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 with WCT and players were ranked in a special WCT ranking according to their results in those tournaments.
The WCT had an important impact on the commercial development of tennis. It instituted a tie-breaker system, experimented the "no-ad" scoring system on 40-40 (called at times "sudden death") and outfitted 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 top players.
World Championship Tennis was founded in September 1967 by sports promoter David Dixon, who earlier witnessed the dreary conditions of the professional circuit before the open era when he visited a poorly promoted match between Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall.[1] In August of that year, he had presented his idea of a pro tennis tour to Lamar Hunt and Al Hill Jr., who agreed to invest.[2] [3] WCT became the major professional tennis tour of players under contract of the early seventies.
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 January 1968 in Sydney, Australia and used the VASSS scoring system. According to sportswriter Rod Humphries, this first event was a hastily organized tournament held in the parking lot of the Channel 7 television studios in Epping and was won by Tony Roche.[4] The first American WCT tournament was held in February 1968 in Kansas City, Missouri.[3] [5] [6] In March 1968 Hunt and Hill took over Dixon's 50% stake in WCT and Dixon left the organization. WCT took a loss of $300,000 during its first year of operation. Al Hill, Jr. became president of WCT.[7]
By early 1970, the WCT had signed other players (Marty Riessen, Ray Moore, Tom Okker, Arthur Ashe) and in July it acquired the player contracts of the other major professional organization, the National Tennis League (NTL), which had under contract players from the former professional group of Jack Kramer, namely Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall and Pancho Gonzáles as well as Andrés Gimeno, Roy Emerson, and Fred Stolle.[8]
In 1971, the WCT circuit grew to 21 tournaments around the globe.[9] In July 1971, at its annual meeting, the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) voted to ban all WCT contract professionals from the ILTF tournaments and facilities from the beginning of 1972 onwards.[10] 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 onward this championship, played on indoor carpet, was usually held in the spring in Dallas, Texas and became known as the WCT Finals. 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.
In April 1972 an agreement was reached between the ILTF and WCT that divided the 1973 tour in a WCT circuit that ran from January through May and a Grand Prix circuit that was scheduled for the rest of the year. Under this agreement WCT players were again allowed to play the Grand Prix tournaments.[11]
The WCT tour was merged into the Grand Prix tennis circuit in 1978. On 30 April 1981 WCT announced its withdrawal from the Grand Prix circuit and the establishment of its own full calendar season for 1982. According to Lamar Hunt the reasons for the withdrawal were the restrictions placed on them by the Men's Professional Council, the administrators of the Grand Prix circuit.[12] In January 1983, WCT sued the Men's International Professional Tennis Council (MIPTC), the Association of Tennis Professionals and the ITF, claiming unfair restriction of trade.[13] In November 1983 a settlement resulted in WCT's reincorporation into the Grand Prix with effect from 1985.[14]
1989 was the last season of WCT. The ATP established its own tennis circuit from 1990. On August 28, 1990, after the Tournament of Champions event at Forest Hills, WCT announced its dissolution.[15]
WCT also built and operated tennis clubs in the United States; WCT Lakeway World of Tennis in Lakeway (metro Austin), Texas and WCT Peachtree World of Tennis in Peachtree Corners (metro Atlanta), Georgia.
See main article: 1968 World Championship Tennis circuit.
See main article: 1969 World Championship Tennis circuit.
See main article: 1970 World Championship Tennis circuit.
See main article: 1971 World Championship Tennis circuit.
See main article: 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit.
See main article: 1973 World Championship Tennis circuit.
See main article: 1974 World Championship Tennis circuit.
See main article: 1975 World Championship Tennis circuit.
See main article: 1976 World Championship Tennis circuit.
See main article: 1977 World Championship Tennis circuit.
See main article: 1982 World Championship Tennis circuit.
See main article: 1983 World Championship Tennis circuit.
See main article: 1984 World Championship Tennis circuit.
WCT tournaments returned to the Grand Prix stage after a three-year absence during 1982–84. There were only four events. The titles were split between Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe, winning two each. While McEnroe entered into all four, Lendl played just two and won both. McEnroe won the WCT Houston title, beating Kevin Curren in the final.
The WCT Finals in Dallas saw the unexpected defeat of McEnroe in the quarterfinals by Joakim Nyström in three straight sets. The title was captured by Lendl, whose success completed a triplicate of titles in three weeks: Fort Myers on hard, Monte Carlo on clay and Dallas on the 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 in three sets. The WCT Tournament of Champions in Forest Hills ended with much anticipated final between Lendl and McEnroe. Despite winning only two of his last 12 matches over McEnroe in ATP tournaments, Lendl beat McEnroe 6–3 6–3.
| Date | Location | Tournament | Prize Money/ Surface | Final | Semifinals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 3 | Houston, USA | WCT Houston Shoot-Out | $300,000 Carpet |  John McEnroe d.  Kevin Curren, 7–5, 6–1, 7–6 | John McEnroe d. Peter Fleming, 6–4, 6–0 Kevin Curren d. Shahar Perkiss, 6–2, 6–2 | |
| April 14 | Dallas, USA | Buick WCT Finals | $500,000 Carpet | Ivan Lendl d. Tim Mayotte, 7–6, 6–4, 6–1 | Ivan Lendl d. Jimmy Connors, 6–3, 2–1 ret. Tim Mayotte d. Joakim Nyström, 6–4, 4–6, 6–2, 7–5 | |
| April 28 | Atlanta, USA | WCT Atlanta | $300,000 Carpet | John McEnroe d. Paul Annacone, 7–6, 7–6, 6–2 | John McEnroe d. Mike Leach, 6–3, 6–3 Paul Annacone d. Kevin Curren, walkover | |
| May 12 | Forest Hills, USA | Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions | $500,000 Clay (Har-Tru) | Ivan Lendl d. John McEnroe, 6–3, 6–3 | Ivan Lendl d. Aaron Krickstein, 6–1, 2–6, 6–1 John McEnroe d. Henrik Sundström, 6–2, 3–6, 6–2 |
The WCT Atlanta tournament was marked by early exits of top seeds Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker in the first round. Edberg lost to Mikael Pernfors, and Becker lost to Tim Wilkison. In Dallas, Anders Järryd was the unexpected winner, having replaced the injured Ivan Lendl in the 12-player draw.
| Date | Location | Tournament | Prize Money/ Surface | Final | Semifinals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 6 | Atlanta, USA | WCT Atlanta | $220,000 Carpet | Kevin Curren d. Tim Wilkison, 7–6, 7–6 | Kevin Curren d. Brian Teacher, 6–4, 6–2 Tim Wilkison d. David Pate, 6–4, 2–6, 6–4 | |
| Apr 13 | Dallas, USA | Buick WCT Finals | $500,000 Carpet |  Anders Järryd d. Boris Becker, 6–7, 6–1, 6–1, 6–4 | Anders Järryd d. Mats Wilander, 6–4, 7–5, 6–3 Boris Becker d. Stefan Edberg 7–6, 7–6, 4–6, 7–6 | |
| May 11 | Forest Hills, Queens, USA | Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions | $500,000 Clay (Har-Tru) |  Yannick Noah d.  Guillermo Vilas, 7–6, 6–0 | Yannick Noah d. Ivan Lendl, 6–3, 7–5 Guillermo Vilas d. Martín Jaite, 6–3, 6–3 | |
| Oct 12 | Scottsdale, USA | WCT Scottsdale Open | $220,000 Hard | John McEnroe d. Kevin Curren, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2 | John McEnroe d. David Pate, 6–3, 6–3 Kevin Curren d. Todd Witsken, 7–5, 6–7, 6–4 | |
| Nov 23 | Houston, USA | WCT Houston Shoot-Out | $220,000 Carpet | Slobodan Živojinović d. Scott Davis, 6–1, 4–6, 6–3 | Slobodan Živojinović d. Derrick Rostagno, 6–4, 6–4 Scott Davis d. Eliot Teltscher, 7–5, 6–4 |
| Date | Location | Tournament | Prize Money/ Surface | Final | Semifinals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 12 | Dallas, USA | WCT Finals | $500,000 Carpet | Miloslav Mečíř d. John McEnroe, 6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2 | Miloslav Mečíř d. Andrés Gómez, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, 6–2 John McEnroe d. Stefan Edberg, 7–6, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4 | |
| May 10 | Forest Hills, USA | Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions | $500,000 Clay (Har-Tru) |  Andrés Gómez d. Yannick Noah, 6–4, 7–6, 7–6 | Andrés Gómez d. Boris Becker, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 Yannick Noah d. Slobodan Živojinović, 6–3, 7–5 | |
| Oct 11 | Scottsdale, USA | WCT Scottsdale Open | $232,000 Hard | Brad Gilbert d. Eliot Teltscher, 6–2, 6–2 | Brad Gilbert d. Michael Chang 6–3, 6–4 Eliot Teltscher d. David Pate 7–6, 7–5 |
| Date | Location | Tournament | Prize Money/ Surface | Final | Semifinals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 3 | Dallas, USA | WCT Finals | $500,000 Carpet | Boris Becker d. Stefan Edberg, 6–4, 1–6, 7–5, 6–2 | Boris Becker d. Brad Gilbert, 6–4, 6–2, 6–1 Stefan Edberg d. Yannick Noah, 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3 | |
| May 8 | Forest Hills, USA | Eagle Tournament of Champions | $485,000 Clay (Har-Tru) | Andre Agassi d. Slobodan Živojinović, 7–5, 7–6, 7–5 | Andre Agassi d. Aaron Krickstein, 6–3, 6–3 Slobodan Živojinović d. Luiz Mattar, 7–6, 6–3 | |
| Oct 9 | Scottsdale, USA | WCT Eagle Classic | $297,000 Hard | Mikael Pernfors d. Glenn Layendecker, 6–2, 6–4 | Mikael Pernfors d. Kevin Curren, 4–6, 6–2, 6–3 Glenn Layendecker d. Jim Pugh, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1 |
1989 was the final year of the WCT tour. Only three events were organized, all of them were incorporated into the Nabisco Grand Prix and gaining ATP ranking points.
At the 19th (and last) WCT Finals in Reunion Arena, John McEnroe won his fifth Dallas title. His semifinal with Ivan Lendl produced the best match of the tournament, and McEnroe beat Lendl for the first time in over three years. The tournament was negatively impacted by the withdrawals of Boris Becker (who did not appear at all) and Andre Agassi (walking off the court during a second 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[16] to close the WCT era.
| Date | Location | Tournament | Prize Money/ Surface | Final | Semifinals | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 5 | Dallas, USA | WCT Finals | $500,000 Carpet | John McEnroe d. Brad Gilbert, 6–3, 6–3, 7–6 | John McEnroe d. Ivan Lendl, 6–7, 7–6, 6–2, 7–5 Brad Gilbert d. Mikael Pernfors, 6–3, 6–7, 6–3, 6–3 | |
| Mar 12 | Scottsdale, USA | WCT Eagle Classic | $297,000 Hard | Ivan Lendl d. Stefan Edberg, 6–2, 6–3 | Ivan Lendl d. Emilio Sánchez, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3 Stefan Edberg d. Amos Mansdorf, 6–7, 6–4, 6–1 | |
| May 8 | Forest Hills, USA | Eagle Tournament of Champions | $485,000 Clay (Har-Tru) | Ivan Lendl d.  Jaime Yzaga, 6–2, 6–1 | Ivan Lendl d. Andre Agassi, 6–2, 6–3 Jaime Yzaga d. Michael Chang, 6–4, 6–3 |
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.[15] The Forest Hills WCT at West Side Tennis Club was moved from green clay to hardcourts and run as special non-ATP Tour event. Ivan Lendl stamped his WCT dominance winning the last title.
See main article: article and WCT Finals. The WCT Finals were usually held in Dallas. The 1971 quarterfinals and semifinals were played in Houston, and the final was played at the Memorial Auditorium in Dallas. The 1972–1979 editions were played at the 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 $25,000 compared to the $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, Michigan.
| width=130 | Year | width=175 | Champion | width=175 | Runner-up | width=200 | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6–4, 1–6, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–4) | |||||||
 Ken Rosewall | Rod Laver | 4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6 | |||||
| 6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6 | |||||||
| Arthur Ashe | 6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4 | ||||||
| 4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–2 | |||||||
| Arthur Ashe | Björn Borg | 3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–0 | |||||
| Björn Borg | 1–6, 6–1, 7–5, 6–1 | ||||||
| 6–7, 6–1, 6–4, 6–3 | |||||||
| 6–3, 6–2, 6–1 | |||||||
| Björn Borg | 7–5, 4–6, 6–2, 7–6 | ||||||
| Jimmy Connors | John McEnroe | 2–6, 7–6, 6–1, 6–2 | |||||
| John McEnroe | 6–1, 6–2, 6–4 | ||||||
| John McEnroe | 6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3 | ||||||
 Ivan Lendl | 6–4, 6–2, 6–1 | ||||||
| Ivan Lendl | 7–5, 6–2, 2–6, 6–4 | ||||||
| John McEnroe | Ivan Lendl | 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6 | |||||
| John McEnroe | Jimmy Connors | 6–1, 6–2, 6–3 | |||||
| Ivan Lendl | 7–6, 6–4, 6–1 | ||||||
| 6–7, 6–1, 6–1, 6–4 | |||||||
| John McEnroe | 6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2 | ||||||
| Boris Becker | 6–4, 1–6, 7–5, 6–2 | ||||||
| John McEnroe | 6–3, 6–3, 7–6 |
R. Laver K. Rosewall A. Ashe J. Newcombe M. Riessen B. Lutz R. Emerson
A. GimenoOne ranking was issued for the second part of 1971 and first part of 1972, and another for the second part of 1972 final standings. The first eight players in the second ranking played the 1972 autumn-winter WCT Finals held in Rome.
Second part of 1971/first part of 1972
R. Laver K. Rosewall M. Riessen A. Ashe B. Lutz J. Newcombe R. EmersonSecond part of 1972
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.[17] Group AGroup B
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
I. Năstase* T. Gorman J. Alexander M. Riessen T. RocheBlue group
J. Newcombe* S. Smith* D. Stockton J. Borowiak R. Case
R. Ramírez C. RicheyGreen group
A. Ashe* R. Laver* B. Borg*
M. Cox R. Tanner E. Dibbs R. Taylor
A. Panatta O. ParunThe 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
J. Alexander* H. Solomon* M. Cox* S. Smith D. Stockton B. Lutz P. Dent
V. Amritraj= M. RiessenBlue group
R. Laver* R. Tanner* R. Ramírez* B. Gottfried V. Gerulaitis A. Stone J. Borowiak
I. El ShafeiGreen group
A. Ashe* B. Borg* B. Mottram O. Parun K. Warwick J. Higueras P. Dominguez B. Giltinan1976–1983: All the players were put back together and played the same tournaments.
A. Ashe[18] R. Ramírez G. Vilas E. Dibbs B. Borg D. Stockton B. Lutz H. Solomon V. Gerulaitis B. Gottfried R. Tanner[19] J. Connors
W. Fibak Y. Noah J. McEnroe V. Amritraj B. Gottfried V. Gerulaitis S. Mayer G. MayerWCT 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:[20] Spring
J. L. Clerc W. Fibak V. Amritraj P. McNamara J. McEnroe V. Gerulaitis
B. Taróczy E. DibbsSummer/FallWinter
There were only 9 tournaments and the WCT were back with the Grand Prix circuit.
J. McEnroe G. Vilas V. Gerulaitis J. L. Clerc P. McNamee W. Fibak B. Taróczy B. ScanlonSome 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 (an 8-man tournament) were held by the WCT organization.