Tennis, professional tournaments before the open era

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Before the beginning of the Open era in 1968 only amateurs were allowed to compete in mainstream tennis tournaments, including the four Grand Slams. However some top players turned professional, and played in separate professional events, mostly on tours in head-to-head competition.

[edit] The three major professional tournaments

In addition to head-to-head events there were several annual professional tournaments that were called championship tournaments. The most prestigious was the Wembley Professional Championship at Wembley in England, played between 1934 and 1990, that was unofficially considered the world's championship through 1967. The oldest was the United States Professional Championship, played between 1927 and 1999. Between 1955 and 1962, it was played indoors in Cleveland and was called the World Professional Championships. The third major tournament was the French Professional Championship, played between 1930 and 1968. The British and American championships continued into the Open era but devolved to the status of minor tournaments.

The status of the Wembley Championships of 1936 and 1938 is unclear. Two of the three major sources for the professional championships list the results as shown below. Ray Bowers, however, in his Web-site history of professional tennis says flatly that neither of these tournaments ever occurred and offers substantiating evidence for his assertion.

[edit] Wembley Championship:

This tournament was called the "London Indoor Professional Championships" from 1951 through 1967. In 1968, it was called the "Kramer Tournament of Champions." From 1969 through 1971, the tournament was called the "British Covered Court Championships." Finally, it was called the "Benson & Hedges Tournament" beginning in 1976.

Year Winner Runner-up
1934 Ellsworth Vines Flag of United States United States Hans Nusslein Flag of Germany Germany
1935 Ellsworth Vines Flag of United States United States Bill Tilden Flag of United States United States
1936 possibly not held Ellsworth Vines Flag of United States United States Bill Tilden Flag of United States United States
1937 Hans Nusslein Flag of Germany Germany Bill Tilden Flag of United States United States
1938 possibly not held Hans Nusslein Flag of Germany Germany Bill Tilden Flag of United States United States
1939 Don Budge Flag of United States United States Hans Nüsslein Flag of Germany Germany
1940-1948
not held
1949 Jack Kramer Flag of United States United States Bobby Riggs Flag of United States United States
1950 Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States Welby Van Horn Flag of United States United States
1951 Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States Pancho Segura Flag of United States United States
1952 Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States Jack Kramer Flag of United States United States
1953 Frank Sedgman Flag of Australia Australia Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States
1954-1955
not held
1956 Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States Frank Sedgman Flag of Australia Australia
1957 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Pancho Segura Flag of United States United States
1958 Frank Sedgman Flag of Australia Australia Tony Trabert Flag of United States United States
1959 Mal Anderson Flag of Australia Australia Pancho Segura Flag of United States United States
1960 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Pancho Segura Flag of United States United States
1961 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Lew Hoad Flag of Australia Australia
1962 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Lew Hoad Flag of Australia Australia
1963 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Lew Hoad Flag of Australia Australia
1964 Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia
1965 Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia Andres Gimeno Flag of Spain Spain
1966 Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia
1967 Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia
1968 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia John Newcombe Flag of Australia Australia
1969 Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia Tony Roche Flag of Australia Australia
1970 Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia Cliff Richey Flag of United States United States
1971 Ilie Năstase Flag of Romania Romania Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia
1972-1975
not held
1976 Jimmy Connors Flag of United States United States Roscoe Tanner Flag of United States United States
1977 Björn Borg Flag of Sweden Sweden John Lloyd Flag of United Kingdom United Kingdom
1978 John McEnroe Flag of United States United States Tim Gullikson Flag of United States United States
1979 John McEnroe Flag of United States United States Harold Solomon Flag of United States United States
1980 John McEnroe Flag of United States United States Gene Mayer Flag of United States United States
1981 Jimmy Connors Flag of United States United States John McEnroe Flag of United States United States
1982 John McEnroe Flag of United States United States Brian Gottfried Flag of United States United States
1983 John McEnroe Flag of United States United States Jimmy Connors Flag of United States United States
1984 Ivan Lendl Flag of Czech Republic Czech Republic Andres Gomez Flag of Ecuador Ecuador
1985 Ivan Lendl Flag of Czech Republic Czech Republic Boris Becker Flag of Germany Germany
1986 Yannick Noah Flag of France France Jonas Svensson Flag of Sweden Sweden
1987 Ivan Lendl Flag of Czech Republic Czech Republic Anders Jarryd Flag of Sweden Sweden
1988 Jakob Hlasek Flag of Switzerland Switzerland Jonas Svensson Flag of Sweden Sweden
1989 Michael Chang Flag of United States United States Guy Forget Flag of France France
1990 Jakob Hlasek Flag of Switzerland Switzerland Michael Chang Flag of United States United States

[edit] United States Pro Championship ("U.S. Pro")

The U.S. Pro Championship was an annual tournament. It has also been known as MFS Pro Championships. The first was organized by player Vinny Richards when promoter C.C. Pyle withdrew interest in the project. It was played on the Notlek courts located at 119th Street and Riverside Drive, Brooklyn. The following four editions were played at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, Queens. The next five were played at various clubs in Chicago and New York.

From 1937 to 1941 a tournament was held at the Greenbrier Golf and Tennis Club, White Sulfur Springs, West Virginia and called the U.S. Open, as it was open to both pros and amateurs. Because of their participation the latter were later officially barred from future U.S.L.T.A. amateur competition. The 1937 edition of the U.S. Open is also viewed as the U.S. Pro. The U.S. Pro was then played in Chicago or Los Angeles until the 1940s, the 1946 through '49 events played at the West Side in Forest Hills.

From 1950 to 1964 promoter Jack March organized an annual tournament called the World Pro Championship that was held at different sites in Cleveland: in 1950 and from 1952 to 1962 the tournament served as the U.S. Pro. Between 1954 and 1962 it was played indoors at the Cleveland Arena. After playing the 1963 edition at the West Side the tournament had a permanent home at the Longwood Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, where it was played from 1964 through 1995 and from 1997 to 1999.

The following are the pre-Open tennis results for the U.S. Pro Championship:

Year Winner Runner-up
1927 Vincent Richards Flag of United States United States Howard Kinsey Flag of United States United States
1928 Vincent Richards Flag of United States United States Karel Koželuh Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia
1929 Karel Koželuh Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Vincent Richards Flag of United States United States
1930 Vincent Richards Flag of United States United States Karel Koželuh Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia
1931 Bill Tilden Flag of United States United States Vincent Richards Flag of United States United States
1932 Karel Koželuh Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Hans Nusslein Flag of Germany Germany
1933 Vincent Richards Flag of United States United States Frank Hunter Flag of United States United States
1934 Hans Nusslein Flag of Germany Germany Karel Koželuh Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia
1935 Bill Tilden Flag of United States United States Karel Koželuh Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia
1936 Joe Whalen Flag of United States United States Charles Wood Flag of United States United States
1937 Karel Koželuh Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Bruce Barnes Flag of United States United States
1938 Fred Perry Flag of England England Bruce Barnes Flag of United States United States
1939 Ellsworth Vines Flag of United States United States Fred Perry Flag of England England
1940 Don Budge Flag of United States United States Fred Perry Flag of England England
1941 Fred Perry Flag of England England Dick Skeen Flag of United States United States
1942 Don Budge Flag of United States United States Bobby Riggs Flag of United States United States
1943 Bruce Barnes Flag of United States United States John Nogrady Flag of United States United States
1944 not held
1945 Welby Van Horn Flag of United States United States John Nogrady Flag of United States United States
1946 Bobby Riggs Flag of United States United States Don Budge Flag of United States United States
1947 Bobby Riggs Flag of United States United States Don Budge Flag of United States United States
1948 Jack Kramer Flag of United States United States Bobby Riggs Flag of United States United States
1949 Bobby Riggs Flag of United States United States Don Budge Flag of United States United States
1950 Pancho Segura Flag of United States United States Frank Kovacs Flag of United States United States
1951 Pancho Segura Flag of United States United States Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States
1952 Pancho Segura Flag of United States United States Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States
1953 Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States Don Budge Flag of United States United States
1954 Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States Frank Sedgman Flag of Australia Australia
1955 Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States Pancho Segura Flag of United States United States
1956 Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States Pancho Segura Flag of United States United States
1957 Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States Pancho Segura Flag of United States United States
1958 Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States Lew Hoad Flag of Australia Australia
1959 Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States Lew Hoad Flag of Australia Australia
1960 Alex Olmedo Flag of United States United States Tony Trabert Flag of United States United States
1961 Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States Frank Sedgman Flag of Australia Australia
1962 Butch Buchholz Flag of United States United States Pancho Segura Flag of United States United States
1963 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia
1964 Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States
1965 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia
1966 Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia
1967 Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia Andres Gimeno Flag of Spain Spain

[edit] French Pro Championship:

always played at Paris,

on outdoor clay at Roland Garros

except in 1953 on indoor wood at the Palais des Sports and from 1963 to 1967 still on indoor wood but at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin.


It is not sure :

a) that 1953 tournament was considered at the time as an official French Pro,

b) that there were French Pro editions between 1930 and 1933. In History of the Pro Tennis Wars, by Ray Bowers (http://www.tennisserver.com/lines/lines-archive.html), a Web site where in eleven chapters, Bowers gives a very detailed account of the first sixteen years of the professional tennis tours, from a modest beginning in 1926 with Suzanne Lenglen and Vincent Richards as the main attractions, on through 1941, there is no mention of French Pro tournaments between 1930 and 1933. According to Bowers in 1933 the only professional competition played at Roland Garros was a USA-France meeting, September 22-24, in the Davis Cup format won by the USA 4-1 where Cochet overcame Bruce Barnes, Tilden defeated Plaa and Cochet, Barnes beat Plaa, and Americans then closed out the doubles. Many sources probably wrongly considered the Tilden-Cochet match as a final of a supposed French Pro.

Year Winner Runner-up
1930 possibly not held Karel Koželuh Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia Albert Burke Flag of Republic of Ireland Ireland
1931 possibly not held Martin Plaa Flag of France France Robert Ramillon Flag of France France
1932 possibly not held Robert Ramillon Flag of France France Martin Plaa Flag of France France
1933
not held
1934 Bill Tilden Flag of United States United States Martin Plaa Flag of France France
1935 Ellsworth Vines Flag of United States United States Hans Nusslein Flag of Germany Germany
1936 Henri Cochet Flag of France France Robert Ramillon Flag of France France
1937 Hans Nusslein Flag of Germany Germany Henri Cochet Flag of France France
1938 Hans Nusslein Flag of Germany Germany Bill Tilden Flag of United States United States
1939 Don Budge Flag of United States United States Ellsworth Vines Flag of United States United States
1940-1952
not held
1953 Frank Sedgman Flag of Australia Australia Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States
1954-1955
not held
1956 Tony Trabert Flag of United States United States Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States
1957
not held
1958 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Lew Hoad Flag of Australia Australia
1959 Tony Trabert Flag of United States United States Frank Sedgman Flag of Australia Australia
1960 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Lew Hoad Flag of Australia Australia
1961 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Pancho Gonzales Flag of United States United States
1962 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Andres Gimeno Flag of Spain Spain
1963 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia
1964 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia
1965 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia
1966 Ken Rosewall Flag of Australia Australia Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia
1967 Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia Andres Gimeno Flag of Spain Spain
1968 Rod Laver Flag of Australia Australia John Newcombe Flag of Australia Australia

See List of French Men's Singles champions and finalists

[edit] External links

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