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, experimented the "no-ad" scoring system on 40-40 (called at times "sudden death") 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.
World Championship Tennis was founded in September 1967 by sports promoter David Dixon, who 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, Missouri. [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 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 won the WCT Houston title, beating Kevin Curren in the final.
The WCT Finals in Dallas saw the unexpected defeat of McEnroe in the quarterfinals 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 in three 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.
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, walkover |
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 |
The WCT Atlanta tournament was marked by early exits of top seeds Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker in the first round. Edberg lost to Mikael Pernfors, and Becker lost to Tim Wilkison. In Dallas, Anders Järryd was the unexpected winner, having replaced the injured Ivan Lendl in the 12-player draw.
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, Queens, 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 |
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 |
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 |
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.
At the 19th (and last) WCT Finals in Reunion Arena, John McEnroe won his fifth Dallas title. His semifinal with Ivan Lendl produced the best match of the tournament, and McEnroe beat Lendl for the first time in over three 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.
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 |
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 green clay to hardcourts and run as special non-ATP Tour event. Ivan Lendl stamped his WCT dominance winning the last title.
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, |
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, Michigan.
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 |
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
| Second part of 1972
|
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]
Group A
| Group B
|
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
| Blue group
| Green group
|
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
| Blue group
| Green group
|
1976–1983: All the players were put back together and played the same tournaments.
1976 | 1977
| 1978
| 1979
| 1980
| 1981
|
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
| Summer/Fall | Winter
|
There were only 9 tournaments and the WCT were back with the Grand Prix circuit.
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.
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.
The ABN AMRO Open, also known as the Rotterdam Open, and formerly known as: ABN AMRO World Tennis Tournament, is a professional men's tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is part of the ATP Tour 500 series on the ATP Tour and has been held annually at Rotterdam Ahoy in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
The racket sport traditionally named lawn tennis, invented in Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, now commonly known simply as tennis, is the direct descendant of what is now denoted real tennis or royal tennis, which continues to be played today as a separate sport with more complex rules. The first Lawn Tennis Club and tournament was held in Royal Leamington Spa on 1 August 1882.
The WCT Finals was a men's tennis tournament that served as the season-ending championship for the World Championship Tennis circuit. From 1971–1989 the event was held annually in Texas on indoor carpet courts. The 1971 quarterfinals and semifinals were played in Houston, and final played at Moody Coliseum in Dallas. The 1972–1979 editions were played at Moody Coliseum, and the 1980–1989 tournaments at Reunion Arena in Dallas. The 1974 edition was the first tennis tournament to experiment with electronic line calling. The first edition of the WCT Finals was in November 1971, just a few days before the equivalent event of the rival Grand Prix circuit. But the second edition occurred just six months later to accommodate NBC's new tennis coverage; the tournament final between Ken Rosewall, Rod Laver is credited as "the match that made tennis in the United States" because its unprecedented domestic television audience of 23 million fueled a massive increase in the sport's popularity. The ensuing editions were also held in the spring. John McEnroe had the most overall success, winning a record five titles. Because of the popularity of the 1972 final, 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 US$25,000 compared to the US$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 Detroit. The tournament was sponsored by Buick between 1985 and 1986, a brand of General Motors, and was called the "Buick WCT Finals".
The U.S. Professional Indoor Championships, also known as U.S. Pro Indoor, was a professional tennis tournament founded in 1962 as the Philadelphia Invitational Indoor Tennis Championships. The tournament was held in Philadelphia, United States from 1962 to 1998. It played on indoor carpet courts, and indoor hard courts. It was part of the ILTF World Circuit from 1962 to 1967 and again in 1970, the World Championship Tennis (WCT) circuit in 1968, 1969 and from 1971 to 1977 and the Grand Prix Tour from 1978 to 1989 before being held on the ATP Tour. It was held annually first at the Spectrum, and then at the CoreStates Center. It was originally named the Philadelphia Indoor Open Tournament prior to the open era.
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 1982 World Championship Tennis Spring Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 12th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1982 World Championship Tennis circuit since World Championship Tennis had split from the Grand Prix tennis circuit. It was played at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas in the United States and was held from April 20 through April 26, 1982. Second-seeded Ivan Lendl won the title.
The 1987 WCT Finals was a season-ending men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 17th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1987 Nabisco Grand Prix. It was played at the Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas in the United States from April 7 through April 13, 1987. The best eight players on the Grand Prix circuit qualified for the tournament. Winners of a Grand Slam tournament automatically qualified. Unseeded Miloslav Mečíř won the title.
Former tennis player John McEnroe won a total of 155 ATP titles, 77 in ATP Tour singles, 77 in men's doubles, and 1 in mixed doubles. He won 25 singles titles on the ATP Champions tour. He won seven Grand Slam singles titles. He also won a record eight year end championship titles overall, the Masters championships three times, and the WCT Finals, a record five times. His career singles match record was 875–198 (81.55%). He posted the best single-season match record in the Open Era with win–loss record: 82–3 (96.5%) set in 1984 and has the best carpet court career match winning percentage: 84.18% (411–65) of any player. McEnroe was the second male player to reach 3 consecutive Grand Slams finals in a calendar year in 1984 since Rod Laver reached all four grand slams finals in 1969 in open era.
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 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 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.
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 1975 World Championship Tennis circuit was one of the two rival professional male tennis circuits of 1975. It was organized by World Championship Tennis (WCT). The 1975 circuit divided the players in three groups, Red, Blue and Green who played 24 tournaments in 12 countries. The first tournament, U.S. Professional Indoor Championships, was a combined event as was the season's final which was played in Dallas by the eight best performers and was won by American Arthur Ashe who defeated Björn Borg from Sweden in four sets.
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 1985 WCT Tournament of Champions was a men's tennis tournament played on outdoor clay courts in Forest Hills, Queens, New York City in the United States. The event was part of the Super Series of the 1985 Grand Prix circuit and was organized by World Championship Tennis (WCT). It was the ninth edition of the tournament and was held from May 6 through May 12, 1985. No.2 seeded Ivan Lendl won the singles title, his second at the event after 1982.