful singles and double career. He won one singles Grand Slam tournament, the 1966 French Open at Roland Garros, defeating István Gulyás in the final. He was five times the runner-up at Grand Slam tournaments: the French Championships in 1965 and 1967, losing to Fred Stolle and Roy Emerson respectively, Wimbledon in 1968, losing to Rod Laver, and the US Open in 1969 and 1970, losing to Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall. With compatriot John Newcombe, he won 12 Grand Slam men's doubles tournaments.
In January 1968, Roche turned professional, signing with World Championship Tennis, joining other pros like John Newcombe, Cliff Drysdale, Nikola Pilić and Roger Taylor to form the "Handsome Eight". [6] [7] [8] Roche was guaranteed $125,000 annually, an amount equivalent to the annual salary of Willie Mays, the top paid baseball player. [9]
Roche was the leading money winner on the WCT tour in 1968. [10] In the 1968 final for the combined WCT/NTL professional tours at Madison Square Garden, Roche defeated Rod Laver in the semifinal and Pancho Gonzales in the final to become the combined professional champion for 1968. [11]
Roche held a personal head-to-head edge over Laver during the latter's Grand Slam season of 1969, 5 to 4. Roche and Laver played a classic match against each other in the 1969 Australian Open at Brisbane. [12] Roche also contested the final match of Laver's Grand Slam run that year, the 1969 U.S. Open final. [13]
Roche won the U.S. Pro Championships at Longwood, Boston in 1970, defeating Laver in a hard fought five set final. Roche won two New South Wales Open titles, in 1969 over Rod Laver in a close four-set final, and in 1976 against Dick Stockton in the final.
Perhaps one of his greatest achievements came in 1977, playing singles in the finals of the Davis Cup tournament versus Italy, nearly 10 years since he had last played for Australia. In the tie, Roche upset top Italian Adriano Panatta, 6–3, 6–4, 6–4 to lead Australia to a 3–1 victory, winning the Davis Cup.
Shoulder and elbow injuries cut short his career after having finished in the top 10 for six consecutive years.
After completing his playing career, Roche has developed a highly successful career as a tennis coach. He was the player-coach of the Denver Racquets who won the first World Team Tennis in competition 1974, and he was named WTT Coach of the Year. [14] Ivan Lendl hired Roche in 1985 as a full-time coach for Roche's advice on volleying. [15] [16] Lendl dreamed of winning Wimbledon, and because Roche had been a fine grass court player, he sought his tutelage. Roche also coached former world no. 1 Patrick Rafter from 1997 to the end of his career in 2002. Roche coached world no. 1 Roger Federer from 2005 to 12 May 2007. It is reputed this was on a "handshake agreement" with no contract; Roche was paid by the week. Federer hired Roche for the opposite reason that Lendl hired him: to work on his clay-court game (as Roche had won the 1966 French Championships). He also coached two-time Grand Slam singles titlist Lleyton Hewitt, who was aiming to get his career back on track after a number of unsuccessful years on the ATP Tour. [17]
Roche was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1981 and an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) in 2001. [18] [19] He entered the International Tennis Hall of Fame alongside doubles partner and close friend John Newcombe in 1986. [20] In 1990 he was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame. [21] He received an Australian Sports Medal in 2000 and a Centenary Medal in 2001. [22] [23]
Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1965 | French Championships | Clay | Fred Stolle | 6–3, 0–6, 2–6, 3–6 | |
Win | 1966 | French Championships | Clay | István Gulyás | 6–1, 6–4, 7–5 | |
Loss | 1967 | French Championships | Clay | Roy Emerson | 1–6, 4–6, 6–2, 2–6 | |
↓ Open Era ↓ | ||||||
Loss | 1968 | Wimbledon | Grass | Rod Laver | 3–6, 4–6, 2–6 | |
Loss | 1969 | US Open | Grass | Rod Laver | 9–7, 1–6, 2–6, 2–6 | |
Loss | 1970 | US Open | Grass | Ken Rosewall | 6–2, 4–6, 6–7, 3–6 |
Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1964 | French Championships | Clay | John Newcombe | Roy Emerson Ken Fletcher | 5–7, 3–6, 6–3, 5–7 |
Win | 1965 | Australian Championships | Grass | John Newcombe | Roy Emerson Fred Stolle | 3–6, 4–6, 13–11, 6–3, 6–4 |
Win | 1965 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass | John Newcombe | Ken Fletcher Bob Hewitt | 7–5, 6–3, 6–4 |
Loss | 1966 | Australian Championships (2) | Grass | John Newcombe | Roy Emerson Fred Stolle | 9–7, 3–6, 8–6, 12–14, 10–12 |
Win | 1967 | Australian Championships (2) | Grass | John Newcombe | Bill Bowrey Owen Davidson | 3–6, 6–3, 7–5, 6–8, 8–6 |
Win | 1967 | French Championships | Clay | John Newcombe | Roy Emerson Ken Fletcher | 6–3, 9–7, 12–10 |
Win | 1967 | US Championships | Grass | John Newcombe | Bill Bowrey Owen Davidson | 6–8, 9–7, 6–3, 6–3 |
↓ Open Era ↓ | ||||||
Win | 1968 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | John Newcombe | Ken Fletcher Ken Rosewall | 3–6, 8–6, 5–7, 14–12, 6–3 |
Win | 1969 | French Open (2) | Clay | John Newcombe | Roy Emerson Rod Laver | 4–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
Win | 1969 | Wimbledon (3) | Grass | John Newcombe | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 7–5, 11–9, 6–3 |
Win | 1970 | Wimbledon (4) | Grass | John Newcombe | Ken Rosewall Fred Stolle | 10–8, 6–3, 6–1 |
Win | 1971 | Australian Open (3) | Grass | John Newcombe | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 6–2, 7–6 |
Win | 1974 | Wimbledon (5) | Grass | John Newcombe | Bob Lutz Stan Smith | 8–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
Win | 1976 | Australian Open (4) | Grass | John Newcombe | Ross Case Geoff Masters | 7–6, 6–4 |
Win | 1977 | Australian Open (January) (5) | Grass | Arthur Ashe | Charlie Pasarell Erik van Dillen | 6–4, 6–4 |
Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1965 | Wimbledon Championships | Grass | Judy Tegart | Margaret Smith Ken Fletcher | 10–12, 3–6 |
Win | 1966 | Australian Championships | Grass | Judy Tegart | Robyn Ebbern William Bowrey | 6–1, 6–3 |
Loss | 1967 | Australian Championships | Grass | Judy Tegart | Lesley Turner Owen Davidson | 7–9, 4–6 |
↓ Open Era ↓ | ||||||
Loss | 1969 | Wimbledon (2) | Grass | Judy Tegart | Ann Haydon Fred Stolle | 2–6, 3–6 |
Win | 1976 | Wimbledon | Grass | Françoise Dürr | Rosemary Casals Dick Stockton | 6–3, 2–6, 7–5 |
W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
Tournament | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | Career SR | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Australian Open | A | QF | SF | QF | SF | A | SF | QF | 3R | A | A | 2R | SF | QF | 3R | 1R | QF | 3R | 0 / 14 |
French Open | 1R | 2R | F | W | F | A | SF | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | 1 / 6 | |
Wimbledon | 1R | 2R | 2R | QF | 2R | F | SF | QF | 1R | A | A | 3R | SF | 4R | A | 1R | A | 0 / 13 | |
US Open | 3R | QF | A | 3R | A | 4R | F | F | A | A | A | 3R | 2R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 8 | |
Grand Slam SR | 0 / 3 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 1 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 4 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 3 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 1 | 1 / 41 |
Result | No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Loss | 1. | 1968 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | Rod Laver | 3–6, 4–6, 2–6 |
Win | 2. | 1968 | WCT/NTL Professional Championships Final Madison Square Garden, New York City | Indoor | Pancho Gonzales | 6-3, 6-4 |
Win | 3. | 1969 | Hobart, Australia | Grass | Fred Stolle | 3–6, 6–0, 4–6, 1–6 |
Win | 4. | 1969 | Sydney, Australia | Grass | Rod Laver | 6–4, 4–6, 9–7, 12–10 |
Win | 5. | 1969 | Auckland, New Zealand | Grass | Rod Laver | 6–1, 6–4, 4–6, 6–3 |
Loss | 6. | 1969 | Philadelphia WCT, U.S. Pro Indoor | Carpet | Rod Laver | 5–7, 4–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 7. | 1969 | Rome, Italy | Clay | John Newcombe | 3–6, 6–4, 2–6, 7–5, 3–6 |
Win | 8. | 1969 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | Tom Okker | 6–1, 5–7, 8–6, 7–5 |
Loss | 9. | 1969 | US Open, New York | Grass | Rod Laver | 9–7, 1–6, 2–6, 2–6 |
Loss | 10. | 1969 | Wembley, UK | Carpet (i) | Rod Laver | 4–6, 1–6, 3–6 |
Loss | 11. | 1970 | Philadelphia WCT, US | Carpet | Rod Laver | 3–6, 6–8, 2–6 |
Win | 12. | 1970 | Dublin, Ireland | Grass | Rod Laver | 6–3, 6–1 |
Win | 13. | 1970 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Tom Okker | 7–5, 7–5, 6–3 |
Win | 14. | 1970 | Boston, US Pro | Hard | Rod Laver | 3–6, 6–4, 1–6, 6–2, 6–2 |
Loss | 15. | 1970 | US Open, New York | Grass | Ken Rosewall | 6–2, 4–6, 6–7, 3–6 |
Win | 16. | 1972 | Washington WCT, US | Clay | Marty Riessen | 3–6, 7–6, 6–4 |
Loss | 17. | 1974 | Bombay, India | Clay | Onny Parun | 3–6, 3–6, 6–7 |
Loss | 18. | 1975 | Nottingham, England | Grass | Tom Okker | 1–6, 6–3, 3–6 |
Win | 19. | 1976 | Charlotte WCT, US | Carpet | Vitas Gerulaitis | 6–3, 3–6, 6–1 |
Win | 20. | 1976 | Sydney Outdoor, Australia | Grass | Dick Stockton | 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
Loss | 21. | 1977 | Brisbane, Australia | Grass | Vitas Gerulaitis | 7–6, 1–6, 1–6, 5–7 |
Win | 22. | 1978 | London/Queen's Club, England | Grass | John McEnroe | 8–6, 9–7 |
Result | No. | Year | Tournament | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Win | 1. | 1968 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | John Newcombe | Ken Rosewall Fred Stolle | 3–6, 8–6, 5–7, 14–12, 6–3 |
Loss | 1. | 1968 | Hamburg, Germany | Clay | John Newcombe | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 4–6, 4–6, 5–7 |
Loss | 2. | 1968 | Hobart, Australia | Grass | Fred Stolle | Mal Anderson Roger Taylor | 5–7, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1, 4–6 |
Loss | 3. | 1969 | Philadelphia WCT, U.S. | Carpet | John Newcombe | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 6–8, 4–6 |
Win | 2. | 1969 | French Open, Paris | Clay | John Newcombe | Roy Emerson Rod Laver | 4–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
Win | 3. | 1969 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | John Newcombe | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 7–5, 11–9, 6–3 |
Win | 4. | 1970 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | John Newcombe | Ken Rosewall Fred Stolle | 10–8, 6–3, 6–1 |
Win | 5. | 1970 | Louisville, U.S. | Hard | John Newcombe | Roy Emerson Rod Laver | 8–6, 5–7, 6–4 |
Win | 6. | 1971 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Grass | John Newcombe | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 6–2, 7–6 |
Win | 7. | 1971 | Miami WCT, U.S. | Hard | John Newcombe | Roy Emerson Rod Laver | 7–6, 7–6 |
Loss | 4. | 1971 | Chicago WCT, U.S. | Carpet | John Newcombe | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 6–7, 6–4, 6–7 |
Win | 8. | 1971 | Rome, Italy | Clay | John Newcombe | Andrés Gimeno Roger Taylor | 6–4, 6–4 |
Win | 9. | 1971 | Tehran WCT, Iran | Clay | John Newcombe | Bob Carmichael Ray Ruffels | 6–4, 6–7, 6–1 |
Loss | 5. | 1972 | Richmond WCT, U.S. | Carpet | John Newcombe | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 6–7, 6–7 |
Loss | 6. | 1972 | Philadelphia WCT, U.S. | Carpet | John Newcombe | Arthur Ashe Bob Lutz | 3–6, 7–6, 3–6 |
Loss | 7. | 1972 | Charlotte WCT, U.S. | Clay | John Newcombe | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 4–6, 6–4, 6–7 |
Loss | 8. | 1972 | Las Vegas WCT, U.S. | Hard | John Newcombe | Roy Emerson Rod Laver | DEF |
Win | 10. | 1972 | St. Louis WCT, U.S. | Carpet | John Newcombe | John Alexander Phil Dent | 7–6, 6–2 |
Loss | 9. | 1972 | Washington WCT, U.S. | Clay | John Newcombe | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 6–3, 3–6, 2–6 |
Win | 11. | 1972 | Boston WCT, U.S. | Hard | John Newcombe | Arthur Ashe Bob Lutz | 6–3, 1–6, 7–6 |
Win | 12. | 1974 | Toronto WCT, Canada | Carpet | Raúl Ramírez | Tom Okker Marty Riessen | 6–3, 2–6, 6–4 |
Loss | 10. | 1974 | Monte Carlo WCT, Monaco | Clay | Manuel Orantes | John Alexander Phil Dent | 6–7, 6–4, 6–7, 3–6 |
Win | 13. | 1974 | Wimbledon, London | Grass | John Newcombe | Bob Lutz Stan Smith | 8–6, 6–4, 6–4 |
Loss | 11. | 1974 | Sydney Indoor, Australia | Hard (i) | John Newcombe | Ross Case Geoff Masters | 4–6, 4–6 |
Win | 14. | 1976 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Grass | John Newcombe | Ross Case Geoff Masters | 7–6, 6–4 |
Win | 15. | 1976 | Charlotte WCT, U.S. | Carpet | John Newcombe | Vitas Gerulaitis Gene Mayer | 6–3, 7–5 |
Win | 16. | 1977 | Australian Open, Melbourne | Grass | Arthur Ashe | Charlie Pasarell Erik van Dillen | 6–4, 6–4 |
Loss | 12. | 1977 | Richmond WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Ross Case | Wojtek Fibak Tom Okker | 4–6, 4–6 |
Loss | 13. | 1977 | Toronto Indoor WCT, Canada | Carpet | Ross Case | Wojtek Fibak Tom Okker | 4–6, 1–6 |
Win | 17. | 1977 | Sydney Indoor, Australia | Hard (i) | John Newcombe | Ross Case Geoff Masters | 6–7, 6–3, 6–1 |
Win | 18. | 1978 | Sydney Indoor, Australia | Hard (i) | John Newcombe | Mark Edmondson John Marks | 6–4, 6–3 |
Lleyton Glynn Hewitt is an Australian former world No. 1 tennis player. He is the most recent Australian man to win a major singles title, with two at the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon Championships. In November 2001, Hewitt became, at the time, the youngest man to be singles world No. 1 in the ATP rankings, at the age of 20 years, 8 months and 26 days. He won 30 singles titles and 3 doubles titles, with highlights being the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon singles titles, the 2000 US Open men's doubles title, back-to-back Tour Finals titles in 2001 and 2002, and the Davis Cup with Australia in 1999 and 2003. Between 1997 and 2016, Hewitt contested twenty consecutive Australian Open men's singles tournaments, his best result being runner-up in 2005. He was also the runner-up at the 2004 US Open.
James Scott Connors is an American former world No. 1 tennis player. He held the top Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) ranking for a then-record 160 consecutive weeks from 1974 to 1977 and a career total of 268 weeks. By virtue of his long and prolific career, Connors still holds three prominent Open Era men's singles records: 109 titles, 1,557 matches played, and 1,274 match wins. His titles include eight major singles titles and three year-end championships. In 1974, he became the second man in the Open Era to win three major titles in a calendar year, and was not permitted to participate in the fourth, the French Open. Connors finished year end number one in the ATP rankings from 1974 to 1978. In 1982, he won both Wimbledon and the US Open and was ATP Player of the Year and ITF World Champion. He retired in 1996 at the age of 43.
Rodney George Laver is an Australian former tennis player. Laver was ranked the world number 1 professional player indisputably for five years from 1965 to 1969 and by some sources also in 1964 and 1970. He was also ranked as the number 1 amateur in 1961 and 1962. Laver won 198 singles titles which is the most won by a player in history.
John David Newcombe AO OBE is an Australian former professional tennis player. He is one of the few men to have attained a world No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles. At the majors, he won seven singles titles, a former record 17 men's doubles titles, and two mixed doubles titles. He also contributed to five Davis Cup titles for Australia during an age when the Davis Cup was deemed as significant as the majors. Tennis magazine rated him the 10th best male player of the period 1965–2005.
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.
Roy Stanley Emerson is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam doubles titles, for a total of 28 Grand Slam titles. All of his singles Grand Slam victories and 14 of his Grand Slam doubles victories were achieved before the open era began in 1968. He is the only male player to have completed a career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles, and the first of four male players to complete a double career Grand Slam in singles. His 28 major titles are the all-time record for a male player. He was ranked world No. 1 amateur in 1961 by Ned Potter, 1964 by Potter, Lance Tingay and an Ulrich Kaiser panel of 14 experts and 1965 by Tingay, Joseph McCauley, Sport za Rubezhom and an Ulrich Kaiser panel of 16 experts.
Clark Graebner is a retired American professional tennis player.
The 1968 Wimbledon Championships was a combined men's and women's tennis tournament that took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament was held from Monday 24 June until Saturday 6 July 1968. It was the 82nd staging of the Wimbledon Championships, and the third Grand Slam tennis event of 1968.
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.
Frew Donald McMillan is a former professional tennis player from South Africa who won five grand slam doubles titles including three Wimbledons with Bob Hewitt. All together, he won 63 doubles titles, surpassed only by the Bryan brothers, Daniel Nestor, Mark Woodforde, Todd Woodbridge, John McEnroe and Tom Okker. He was also ranked No.1 in Doubles on the ATP Computer for a significant period from 1977 to 1979 when he was aged 37.
This article lists the tennis players who have won the most tour-level professional tournament titles since the Open Era began in 1968. Titles can be any combination of singles and doubles, so the combined total is the default sorting of the lists. The current top-level events are on the ATP Tour for men and the WTA Tour for women.
Rod Laver defeated Andrés Gimeno in the final, 6–3, 6–4, 7–5 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1969 Australian Open. It was the first step in an eventual Grand Slam for Laver. This was the first edition of the tournament to be open to professional players, marking a period in tennis history known as the Open Era.
Rod Laver defeated the defending champion Ken Rosewall in the final, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1969 French Open. It was the second leg of his eventual second Grand Slam, which remains the only Grand Slam achieved in men's singles tennis in the Open Era.
Rod Laver defeated Tony Roche in the final, 7–9, 6–1, 6–2, 6–2 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1969 US Open. With the win, he completed the Grand Slam, and remains the only man in the Open Era to do so in singles. Laver also became the second man in history to complete the double career Grand Slam, after Roy Emerson.
The 1969 Philadelphia International Indoor Open Championships was a men's WCT tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was played at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in the United States. It was the second edition of the tournament and was held from February 5 through February 9, 1969. Total attendance for the five-day event was 44,538. First-seeded Rod Laver won the singles title.
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.
This is a list of the main career statistics of Australian former tennis player Rod Laver whose playing career ran from 1956 until 1977. He played as an amateur from 1956 until the end of 1962 when he joined Jack Kramer's professional circuit. As a professional he was banned from playing the Grand Slam tournaments as well as other tournaments organized by the national associations of the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF). In 1968, with the advent of the Open Era, the distinction between amateurs and professionals disappeared and Laver was again able to compete in most Grand Slam events until the end of his career in 1977. During his career he won eleven Grand Slam tournaments, eight Pro Slam tournaments and five Davis Cup titles.
Michael Grenfell "Mike" Davies was a Welsh professional tennis player, entrepreneur and administrator. He had a 60-year career in the tennis business, first as an amateur and professional tennis player, including a period as the number one ranked player in Great Britain and a member of the British Davis Cup team, then as an entrepreneur and one of the pioneers of the professional game.
This is a list of the main career statistics of former tennis player Jimmy Connors.
The Open Era is the current era of professional tennis. It began in 1968 when the Grand Slam tournaments allowed professional players to compete with amateurs, ending the division that had persisted since the dawn of the sport in the 19th century. The first open tournament was the 1968 British Hard Court Championships held in April, followed by the inaugural open Grand Slam tournament, the 1968 French Open, a month later. Unless otherwise sourced, all records are based on data from the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the International Tennis Federation (ITF), and the official websites of the four Grand Slam tournaments. All rankings-related records are based on ATP rankings, which began in 1973. The names of active players appear in boldface.