Men's International Professional Tennis Council

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The Men's International Professional Tennis Council (MIPTC), also called the Men's Tennis Council (MTC), was a governing body that administered the men's professional Grand Prix tennis circuit. It was founded in 1974 and was made up of representatives of the International Tennis Federation (ITF), the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and, from 1976 onwards, tournament directors from around the world. [1] [2] [3] Among its main responsibilities were the sanctioning and scheduling of the tournaments that comprise the Grand Prix circuit. [4] Additionally it was responsible for creating a code of conduct for tennis players and its subsequent enforcement via the administration of fines and suspensions. [5]

On 30 August 1988, during the first day of the US Open, the ATP, dissatisfied with their lack of influence on how the sport was managed and marketed, announced its departure from the MIPTC (then renamed to MTC) and the creation of a separate ATP Tour from 1990 onward. [3] [6] [7] [8] As a result, the MIPTC was disbanded in 1989.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">1981 Grand Prix (tennis)</span> Tennis circuit

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Grand Prix (tennis)</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1975 Grand Prix (tennis)</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 Grand Prix (tennis)</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1973 Grand Prix (tennis)</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 Grand Prix (tennis)</span>

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 Grand Prix Super Series of men's tennis tournaments was part of the Grand Prix and World Championship Tennis tours between 1970 and 1989. They were held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. These tournaments were the most prestigious and highest level events of the Grand Prix Tour after the majors and year-end championships. They had six name changes from 1970 through to 1977: Group One, Group B, Group A, Group AA, 5 Star and 6 Star, before settling on a consistent naming format called "Super Series" from 1978 until 1989.

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.

References

  1. "How it all began". ATP.
  2. Tom Fordyce (14 January 2004). "Tennis: Where the power lies". BBC.
  3. 1 2 James Buddell (August 14, 2013). "The Tour Born in a Parking Lot - Part I". ATP.
  4. "857 F. 2d 55 - Volvo North America Corporation v. Men's International Professional Tennis". OpenJurist.
  5. "Men's Pro Tennis Council Suspends Vilas for a Year". Ocala Star-Banner. Jun 9, 1983.
  6. Peter Alfano (December 2, 1988). "Tennis Council Modifies Tour". The New York Times.
  7. Frank Deford (November 14, 1988). "Scorecard". Sports Illustrated.
  8. Lisa Dillman (August 30, 1988). "Tennis Federation Rejects Players' Demands". Los Angeles Times.