Grand Prix tennis tournaments
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From 1970 to 1989, all non-Grand Slam professional men's tournaments were called Grand Prix events by the Men's International Professional Tennis Council, the governing body of men's professional tennis at the time. In 1990, the Association of Tennis Professionals, led by Hamilton Jordan, replaced the MIPTC as the governing body of men's professional tennis, and the ATP Tour was born.
In 1970 there were 27 Grand Prix events, and in 1990 there were 66.
With the beginning of the ATP Tour in 1990, the nine most prestigious events on the Tour became known as ATP Masters Series events. They offered the best fields, the best facilities and the most prize money of all events on the ATP Tour. In 2000, they and the Grand Slams became the only mandatory events in tennis. Players were automatically entered and the Masters Series and the Slams became the baseline for player rankings.
The label 'Grand Prix' was done away with by the ATP Tour at the end of 1997. Twelve of the more prestigious Grand Prix events became International Series Gold tournaments, while the remaining ones (approximately 50) became known as International Series events. The format has been continued from the 1998 season to the present.
