1967 Men's World Tennis Circuit

The 1967 Men's World Tennis Circuit was an annual series of 217 tournaments composed of two subsidiary circuits the 41st Pro Tennis Tour^[1] (professional) and the 54th ILTF World Circuit (amateur).^[2] The season began in February in Sydney, Australia, and ended in December in Melbourne, Australia.^[3]

From 1888 until 1912 Britain's Lawn Tennis Association (LTA), grew in status and influence to become the de facto international tennis governing body before the proper International Lawn Tennis Federation commenced operations.^[4] Despite the United States National Lawn Tennis Association (USNLTA) forming in 1881 a good seven years before the LTA, it was the British body that set laws, settled disputes and organized the increasingly complicated tournament calendar before the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) formed in March 1913.^[5] Prior to the creation of the International Lawn Tennis Federation and the establishment of its world championship events in 1913 the Wimbledon Championships, the U.S. National Championships, the Irish Lawn Tennis Championships and the Northern Championships were considered by players and historians as the four most important tennis tournaments to win,^[6][7][8] at least until 1902 when the Irish Championships lost that status leaving just three major events. In 1909 the Northern Championships then loses its status a major tournament leaving just two major events Wimbledon and United States National Championships. The Australasian Championships founded in 1906 started to gain major status in 1911, but was quickly replaced following the introduction of the World Hard Court Championships in 1912.

After the formation of the ILTF in 1913 the world tennis circuit going forward was a highly organised and structured network of national and international tournaments.^[9] Most tennis tournaments were usually mixed events for men and women, and the women's international tennis circuit certainly up to 1923 was composed mainly of tournaments on the British and European Circuits.^[10] After the USNLTA joined the ILTF this would later change with more and more tournaments being staged globally. Amateur tennis players on the ILTF World Circuit up to the open era were funded by their national associations enabling them to travel and take part in international tournaments worldwide.^[11]

After the formation of the ILTF the major amateur tennis championships, governed by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF), were the World Hard Court Championships, World Grass Court Championships (Wimbledon), and World Covered Court Championships.^[12] In 1923 the USLTA joined the ILTF on the basis of two compromises: the title 'World Championships' would be abolished, and wording would be 'for ever in the English language'.^[13] The World Championships were replaced by a new category of Official Championships for the main tournaments in Australia (Australian Championships), France, (French Championships) England, (Wimbledon Championships) and the United States (U.S. National Championships); now known as the four Grand Slam events.^[14]

In 1898 the first known professional tournament was held called the Paris Pro Championships.^[15] it was played at the Tennis Club de Paris. In 1900 a second professional tournament was held two years later called the Paris Exhibition Pro, it was played at the Cercle des Sports, Paris, France.^[16] In 1902 a few years later after the previous event another professional tournament was held called the Higgins Cup,^[17] all three events were won by Irishman Thomas P. Burke one of the world's first qualified tennis professionals, who was the father of Albert Burke.^[18] Professional tennis began to get established in the early 1910s with tournaments being held in Europe. In 1911 the German Pro Championships and Wiesbaden Pro Championships were held for the first time.^[19] It was followed by a World Pro Championships in 1924 and 1925.^[20] However the staging of one off tournaments began to change in 1926, when promoter Charles C. Pyle signed a handful of players as professionals he paid to compete during a four-month circuit in North America.^[21] Players included legendary French tennis player Suzanne Lenglen, alongside American Mary Browne, Vincent Richards, Harvey Snodgrass, and Howard Kinsey.^[22] In 1927 the first permanent Professional major was established the U.S. Pro Tennis Championships, followed by the French Pro Championship in 1930, then the Wembley Professional Championships in 1934, which later became known as the London Indoor Professional Championships (these collectively became known as the three Pro Majors or Professional Majors).^[23]

1967 tennis season began in January with the Manly Seaside Championships in Sydney, Australia an amateur ILTF World Circuit event won by Fred Stolle. In February the first event of the Pro Tennis Tour began with the Southern Pro Championships held in Sewanee, United States that was won by Earl Baumgardner.^[24]

In the amateur majors the first of which was Australian Championships held in late January at Memorial Drive Park in Adelaide, Australia Roy Emerson defeats Arthur Ashe to take the men's singles title.^[25] At the French Championships in May in Paris, the men's singles final is won by Roy Emerson who defeated Tony Roche. In June at the Wimbledon Championships John Newcombe emerges victorious against German player Wilhelm Bungert.^[26] In September at the final amateur major of the season the U.S. National Championships, the men's singles is won by Australian John Newcombe who defeats American player Clark Graebner in the final.^[27]

In a seismic announcement in June 1967 the All-England Tennis Club confirmed it would host the “Wimbledon World Professional Championships,” a three-day, eight-man pro tour event that would air on the BBC in August,^[28] though not a professional major it was by far biggest event on the pro tour in terms of prize money offered at a whopping $45,000 or $413,280 inflation adjusted at today's value.^[29] At the professional majors the first of which was the U.S. Pro Tennis Championships held in Chestnut Hill with $25,000 prize money on offer Rod Laver wins the singles title against Andrés Gimeno.^[30]

In August Rod Laver also wins the Wimbledon Pro.^[24] In October in Paris at the second pro slam event of the season the French Pro Championships Rod Laver picks up a second major title defeating Andrés Gimeno again in the final played at Stade Pierre de Coubertin on indoor wood courts.^[24] Later the same month Laver heads to England to compete at the third a final pro slam event of the season the $22,500 London Indoor Professional Championships event where he completes the "Professional Grand Slam", or "Pro Slam",^[31][32] by defeating Ken Rosewall in the final played at the Wembley Empire Pool.

In November the final event of the men's Pro Tennis Tour was the Belfast Pro Championships that was won by Ken Rosewall who defeats Lew Hoad in the final. In late December the final event of the amateur ILTF World Circuit is held the Copa Faulcombridge in Valencia, Spain that is won by Chilean player Ernesto Aguirre who defeats Spanish player Juan Gisbert Sr. This would be the last full season of two separate tennis circuits one for amateurs one for professionals. On 20 March 1968, at the Automobile Club in Paris, the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) votes to approve Open tennis worldwide.^[33] This then moves tennis into a full-fledged professional sport, offering prize money through sponsorship arrangements.^[34]

In September 1967 World Championship Tennis is founded 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.^[35] 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.^[36][37] WCT became the major professional tennis tour of players under contract of the early seventies. In December 1967 the first players sign contracts with WCT.

In April 1968 the Open Era of tennis began.

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Legend