World Championship Tennis
Encyclopedia
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 to WCT and players were ranked in a special WCT ranking according to their results in those tournaments.
and New Orleans
sports promoter David Dixon
, who had earlier witnessed the deplorable conditions of the professional circuit before the open era. WCT became the major professional tennis tour of players under contract of the early seventies. It was also revolutionary; instituting a tie-breaker system and outfitting 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 players.
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 March 1968 and the WCT circuit grew to 21 tournaments in 1971 (including the Australian Open
) around the globe, the first solid professional tour. By Spring 1970, the WCT had signed other players (Marty Riessen
, Ray Moore
, Tom Okker
, Arthur Ashe
) and absorbed the other major professional organization, the National Tennis League
(NTL), which had under contract some of the top-ranked pros of the day, including Rod Laver
, Ken Rosewall
, Andrés Gimeno
, Pancho Gonzáles
, Roy Emerson
, and Fred Stolle
.
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 this championship was usually held in the spring in Dallas, Texas
. This became known as the WCT Finals
it was played on indoor carpet. 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
.
The WCT tour was merged into the Grand Prix circuit
in 1978. The WCT withdrew from 1982 to 1984, and at this time sued the Men's Tennis Council who organized the Grand Prix circuit. A settlement resulted in WCT's reincorporation into the Grand Prix in 1985.
1989 was the last season of WCT. The ATP
established its own tennis circuit from 1990. The WCT had an important impact on the development of tennis certainly from the players prospective. Although there were fewer tournaments to the rival Grand Prix Circuit the prize money was much larger.
and John McEnroe
, winning two each. While McEnroe entered into all four, Lendl played just two and won both. McEnroe grabbed WCT Houston title beating Kevin Curren
in the final.
The WCT Finals
in Dallas
saw the unexpected defeat of McEnroe in the quarter-finals by Joakim Nyström
in three straight sets. The title was captured by Lendl, whose success completed a triplicate of titles in three weeks: Ft. Myers on hard, Monte Carlo on clay and Dallas on carpet. Other players have won three, even four, tournaments in successive weeks in the Open Era, but never on different surfaces.
In Atlanta, McEnroe won the final over Paul Annacone
, prevailing in three close sets. The WCT Tournament of Champions in Forest Hills
ended with much anticipated final between Lendl and McEnroe. Despite winning only 2 of his last 12 matches over McEnroe in ATP tournaments, Lendl beat McEnroe 6-3 6-3.
and Boris Becker
, in the 1st round. Edberg lost to Mikael Pernfors
and Becker to eventual runner-up Tim Wilkison
. In Dallas, Anders Järryd
was the unexpected winner, having replaced the injured Ivan Lendl in the 12-player draw.
and gaining ATP Ranking points.
The 19th (and the last) WCT Finals
in Reunion Arena
, Dallas
saw John McEnroe
win his 5th Dallas title. His semi-final with Ivan Lendl
produced the best match of the tournament and McEnroe managed to beat Lendl first time for a little more than three and a half years. The tournament was negatively impacted by the withdrawals of Boris Becker
(who did not appear at all) and Andre Agassi
(walking off court during 2nd 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 to close the WCT era.
was moved from Har-Tru green clay to hardcourts and run as special non-ATP Tour event. Ivan Lendl
stamped his WCT dominance winning the very last title.
. 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 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 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 January 1983) in Detroit
.
1972
1972
1973
Group A
Group B
1974
Red Group
Blue Group
Green Group
1975
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
1982
Spring
Summer/Fall
Winter
1983
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
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
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
tournaments around the world were affiliated to WCT and players were ranked in a special WCT ranking according to their results in those tournaments.
History
World Championship Tennis was co-founded by Lamar HuntLamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
and New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
sports promoter David Dixon
David Dixon (businessman)
David Dixon was an American businessman and sports executive who helped create the New Orleans Saints NFL team, the Louisiana Superdome, World Championship Tennis and the United States Football League...
, who had earlier witnessed the deplorable conditions of the professional circuit before the open era. WCT became the major professional tennis tour of players under contract of the early seventies. It was also revolutionary; instituting a tie-breaker system and outfitting 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 players.
After starting with the "Handsome Eight
Handsome Eight
The Handsome Eight were eight professional tennis players that Lamar Hunt signed in 1968 for his newly formed tour, World Championship Tennis...
", the original eight players (Dennis Ralston
Dennis Ralston
Richard Dennis Ralston is an American former professional tennis player. He attended the University of Southern California and won NCAA championships under their legendary coach, George Toley. He was coached in his earlier years by the legendary tennis player, Pancho Gonzales...
, John Newcombe
John Newcombe
John David Newcombe, AO, OBE is a former World No. 1 tennis player.-Biography:He won seven Grand Slam singles titles, A natural athlete, Newcombe played several sports as a boy until devoting himself to tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962, and 1963 and was a member of...
, Tony Roche
Tony Roche
Anthony "Tony" Dalton Roche is a former professional Australian tennis player, native of Tarcutta. He played junior tennis in the New South Wales regional city of Wagga Wagga. He won one Grand Slam singles title and twelve Grand Slam doubles titles. He is also very well known for coaching...
, Cliff Drysdale
Cliff Drysdale
Cliff Drysdale is a former top-ranked professional tennis player of the 1960s and early 1970s who became a well-known tennis announcer. He was one of the Handsome Eight, signed by Lamar Hunt in 1968 for the newly formed World Championship Tennis group...
, Earl Buchholz, Niki Pilić, Roger Taylor and Pierre Barthès
Pierre Barthes
Pierre Barthès is a French retired professional tour tennis player.-Career:Born in Béziers, Barthès was one of the Handsome Eight and reached a career high singles ATP ranking in 1974 of World No. 54. Before the creation of the ATP ranking, he was one of the best twenty players in 1971. He was...
), the first WCT tournament was held in March 1968 and the WCT circuit grew to 21 tournaments in 1971 (including the Australian Open
Australian Open
The Australian Open is the only Grand Slam tennis tournament held in the southern hemisphere. The tournament was held for the first time in 1905 and was last contested on grass in 1987. Since 1972 the Australian Open has been held in Melbourne, Victoria. In 1988, the tournament became a hard court...
) around the globe, the first solid professional tour. By Spring 1970, the WCT had signed other players (Marty Riessen
Marty Riessen
Marty Riessen played amateur and professional tennis in the 1960s and 1970s. He was ranked as high as No. 11 in the world in singles on the ATP Rankings...
, Ray Moore
Raymond Moore (tennis)
Raymond Moore , is a former professional tennis player from South Africa. During his career he won 8 doubles titles and finished runner-up an additional 12 times...
, Tom Okker
Tom Okker
Thomas S. Okker is a former Dutch tennis player. He was ranked among the world's top 10 singles players for seven consecutive years, 1968–74, reaching a career high of world # 3 in 1969. He also was ranked World # 1 in doubles in 1969.-Tennis career:Okker was the Dutch champion from 1964 through...
, Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...
) and absorbed the other major professional organization, the National Tennis League
National Tennis League
There are "National Tennis Leagues" in many countries but this article is about the US National Tennis League.-History:The National Tennis League was formed by George McCall in 1967, as a governing body to a US Professional tennis tour...
(NTL), which had under contract some of the top-ranked pros of the day, including Rod Laver
Rod Laver
Rodney George "Rod" Laver MBE is an Australian former tennis player who holds the record for titles won in career, and was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970...
, Ken Rosewall
Ken Rosewall
Kenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player from Australia. He won 23 Majors including eight Grand Slam singles titles and before the Open Era a record fifteen Pro Slam titles . Rosewall won 9 slams in doubles with a career double grand slam...
, Andrés Gimeno
Andrés Gimeno
Andrés Gimeno Tolaguera is a retired Spanish tennis player. He major achievement came in 1972, when he won the French Open....
, Pancho Gonzáles
Pancho Gonzales
Ricardo Alonso González , generally known as Richard "Pancho" Gonzales was an American tennis player. He was the world no. 1 professional tennis player for an unequalled eight years in the 1950s and early 1960s...
, Roy Emerson
Roy Emerson
Roy Stanley Emerson is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He is the only male player to have won singles and doubles titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments. His 28 Grand Slam titles are an all-time record for a male...
, and Fred Stolle
Fred Stolle
Frederick "Fred" Sydney Stolle is an Australian tennis player. He was born in Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia. He is the father of former Australian Davis Cup player Sandon Stolle....
.
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
Grand Prix tennis tournaments
The Grand Prix tennis circuit was a professional tennis tour for male players that existed from 1970 to 1989. It was the more prominent of two predecessors to the current tour for male players, the ATP Tour, the other being World Championship Tennis ....
, called The Masters
Tennis Masters Cup
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is a tennis tournament played at the end of each year, involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings....
. For commercial reasons, from 1972 this championship was usually held in the spring in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. This became known as the WCT Finals
WCT Finals
The WCT Finals was a tennis tournament that served as the season-ending championship for the World Championship Tennis circuit. The event was held annually in Dallas, Texas, and played on indoor carpet courts. The 1971 quarterfinals and semifinals were played in Houston, and final played at Moody...
it was played on indoor carpet. 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
Masters Cup
The Masters Cup is an annual disc golf tournament held at De Laveaga Disc Golf Course in Santa Cruz, California. The event features both amateur and professional divisions...
.
The WCT tour was merged into the Grand Prix circuit
Grand Prix tennis tournaments
The Grand Prix tennis circuit was a professional tennis tour for male players that existed from 1970 to 1989. It was the more prominent of two predecessors to the current tour for male players, the ATP Tour, the other being World Championship Tennis ....
in 1978. The WCT withdrew from 1982 to 1984, and at this time sued the Men's Tennis Council who organized the Grand Prix circuit. A settlement resulted in WCT's reincorporation into the Grand Prix in 1985.
1989 was the last season of WCT. The ATP
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
established its own tennis circuit from 1990. The WCT had an important impact on the development of tennis certainly from the players prospective. Although there were fewer tournaments to the rival Grand Prix Circuit the prize money was much larger.
WCT 1985
WCT tournaments returned to the Grand Prix stage after a three-year absence during 1982-84. There were only 4 events. The titles were split between Ivan LendlIvan Lendl
Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis...
and John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
, winning two each. While McEnroe entered into all four, Lendl played just two and won both. McEnroe grabbed WCT Houston title beating Kevin Curren
Kevin Curren
----Kevin Melvyn Curren is a former professional tennis player. He played in two Grand Slam singles finals and won four Grand Slam doubles titles.-Career:...
in the final.
The WCT Finals
WCT Finals
The WCT Finals was a tennis tournament that served as the season-ending championship for the World Championship Tennis circuit. The event was held annually in Dallas, Texas, and played on indoor carpet courts. The 1971 quarterfinals and semifinals were played in Houston, and final played at Moody...
in Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
saw the unexpected defeat of McEnroe in the quarter-finals by Joakim Nyström
Joakim Nyström
Joakim "Jocke" Nyström is a former top ten ranked tennis player from Sweden who won thirteen singles titles during his professional career. The right-hander reached his highest singles ranking on the ATP Tour on 31 March 1986, when he was ranked World No. 7 and was also ranked as high as World No...
in three straight sets. The title was captured by Lendl, whose success completed a triplicate of titles in three weeks: Ft. Myers on hard, Monte Carlo on clay and Dallas on carpet. Other players have won three, even four, tournaments in successive weeks in the Open Era, but never on different surfaces.
In Atlanta, McEnroe won the final over Paul Annacone
Paul Annacone
Paul Annacone is a former touring professional tennis player and current well-known tennis coach.-As a college player:...
, prevailing in three close sets. The WCT Tournament of Champions in Forest Hills
Forest Hills, Queens
Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area...
ended with much anticipated final between Lendl and McEnroe. Despite winning only 2 of his last 12 matches over McEnroe in ATP tournaments, Lendl beat McEnroe 6-3 6-3.
| Date Final | Tournament | Commercial Name | Category | Prize Money/ Surface |
Final Match | Semifinal Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3 | Houston, USA | WCT Houston Shoot-Out | Nabisco Grand Prix | $300,000 Carpet |
 John McEnroeJohn McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... d.  Kevin CurrenKevin Curren ----Kevin Melvyn Curren is a former professional tennis player. He played in two Grand Slam singles finals and won four Grand Slam doubles titles.-Career:... , 7-5, 6-1, 7-6 |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... d. Peter Fleming, 6-4, 6-0 Kevin Curren Kevin Curren ----Kevin Melvyn Curren is a former professional tennis player. He played in two Grand Slam singles finals and won four Grand Slam doubles titles.-Career:... d. Shahar Perkiss Shahar Perkiss Shahar Perkiss is an Israeli right-handed 6' 4" former professional tennis player.-Tennis career:A year after first picking up a tennis racket, Perkiss ranked # 1 in Israel in the age 10 and under ranks.... , 6-2, 6-2 |
| April 14 | Dallas, USA | Buick WCT Finals | Nabisco Grand Prix | $500,000 Carpet |
 Ivan LendlIvan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... d. Tim MayotteTim Mayotte Timothy "Tim" Mayotte is a former professional tennis player from the United States.- Career :... , 7-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... d. Jimmy Connors Jimmy Connors James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player.... , 6-3, 2-1 ret. Tim Mayotte Tim Mayotte Timothy "Tim" Mayotte is a former professional tennis player from the United States.- Career :... d. Joakim Nystrom Joakim Nyström Joakim "Jocke" Nyström is a former top ten ranked tennis player from Sweden who won thirteen singles titles during his professional career. The right-hander reached his highest singles ranking on the ATP Tour on 31 March 1986, when he was ranked World No. 7 and was also ranked as high as World No... , 6-4, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5 |
| April 28 | Atlanta, USA | WCT Atlanta | Nabisco Grand Prix | $300,000 Carpet |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... d. Paul AnnaconePaul Annacone Paul Annacone is a former touring professional tennis player and current well-known tennis coach.-As a college player:... , 7-6, 7-6, 6-2 |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... d. Mike Leach Mike Leach (tennis) Michael E. Leach is a former collegiate and ATP Tour professional tennis player who won the NCAA singles championship in 1982 while attending the University of Michigan.-Early years:... , 6-3, 6-3 Paul Annacone Paul Annacone Paul Annacone is a former touring professional tennis player and current well-known tennis coach.-As a college player:... d. Kevin Curren Kevin Curren ----Kevin Melvyn Curren is a former professional tennis player. He played in two Grand Slam singles finals and won four Grand Slam doubles titles.-Career:... , w.o. Walkover In British English, a walkover or W.O. is the awarding of a victory to a contestant because there are no other contestants, or because the other contestants have been disqualified or have forfeited. The term can apply in sport, but can also apply to elections... |
| May 12 | Forest Hills Forest Hills, Queens Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area... , New York New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... , USA |
Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions | Nabisco Grand Prix | $500,000 Clay (Har-Tru) |
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... d. John McEnroeJohn McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... , 6-3, 6-3 |
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... d. Aaron Krickstein Aaron Krickstein Aaron Krickstein , nicknamed "Marathon Man", is a former American professional tennis player, who competed on the ATP Tour from 1983 to 1996. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he currently competes on the Outback Champions Series Over-30 tour.Krickstein reached his career high ATP ranking of World No.... , 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... d. Henrik Sundström Henrik Sundström Henrik Sundström is a former professional male tennis player from Sweden. He is nicknamed Henke. Sundström was at his best on clay and achieved his strongest results on this surface, with his solid and heavy topspin groundstrokes from the baseline.- Tennis career :Sundström turned professional in... , 6-2, 3-6, 6-2 |
WCT 1986
The WCT Atlanta tournament was negatively marked by early exists of both top seeds, Stefan EdbergStefan Edberg
Stefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He also won one season ending championship title the Masters Grand Prix...
and Boris Becker
Boris Becker
Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17...
, in the 1st round. Edberg lost to Mikael Pernfors
Mikael Pernfors
Mikael Pernfors is a former professional tennis player from Sweden. He is best remembered for reaching the men's singles final at the French Open in 1986.-Career:Pernfors was born in Malmö....
and Becker to eventual runner-up Tim Wilkison
Tim Wilkison
Tim Wilkison is a former professional male tennis player from the United States.Wilkison was the #1 ranked junior in the United States and went on to play professional tennis for over 25 years. He won 6 singles titles and 9 doubles championships...
. In Dallas, Anders Järryd
Anders Järryd
Anders Per Järryd is a former professional tennis player from Sweden. During his career he won eight Grand Slam doubles titles , reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking, and achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 5.Järryd was born in Lidköping, Västra Götaland...
was the unexpected winner, having replaced the injured Ivan Lendl in the 12-player draw.
| Date Final | Tournament | Commercial Name | Category | Prize Money/ Surface |
Final Match | Semifinal Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 6 | Atlanta, USA | WCT Atlanta | Nabisco Grand Prix | $220,000 Carpet |
Kevin Curren Kevin Curren ----Kevin Melvyn Curren is a former professional tennis player. He played in two Grand Slam singles finals and won four Grand Slam doubles titles.-Career:... d. Tim WilkisonTim Wilkison Tim Wilkison is a former professional male tennis player from the United States.Wilkison was the #1 ranked junior in the United States and went on to play professional tennis for over 25 years. He won 6 singles titles and 9 doubles championships... , 7-6, 7-6 |
Kevin Curren Kevin Curren ----Kevin Melvyn Curren is a former professional tennis player. He played in two Grand Slam singles finals and won four Grand Slam doubles titles.-Career:... d. Brian Teacher Brian Teacher Brian David Teacher is a 6' 3" right handed American former professional male tennis player. He reached a career-high ranking World No. 7 in 1981.... , 6-4, 6-2 Tim Wilkison Tim Wilkison Tim Wilkison is a former professional male tennis player from the United States.Wilkison was the #1 ranked junior in the United States and went on to play professional tennis for over 25 years. He won 6 singles titles and 9 doubles championships... d. David Pate David Pate David Pate is a former professional tennis player from the United States who won two singles titles and eighteen doubles titles during his career. He reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 18 on June 8, 1987 and a career-high doubles ranking of No... , 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 |
| April 13 | Dallas, USA | Buick WCT Finals | Nabisco Grand Prix | $500,000 Carpet |
 Anders JärrydAnders Järryd Anders Per Järryd is a former professional tennis player from Sweden. During his career he won eight Grand Slam doubles titles , reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking, and achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 5.Järryd was born in Lidköping, Västra Götaland... d.  Boris BeckerBoris Becker Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17... , 6-7, 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 |
Anders Järryd Anders Järryd Anders Per Järryd is a former professional tennis player from Sweden. During his career he won eight Grand Slam doubles titles , reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking, and achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 5.Järryd was born in Lidköping, Västra Götaland... d. Mats Wilander Mats Wilander Mats Wilander is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Sweden. From 1982 through 1988, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , and one Grand Slam men's doubles title... , 6-4, 7-5, 6-3 Boris Becker Boris Becker Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17... d. Stefan Edberg Stefan Edberg Stefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He also won one season ending championship title the Masters Grand Prix... 7-6, 7-6, 4-6, 7-6 |
| May 11 | Forest Hills Forest Hills, Queens Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area... , New York New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... , USA |
Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions | Nabisco Grand Prix | $500,000 Clay (Har-Tru) |
 Yannick NoahYannick Noah Yannick Noah is a former professional tennis player from France. He is best remembered for being the last French man to win the French Open in 1983, and as a highly-successful captain of France's Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams... d.  Guillermo VilasGuillermo Vilas Guillermo Apolinario Vilas is a retired and former World No. 2 professional tennis player from Argentina. He was the second Latin-American to win a Grand Slam tournament.-Career:... , 7-6, 6-0 |
Yannick Noah Yannick Noah Yannick Noah is a former professional tennis player from France. He is best remembered for being the last French man to win the French Open in 1983, and as a highly-successful captain of France's Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams... d. Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... , 6-3, 7-5 Guillermo Vilas Guillermo Vilas Guillermo Apolinario Vilas is a retired and former World No. 2 professional tennis player from Argentina. He was the second Latin-American to win a Grand Slam tournament.-Career:... d. Martín Jaite Martín Jaite Martín Jaite is an Argentine right-handed former top-10 professional tour tennis player.Jaite's ATP highest tour ranking was World # 10, which he achieved in the summer of 1990, and he won a total of 12 titles and $1,873,881 in tour prize money during his career.Jaite's playing style leveraged his... , 6-3, 6-3 |
| Oct 12 | Scottsdale Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385... , USA |
WCT Scottsdale Open | Nabisco Grand Prix | $220,000 Hard |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... d. Kevin CurrenKevin Curren ----Kevin Melvyn Curren is a former professional tennis player. He played in two Grand Slam singles finals and won four Grand Slam doubles titles.-Career:... , 6-3, 3-6, 6-2 |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... d. David Pate David Pate David Pate is a former professional tennis player from the United States who won two singles titles and eighteen doubles titles during his career. He reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 18 on June 8, 1987 and a career-high doubles ranking of No... , 6-3, 6-3 Kevin Curren Kevin Curren ----Kevin Melvyn Curren is a former professional tennis player. He played in two Grand Slam singles finals and won four Grand Slam doubles titles.-Career:... d. Todd Witsken Todd Witsken Todd Witsken was an American tennis player. He specialized in playing doubles and began his professional career in 1985. He was a three-time all-American at the University of Southern California. His career high was #4 in doubles and #43 in singles... , 7-5, 6-7, 6-4 |
| Nov 23 | Houston, USA | WCT Houston Shoot-Out | Nabisco Grand Prix | $220,000 Carpet |
 Slobodan ŽivojinovićSlobodan Živojinovic Slobodan Živojinović is a retired Serbian tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia. Together with Nenad Zimonjić he is the only tennis player from Serbia that held the highest doubles ranking. Živojinović is president of Serbia Tennis Federaton.... d. Scott Davis, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3 |
Slobodan Živojinović Slobodan Živojinovic Slobodan Živojinović is a retired Serbian tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia. Together with Nenad Zimonjić he is the only tennis player from Serbia that held the highest doubles ranking. Živojinović is president of Serbia Tennis Federaton.... d. Derrick Rostagno Derrick Rostagno Derrick Rostagno is a former professional tennis player from the United States.Rostagno turned professional in 1986... , 6-4, 6-4 Scott Davis d. Eliot Teltscher Eliot Teltscher Eliot Teltscher is a retired professional American tennis player.-Early years:Teltscher's mother was born in Israel; his father emigrated there during the Holocaust, and joined the British army... , 7-5, 6-4 |
WCT 1987
| Date Final | Tournament | Commercial Name | Category | Prize Money/ Surface |
Final Match | Semifinal Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 12 | Dallas, USA | WCT Finals | Nabisco Grand Prix | $500,000 Carpet |
Miloslav Mečíř Miloslav Mecír Miloslav Mečíř is a former professional tennis player from Slovakia. He won the men's singles gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games where he represented Czechoslovakia and played in two Grand Slam singles finals... d. John McEnroeJohn McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... , 6-0, 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 |
Miloslav Mečíř Miloslav Mecír Miloslav Mečíř is a former professional tennis player from Slovakia. He won the men's singles gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games where he represented Czechoslovakia and played in two Grand Slam singles finals... d. Andrés Gómez Andrés Gómez Andrés Gómez Santos is a former professional tennis player from Ecuador. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the French Open in 1990.-Career:... , 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... d. Stefan Edberg Stefan Edberg Stefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He also won one season ending championship title the Masters Grand Prix... , 7-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4 |
| May 10 | Forest Hills Forest Hills, Queens Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area... , New York New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... , USA |
Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions | Nabisco Grand Prix | $500,000 Clay (Har-Tru) |
 Andrés GómezAndrés Gómez Andrés Gómez Santos is a former professional tennis player from Ecuador. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the French Open in 1990.-Career:... d. Yannick NoahYannick Noah Yannick Noah is a former professional tennis player from France. He is best remembered for being the last French man to win the French Open in 1983, and as a highly-successful captain of France's Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams... , 6-4, 7-6, 7-6 |
Andrés Gómez Andrés Gómez Andrés Gómez Santos is a former professional tennis player from Ecuador. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the French Open in 1990.-Career:... d. Boris Becker Boris Becker Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17... , 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 Yannick Noah Yannick Noah Yannick Noah is a former professional tennis player from France. He is best remembered for being the last French man to win the French Open in 1983, and as a highly-successful captain of France's Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams... d. Slobodan Živojinović Slobodan Živojinovic Slobodan Živojinović is a retired Serbian tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia. Together with Nenad Zimonjić he is the only tennis player from Serbia that held the highest doubles ranking. Živojinović is president of Serbia Tennis Federaton.... , 6-3, 7-5 |
| October 11 | Scottsdale Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385... , USA |
WCT Scottsdale Open | Nabisco Grand Prix | $232,000 Hard |
Brad Gilbert Brad Gilbert Brad Gilbert , is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, an author and former professional tennis player. He was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Piedmont High School .... d. Eliot TeltscherEliot Teltscher Eliot Teltscher is a retired professional American tennis player.-Early years:Teltscher's mother was born in Israel; his father emigrated there during the Holocaust, and joined the British army... , 6-2, 6-2 |
Brad Gilbert Brad Gilbert Brad Gilbert , is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, an author and former professional tennis player. He was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Piedmont High School .... d. Michael Chang Michael Chang Michael Te-Pei Chang is a former American professional tennis player. He is best remembered for becoming the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17.... 6-3, 6-4 Eliot Teltscher Eliot Teltscher Eliot Teltscher is a retired professional American tennis player.-Early years:Teltscher's mother was born in Israel; his father emigrated there during the Holocaust, and joined the British army... d. David Pate David Pate David Pate is a former professional tennis player from the United States who won two singles titles and eighteen doubles titles during his career. He reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 18 on June 8, 1987 and a career-high doubles ranking of No... 7-6, 7-5 |
WCT 1988
| Date Final | Tournament | Commercial Name | Category | Prize Money/ Surface |
Final Match | Semifinal Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| April 3 | Dallas, USA | WCT Finals | Nabisco Grand Prix | $500,000 Carpet |
Boris Becker Boris Becker Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17... d. Stefan EdbergStefan Edberg Stefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He also won one season ending championship title the Masters Grand Prix... , 6-4, 1-6, 7-5, 6-2 |
Boris Becker Boris Becker Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17... d. Brad Gilbert Brad Gilbert Brad Gilbert , is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, an author and former professional tennis player. He was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Piedmont High School .... , 6-4, 6-2, 6-1 Stefan Edberg Stefan Edberg Stefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He also won one season ending championship title the Masters Grand Prix... d. Yannick Noah Yannick Noah Yannick Noah is a former professional tennis player from France. He is best remembered for being the last French man to win the French Open in 1983, and as a highly-successful captain of France's Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams... , 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 |
| May 8 | Forest Hills Forest Hills, Queens Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area... , New York New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... , USA |
Eagle Tournament of Champions | Nabisco Grand Prix | $485,000 Clay (Har-Tru) |
Andre Agassi Andre Agassi Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game... d. Slobodan ŽivojinovićSlobodan Živojinovic Slobodan Živojinović is a retired Serbian tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia. Together with Nenad Zimonjić he is the only tennis player from Serbia that held the highest doubles ranking. Živojinović is president of Serbia Tennis Federaton.... , 7-5, 7-6, 7-5 |
Andre Agassi Andre Agassi Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game... d. Aaron Krickstein Aaron Krickstein Aaron Krickstein , nicknamed "Marathon Man", is a former American professional tennis player, who competed on the ATP Tour from 1983 to 1996. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he currently competes on the Outback Champions Series Over-30 tour.Krickstein reached his career high ATP ranking of World No.... , 6-3, 6-3 Slobodan Živojinović Slobodan Živojinovic Slobodan Živojinović is a retired Serbian tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia. Together with Nenad Zimonjić he is the only tennis player from Serbia that held the highest doubles ranking. Živojinović is president of Serbia Tennis Federaton.... d. Luiz Mattar Luiz Mattar Luiz Mattar is a former professional tennis player from Brazil. He played on the professional tour from 1986–1995, during which time he won seven top-level singles titles and five tour doubles titles. His career-high rankings were World No. 29 in singles , and World No. 55 in doubles... , 7-6, 6-3 |
| October 9 | Scottsdale Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385... , USA |
WCT Eagle Classic | Nabisco Grand Prix | $297,000 Hard |
Mikael Pernfors Mikael Pernfors Mikael Pernfors is a former professional tennis player from Sweden. He is best remembered for reaching the men's singles final at the French Open in 1986.-Career:Pernfors was born in Malmö.... d. Glenn LayendeckerGlenn Layendecker Glenn Layendecker is a former professional tennis player from the United States. His highest singles ranking was World No. 48 in 1990. His highest doubles ranking was World No. 32.... , 6-2, 6-4 |
Mikael Pernfors Mikael Pernfors Mikael Pernfors is a former professional tennis player from Sweden. He is best remembered for reaching the men's singles final at the French Open in 1986.-Career:Pernfors was born in Malmö.... d. Kevin Curren Kevin Curren ----Kevin Melvyn Curren is a former professional tennis player. He played in two Grand Slam singles finals and won four Grand Slam doubles titles.-Career:... , 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 Glenn Layendecker Glenn Layendecker Glenn Layendecker is a former professional tennis player from the United States. His highest singles ranking was World No. 48 in 1990. His highest doubles ranking was World No. 32.... d. Jim Pugh Jim Pugh Jim Pugh is a former professional tennis player from the United States. A doubles specialist, he won three Grand Slam men's doubles titles and five Grand Slam mixed doubles titles . Pugh reached the World No... , 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 |
WCT 1989
1989 was the final year of the WCT tour. Only 3 events were organized, all of them were incorporated into the Nabisco Grand Prix1989 Nabisco Grand Prix
The 1989 Nabisco Grand Prix was the only tennis circuit for male players held that year. It incorporated the four grand slam tournaments, one World Championship Tennis tournament and the Grand Prix tournaments.-Schedule:...
and gaining ATP Ranking points.
The 19th (and the last) WCT Finals
WCT Finals
The WCT Finals was a tennis tournament that served as the season-ending championship for the World Championship Tennis circuit. The event was held annually in Dallas, Texas, and played on indoor carpet courts. The 1971 quarterfinals and semifinals were played in Houston, and final played at Moody...
in Reunion Arena
Reunion Arena
Reunion Arena was an indoor arena, in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas . It held 18,293 for basketball and 17,001 for ice hockey.It was demolished in November 2009 and the site was cleared by the end of the year.-History:...
, Dallas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
saw John McEnroe
John McEnroe
John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
win his 5th Dallas title. His semi-final with Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis...
produced the best match of the tournament and McEnroe managed to beat Lendl first time for a little more than three and a half years. The tournament was negatively impacted by the withdrawals of Boris Becker
Boris Becker
Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17...
(who did not appear at all) and Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
(walking off court during 2nd set match with McEnroe). Brad Gilbert
Brad Gilbert
Brad Gilbert , is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, an author and former professional tennis player. He was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Piedmont High School ....
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 to close the WCT era.
| Date Final | Tournament | Commercial Name | Category | Prize Money/ Surface |
Final Match | Semifinal Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March 5 | Dallas, USA | WCT Finals | Nabisco Grand Prix | $500,000 Carpet |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... d. Brad GilbertBrad Gilbert Brad Gilbert , is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, an author and former professional tennis player. He was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Piedmont High School .... , 6-3, 6-3, 7-6 |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... d. Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... , 6-7, 7-6, 6-2, 7-5 Brad Gilbert Brad Gilbert Brad Gilbert , is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, an author and former professional tennis player. He was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Piedmont High School .... d. Mikael Pernfors Mikael Pernfors Mikael Pernfors is a former professional tennis player from Sweden. He is best remembered for reaching the men's singles final at the French Open in 1986.-Career:Pernfors was born in Malmö.... , 6-3, 6-7, 6-3, 6-3 |
| March 12 | Scottsdale Scottsdale, Arizona Scottsdale is a city in the eastern part of Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, adjacent to Phoenix. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, as of 2010 the population of the city was 217,385... , USA |
WCT Eagle Classic | Nabisco Grand Prix | $297,000 Hard |
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... d. Stefan EdbergStefan Edberg Stefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He also won one season ending championship title the Masters Grand Prix... , 6-2, 6-3 |
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... d. Emilio Sánchez Emilio Sánchez Emilio Ángel Sánchez Vicario is a former professional tennis player from Spain. He won three Grand Slam doubles titles and the men's doubles silver medal at the 1988 Olympic Games... , 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 Stefan Edberg Stefan Edberg Stefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He also won one season ending championship title the Masters Grand Prix... d. Amos Mansdorf Amos Mansdorf Amos Mansdorf is a former professional tennis player.His best singles world ranking of 18 was the highest ever for any male, Israeli tennis player, reached in November 1987. His best doubles world ranking was 67, reached in May 1986.-Early life:... , 6-7, 6-4, 6-1 |
| May 8 | Forest Hills Forest Hills, Queens Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area... , New York New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... , USA |
Eagle Tournament of Champions | Nabisco Grand Prix | $485,000 Clay (Har-Tru) |
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... d.  Jaime YzagaJaime Yzaga Jaime Yzaga Tori is a former professional tennis player from Peru.Yzaga played on the professional tour from 1984 to 1996.... , 6-2, 6-1 |
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... d. Andre Agassi Andre Agassi Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game... , 6-2, 6-3 Jaime Yzaga Jaime Yzaga Jaime Yzaga Tori is a former professional tennis player from Peru.Yzaga played on the professional tour from 1984 to 1996.... d. Michael Chang Michael Chang Michael Te-Pei Chang is a former American professional tennis player. He is best remembered for becoming the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17.... , 6-4, 6-3 |
WCT 1990
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. The Forest Hills WCT at West Side Tennis ClubWest Side Tennis Club
The West Side Tennis Club is a private tennis club located in Forest Hills, a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens. It is currently an oasis within the City with 38 courts in all four surfaces , a junior Olympic swimming pool and many other amenities.It is most notable for hosting...
was moved from Har-Tru green clay to hardcourts and run as special non-ATP Tour event. Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl
Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis...
stamped his WCT dominance winning the very last title.
| Date Final | Tournament | Commercial Name | Category | Prize Money/ Surface |
Final Match | Semifinal Matches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 26 | Forest Hills Forest Hills, Queens Forest Hills is a neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York City, New York, United States.-Neighborhood:The neighborhood is home to upper-middle class residents, of whom the wealthier residents often live in the neighborhood's Forest Hills Gardens area... , New York New York City New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and... , USA |
WCT Tournament of Champions | Special event | $500,000 Hard |
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... d. Aaron KricksteinAaron Krickstein Aaron Krickstein , nicknamed "Marathon Man", is a former American professional tennis player, who competed on the ATP Tour from 1983 to 1996. Born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, he currently competes on the Outback Champions Series Over-30 tour.Krickstein reached his career high ATP ranking of World No.... , 6-4, 6-7, 6-3 |
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... d. Henri Leconte Henri Leconte Henri Leconte is a former French professional tennis player. He reached the men's singles final at the French Open in 1988, won the French Open men's doubles title in 1984, and helped France win the Davis Cup in 1991.-Biography and career:... , 6-7, 6-3, 6-1, |
WCT Year End Championship Finals
The WCT Finals were usually held in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
. The 1971 quarterfinals and semifinals were played in Houston
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, and final played at Moody Coliseum
Moody Coliseum
Moody Coliseum is an 8,998-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Texas. The arena opened in 1956. It is home to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs basketball team. It was also home to the Dallas Chaparrals and Texas Chaparrals of the American Basketball Association before they moved...
in Dallas. The 1972-1979 editions were played at Moody Coliseum, and the 1980-1989 tournaments at Reunion Arena
Reunion Arena
Reunion Arena was an indoor arena, in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas . It held 18,293 for basketball and 17,001 for ice hockey.It was demolished in November 2009 and the site was cleared by the end of the year.-History:...
in Dallas.
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score in final |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1971 1971 World Championship Tennis Finals The 1971 World Championship Tennis Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 1st edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1971 World Championship Tennis circuit... |
 Ken RosewallKen Rosewall Kenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player from Australia. He won 23 Majors including eight Grand Slam singles titles and before the Open Era a record fifteen Pro Slam titles . Rosewall won 9 slams in doubles with a career double grand slam... |
Rod Laver Rod Laver Rodney George "Rod" Laver MBE is an Australian former tennis player who holds the record for titles won in career, and was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970... |
6–4, 1–6, 7–6, 7–6 |
| 1972 1972 World Championship Tennis Finals The 1972 World Championship Tennis Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 2nd edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit... |
Ken Rosewall Ken Rosewall Kenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player from Australia. He won 23 Majors including eight Grand Slam singles titles and before the Open Era a record fifteen Pro Slam titles . Rosewall won 9 slams in doubles with a career double grand slam... |
Rod Laver Rod Laver Rodney George "Rod" Laver MBE is an Australian former tennis player who holds the record for titles won in career, and was the World No. 1 player for seven consecutive years, from 1964 to 1970... |
4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6 |
| 1972 winter 1972 World Championship Tennis Winter Finals The 1972 World Championship Tennis Winter Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 1st edition of the WCT Winter Finals and was part of the 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit... |
Arthur Ashe Arthur Ashe Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States... |
Bob Lutz |
6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6 |
| 1973 1973 World Championship Tennis Finals The 1973 World Championship Tennis Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 3rd edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1973 World Championship Tennis circuit... |
Stan Smith Stan Smith Stanley Roger "Stan" Smith is a former American tennis player and two time Grand Slam singles champion who also, with his partner Bob Lutz, formed one of the most successful doubles teams of all time. Together, they won many major titles all over the world... |
Arthur Ashe Arthur Ashe Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States... |
6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 |
| 1974 1974 World Championship Tennis Finals The 1974 World Championship Tennis Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 4th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1974 World Championship Tennis circuit... |
John Newcombe John Newcombe John David Newcombe, AO, OBE is a former World No. 1 tennis player.-Biography:He won seven Grand Slam singles titles, A natural athlete, Newcombe played several sports as a boy until devoting himself to tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962, and 1963 and was a member of... |
Björn Borg Björn Borg Björn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles... |
4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 1975 1975 World Championship Tennis Finals The 1975 World Championship Tennis Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 5th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1975 World Championship Tennis circuit... |
Arthur Ashe Arthur Ashe Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States... |
Björn Borg Björn Borg Björn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles... |
3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–0 |
| 1976 1976 World Championship Tennis Finals The 1976 World Championship Tennis Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 6th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1976 World Championship Tennis circuit... |
Björn Borg Björn Borg Björn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles... |
Guillermo Vilas Guillermo Vilas Guillermo Apolinario Vilas is a retired and former World No. 2 professional tennis player from Argentina. He was the second Latin-American to win a Grand Slam tournament.-Career:... |
1–6, 6–1, 7–5, 6–1 |
| 1977 1977 World Championship Tennis Finals The 1977 World Championship Tennis Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 7th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1977 World Championship Tennis circuit... |
Jimmy Connors Jimmy Connors James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player.... |
Dick Stockton Dick Stockton (tennis) Dick Stockton , was a professional tennis player from the United States. He is currently the head coach of the men's tennis team at the University of Virginia.... |
6–7, 6–1, 6–4, 6–3 |
| 1978 1978 World Championship Tennis Finals The 1978 World Championship Tennis Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 8th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1978 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix, as the World Championship Tennis and the Grand Prix circuits were now combined... |
Vitas Gerulaitis Vitas Gerulaitis Vytautas Kevin Gerulaitis was a Lithuanian–American professional tennis player. He is known for winning the men's singles title at one of the two Australian Open tournaments held in 1977. Gerulaitis won the tournament held in December, while Roscoe Tanner won the earlier January tournament... |
Eddie Dibbs Eddie Dibbs Eddie Dibbs is a retired American tennis player. He attained a career high ranking of World No. 5 in July 1978.-Wins :-Runner-ups :-Grand Slam singles tournament timeline:... |
6–3, 6–2, 6–1 |
| 1979 1979 World Championship Tennis Finals The 1979 World Championship Tennis Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 9th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1979 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix... |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... |
Björn Borg Björn Borg Björn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles... |
7–5, 4–6, 6–2, 7–6 |
| 1980 1980 World Championship Tennis Finals The 1980 World Championship Tennis Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 10th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1980 Volvo Grand Prix... |
Jimmy Connors Jimmy Connors James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player.... |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... |
2–6, 7–6, 6–1, 6–2 |
| 1981 1981 World Championship Tennis Finals The 1981 World Championship Tennis Finals was a 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... |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... |
Johan Kriek Johan Kriek Johan Kriek is a South African American professional male tennis player and founder of the Global Water Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to delivering clean water to the world's neediest communities. Kriek has won two Australian Opens and has reached the semi-finals at the French... |
6–1, 6–2, 6–4 |
| 1982 1982 World Championship Tennis Finals The 1982 World Championship Tennis 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... |
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... |
6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 |
| 1982 fall 1982 World Championship Tennis Fall Finals The 1982 World Championship Tennis Fall Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the only edition of the World Championship Tennis Fall Finals and was part of the 1982 World Championship Tennis circuit... |
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... |
 Wojciech FibakWojciech Fibak Wojciech Fibak or shorter Wojtek Fibak is a former Polish tennis player best known for his doubles success with Tom Okker and Kim Warwick.... |
6–4, 6–2, 6–1 |
| 1982 winter 1982 World Championship Tennis Winter Finals The 1982 World Championship Tennis Winter Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 2nd edition of the World Championship Tennis Winter Finals and was part of the 1982 World Championship Tennis circuit... |
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... |
Guillermo Vilas Guillermo Vilas Guillermo Apolinario Vilas is a retired and former World No. 2 professional tennis player from Argentina. He was the second Latin-American to win a Grand Slam tournament.-Career:... |
7–5, 6–2, 2–6, 6–4 |
| 1983 1983 World Championship Tennis Finals The 1983 World Championship Tennis Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 13th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1983 World Championship Tennis circuit... |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... |
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... |
6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6 |
| 1984 1984 World Championship Tennis Finals The 1984 World Championship Tennis Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 14th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1984 World Championship Tennis circuit... |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... |
Jimmy Connors Jimmy Connors James Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player.... |
6–1, 6–2, 6–3 |
| 1985 1985 Buick WCT Finals The 1985 Buick WCT Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 15th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1985 Nabisco Grand Prix, as the two organisations had reunited... |
Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl Ivan Lendl is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis... |
Tim Mayotte Tim Mayotte Timothy "Tim" Mayotte is a former professional tennis player from the United States.- Career :... |
7–6, 6–4, 6–1 |
| 1986 1986 Buick WCT Finals The 1986 Buick WCT Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 16th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1986 Nabisco Grand Prix... |
Anders Järryd Anders Järryd Anders Per Järryd is a former professional tennis player from Sweden. During his career he won eight Grand Slam doubles titles , reached the World No. 1 doubles ranking, and achieved a career-high singles ranking of World No. 5.Järryd was born in Lidköping, Västra Götaland... |
Boris Becker Boris Becker Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17... |
6–7, 6–1, 6–1, 6–4 |
| 1987 1987 WCT Finals The 1987 WCT Finals was a 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... |
Miloslav Mečíř Miloslav Mecír Miloslav Mečíř is a former professional tennis player from Slovakia. He won the men's singles gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games where he represented Czechoslovakia and played in two Grand Slam singles finals... |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... |
6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2 |
| 1988 1988 WCT Finals The 1988 WCT Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 18th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1988 Nabisco Grand Prix... |
Boris Becker Boris Becker Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17... |
Stefan Edberg Stefan Edberg Stefan Bengt Edberg is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Sweden. A major proponent of the serve-and-volley style of tennis, he won six Grand Slam singles titles and three Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He also won one season ending championship title the Masters Grand Prix... |
6–4, 1–6, 7–5, 6–2 |
| 1989 1989 WCT Finals The 1989 WCT Finals was a tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts. It was the 19th edition of the WCT Finals and was part of the 1989 Nabisco Grand Prix... |
John McEnroe John McEnroe John Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title... |
Brad Gilbert Brad Gilbert Brad Gilbert , is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, an author and former professional tennis player. He was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Piedmont High School .... |
6–3, 6–3, 7–6 |
The first edition of the WCT Finals in 1971 was played in November, just a few days before The Masters
Tennis Masters Cup
The Barclays ATP World Tour Finals is a tennis tournament played at the end of each year, involving the top eight players in the men's tennis world rankings....
, the equivalent of the WCT Finals for the rival Grand Prix circuit
Grand Prix tennis tournaments
The Grand Prix tennis circuit was a professional tennis tour for male players that existed from 1970 to 1989. It was the more prominent of two predecessors to the current tour for male players, the ATP Tour, the other being World Championship Tennis ....
. 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
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. The prize money offered to the winner, Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...
, was US$25,000 compared to the US$50,000 won by Ken Rosewall
Ken Rosewall
Kenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player from Australia. He won 23 Majors including eight Grand Slam singles titles and before the Open Era a record fifteen Pro Slam titles . Rosewall won 9 slams in doubles with a career double grand slam...
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
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, and in winter (in January 1983) in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
.
WCT Final Rankings by year (Top Ten)
1971- 1 Rod Laver
- 2 Tom Okker
- 3 Ken Rosewall
- 4 Cliff Drysdale
- 5 Arthur Ashe
- 6 John Newcombe
- 7 Marty Riessen
- 8 Bob Lutz
- 9 Roy Emerson
- 10 Andres Gimeno
1972
- (in fact second part of 1971 and first part of 1972)
- 1 Rod Laver
- 2 Ken Rosewall
- 3 Tom Okker
- 4 Cliff Drysdale
- 5 Marty Riessen
- 6 Arthur Ashe
- 7 Bob Lutz
- 8 John Newcombe
- 9 Roy Emerson
- 9 Charlie Pasarell
1972
- (second part final standings). The first eight players played the 1972 autumn-winter WCT Finals held in Rome.
- 1 John Newcombe
- 2 Arthur Ashe
- 3 Tom Okker
- 4 Mark Cox
- 5 Cliff Drysdale
- 5 Marty Riessen
- 7 Bob Lutz
- 7 Niki Pilic
- 9 Roy Emerson
- 9 Anthony Roche
- 9 El Shafei
1973
- 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.
Group A
- 1 Stan Smith
- 2 Rod Laver
- 3 Roy Emerson
- 3 John Alexander
- 5 Cliff Richey
- 6 Dick Stockton
- 7 Bob Lutz
- 8 Brian Gottfried
- 9 Colin Dibley
- 10 J Fillol
Group B
- 1 Ken Rosewall
- 2 Arthur Ashe
- 3 Marty Riessen
- 4 Roger Taylor
- 4 Mark Cox
- 6 Brian Fairlie
- 7 Jan Kodes
- 8 Tom Okker
- 9 Roscoe Tanner
- 10 Tom Gorman
1974
- 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
- 1 Nastase*
- 2 Okker*
- 3 Gorman
- 4 Drysdale
- 5 Pilic
- 6 Pattison
- 7 John Alexander
- 8 Riessen
- 9 Anthony Roche
- 10 McMillan
Blue Group
- 1 John Newcombe*
- 2 Smith*
- 3 Metreveli
- 4 Stockton
- 5 Hrebec
- 6 Borowiak
- 7 Ross Case
- 8 Ramirez
- 9 Fillol
- 10 Richey
Green Group
- 1 Ashe*
- 2 Rod Laver*
- 3 Borg*
- 4 Kodes*
- 5 Cox
- 6 Tanner
- 7 Dibbs
- 8 Taylor
- 9 Panatta
- 10 Parun
1975
- 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
- 1 John Alexander*
- 2 Solomon*
- 3 Cox*
- 4 Smith
- 5 Stockton
- 6 Lutz
- 7 Dent
- 8 Drysdale
- 9 Amritraj
- 9 Riessen
Blue Group
- 1 Laver*
- 2 Tanner*
- 3 Ramirez*
- 4 Gottfried
- 5 Gerulaitus
- 6 Fillol
- 7 Stone
- 8 Pattison
- 9 Borowiak
- 9 El Shafei
Green Group
- 1 Ashe*
- 2 Borg*
- 3 Okker
- 4 Mottram
- 5 Hewitt
- 6 Parun
- 7 Warwick
- 8 Higueras
- 9 Dominguez
- 10 Giltinan
1976-1983: All the players were put back together and played the same tournaments.
1976
- 1 Ashe
- 2 Ramirez
- 3 Vilas
- 4 Dibbs
- 5 Borg
- 6 Stockton
- 7 Lutz
- 8 Solomon
- 9 Gerulaitis
- 10 Gottfried
1977
- 1 Stockton
- 2 Dibbs
- 3 Connors
- 4 Nastase
- 5 Drysdale
- 5 Fibak
- 5 Gerulaitis
- 8 Panatta
- 9 Barazzutti
- 10 Solomon
- 10 Rosewall
1978
- 1 Gerulaitis
- 2 Borg
- 3 Dibbs
- 4 Ramirez
- 5 Nastase
- 6 S Mayer
- 7 Connors
- 7 Gottfried
- 9 Stockton
- 10 Barazzutti
1979
- 1 McEnroe
- 2 Borg
- 3 Gerulaitis
- 4 Connors
- 5 Tanner
- 6 G Mayer
- 7 Ashe
- 7 Vilas
- 9 Masters
- 10 Alexander
- 10 Gottfried
- 10 Nastase
1980
- 1 McEnroe
- 2 Scanlon
- 3 Connors
- 4 Lendl
- 4 Tanner
- 6 Gunthardt
- 6 V Amritraj
- 8 Sadri
- 8 Clerc
- 10 Gottfried
- 10 G Mayer
1981
- 1 Tanner
- 2 Connors
- 3 Fibak
- 4 Noah
- 5 McEnroe
- 6 V Amritraj
- 7 Gottfried
- 8 Gerulaitis
- 9 S Mayer
- 10 G Mayer
1982
- 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 :
Spring
- 1 Lendl
- 2 Clerc
- 3 Fibak
- 4 V Amritraj
- 5 Smid
- 6 McNamara
- 7 McEnroe
- 8 Gerulaitis
- 9 Taroczy
- 10 Dibbs
Summer/Fall
- 1 Lendl
- 2 Smid
- 3 Clerc
- 4 Vilas
- 5 Kriek
- 6 Higueras
- 7 Gunthardt
- 7 Fibak
- 9 Tanner
- 10 Bourne
Winter
- 1 Fibak
- 2 Scanlon
- 3 Curren
- 3 Vilas
- 5 Taroczy
- 6 McNamee
- 7 Lendl
- 7 Teacher
- 9 Tom Gullikson
- 9 Smid
1983
- there were only 9 tournaments and the WCT were back with the Grand Prix circuit.
- 1 Lendl
- 2 McEnroe
- 3 Vilas
- 4 Gerulaitis
- 5 Clerc
- 6 McNamee
- 7 Smid
- 8 Fibak
- 9 Taroczy
- 10 Scanlon
WCT Challenge Cup
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 (a 8-man tournament) were held by the WCT organization.List of WCT Challenge Cup winners
- 1976 - Honolulu - Ilie NăstaseIlie NastaseIlie Nastase is a Romanian former professional tennis player, one of the world's top players of the 1970s. Năstase was the World No. 1 tennis player between 1973 and 1974 . He is one of the five players in history to win more than 100 ATP professional titles . He was inducted into the...
defeated Arthur AsheArthur AsheArthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...
, 6–3, 1–6, 6–7, 6–3, 6–1 - 1976/7 - Las Vegas - Ilie NăstaseIlie NastaseIlie Nastase is a Romanian former professional tennis player, one of the world's top players of the 1970s. Năstase was the World No. 1 tennis player between 1973 and 1974 . He is one of the five players in history to win more than 100 ATP professional titles . He was inducted into the...
defeated Jimmy ConnorsJimmy ConnorsJames Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
, 3–6, 7–6, 6–4, 7–5 - 1977 - Las Vegas - Jimmy ConnorsJimmy ConnorsJames Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
defeated Roscoe TannerRoscoe TannerRoscoe Tanner is an American former professional tennis player, who turned pro in 1972 and reached a career high world singles ranking of World No...
, 6–2, 5–6, 3–6, 6–2, 6–5 - 1978 - Montego Bay - Ilie NăstaseIlie NastaseIlie Nastase is a Romanian former professional tennis player, one of the world's top players of the 1970s. Năstase was the World No. 1 tennis player between 1973 and 1974 . He is one of the five players in history to win more than 100 ATP professional titles . He was inducted into the...
defeated Peter Fleming, 2–6, 5–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–4 - 1979 - Montreal - Björn BorgBjörn BorgBjörn Rune Borg is a former world no. 1 tennis player from Sweden. Between 1974 and 1981 he won 11 Grand Slam singles titles. He won five consecutive Wimbledon singles titles and six French Open singles titles...
defeated Jimmy ConnorsJimmy ConnorsJames Scott "Jimmy" Connors is an American former world no. 1 tennis player....
, 6–4, 6–2, 2–6, 6–4 - 1980 - Montreal - John McEnroeJohn McEnroeJohn Patrick McEnroe, Jr. is a former world no. 1 professional tennis player from the United States. During his career, he won seven Grand Slam singles titles , nine Grand Slam men's doubles titles, and one Grand Slam mixed doubles title...
defeated Vijay AmritrajVijay AmritrajVijay Amritraj is a former Indian tennis player, sports commentator and actor.Amritraj was born in Chennai, India to Maggie Dhairyam and Robert Amritraj. He and his brothers, Anand Amritraj and Ashok Amritraj, were among the first Indians to play in top-flight international tour tennis...
, 6–1, 6–2, 6–1