Grand Prix Super Series
The Grand Prix Super Series[1] of men's tennis tournaments was part of the Grand Prix and World Championship Tennis tours between 1978 and 1989, sometimes also referred to as the Super Grand Prix.[2][3][4] They were held annually throughout the year in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia. These tournaments were the most prestigious and highest level events of the Grand Prix Tour after the majors and year-end championships.[5][6] [7][8]
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1978–1989 |
| Achievements (singles) | |
| Most tournament titles | Ivan Lendl (29) |
| Most tournament finals | Ivan Lendl (44) |
When the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) became the sole governing body of men's tennis in 1990, all of the surviving tournaments of the Grand Prix were absorbed into the new ATP Tour.[9] The nine top events existing at that time are now known as ATP Tour Masters 1000 tournaments.
History
The Grand Prix tennis circuit was conceived from idea put forward by former World No. 1 player Jack Kramer, turned promoter in 1968. He proposed "a series of tournaments with a money bonus pool that would be split up on the basis of a cumulative point system." and to "encourage players to compete regularly in the series and qualify for a special championship tournament at the end of the tour season".[10] This system formed the basis of the men's professional game. The WCT founded by Lamar Hunt and David Dixon (1968) was merged into the Grand Prix Tour in 1978. The WCT withdrew from 1982 to 1984, and sued the Men's Tennis Council who organized the men's tennis tour.[11] A settlement resulted in WCT's reincorporation into the Grand Prix in 1985. After the Majors and Year-end Championships, these events were the highest in-terms of status at the time.[5][12]
Tournament finals
1978 Grand Prix – Super Series
The 1978 Grand Prix circuit was the ninth edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of 84 tournaments which were held from January through December. The tournaments were graded in three main categories: 1) Grand Slam events 2) Super Series tournaments with prize money of at least $175,000 and 3) tournaments with prize money between $50,000 and $175,000. Both latter categories were subdivided in four prize money categories which determined the number of ranking points available. In addition the season-ending Masters tournament carried prize money of $400,000. There were 32 Super Series tournaments, including 8 WCT tournaments.[13][14]
1979 Grand Prix – Super Series
The 1979 Grand Prix circuit was the tenth edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of 91 tournaments which were held from January through December. The tournaments were graded in one of twelve categories which determined the number of ranking points available: Grand Slam events, comprising four Grand Slam tournaments, Grand Prix Masters, Super Series.
1980 Grand Prix – Super Series
The 1980 Grand Prix circuit was the eleventh edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of 83 tournaments which were held from January 80 through January 81. The tournaments were graded in one of twelve categories which determined the number of ranking points available: Grand Slam events, comprising four Grand Slam tournaments, Grand Prix Masters, Super Series, Regular Series.
1981 Grand Prix – Super Series
The 1981 Grand Prix circuit was the twelfth edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of 89 tournaments which were held from January 1981 through January 1982. The tournaments were graded in one of twelve categories which determined the number of ranking points available: Grand Slam events, comprising four Grand Slam tournaments, Grand Prix Masters, Super Series, Regular Series. The Super Series consisted of 28 tournaments with prize money of at least $175,000 (excluding Grand Slams).
1982 Grand Prix – Super Series
The 1982 Grand Prix circuit was the thirteenth edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of 70 tournaments which were held from January 82 through January 83. The tournaments were graded in one of twelve categories which determined the number of ranking points available: Grand Slam events, comprising four Grand Slam tournaments, Grand Prix Masters, Super Series, Regular Series. The Super Series consisted of 29 tournaments.[18]
1983 Grand Prix – Super Series
The 1983 Grand Prix circuit was the fourteenth edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of 70 tournaments which were held from January 83 through January 84. The tournaments were graded in one of twelve categories which determined the number of ranking points available: Grand Slam events, comprising four Grand Slam tournaments, Grand Prix Masters, Super Series, Regular Series.
1984 Grand Prix – Super Series
The 1984 Grand Prix circuit was the fifteenth edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of 68 tournaments which were held from January 84 through January 85. The tournaments were graded in one of twelve categories which determined the number of ranking points available: Grand Slam events, comprising four Grand Slam tournaments, Grand Prix Masters, Super Series, Open Week Series and Regular Series.
1985 Grand Prix – Super Series
The 1985 Grand Prix circuit was the sixteenth edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of 71 tournaments which were held from January 85 through January 86. The tournaments were graded in one of twelve categories which determined the number of ranking points available: Grand Slam events, comprising four Grand Slam tournaments, Grand Prix Masters, Super Series, Open Week Series and Regular Series. There were 32 Super Series tournaments.[20]
1986 Grand Prix – Super Series
The 1986 Grand Prix circuit was the seventeenth edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of 70 tournaments which were held from January through December. The tournaments were graded in one of twelve categories which determined the number of ranking points available: Grand Slam events, comprising four Grand Slam tournaments, Grand Prix Masters, Super Series, Open Week Series and Regular Series.
1987 Grand Prix – Super Series
The 1987 Grand Prix circuit was the eighteenth edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of 77 tournaments which were held from December 87 through December 88. The tournaments were graded in one of twelve categories which determined the number of ranking points available: Grand Slam events, comprising four Grand Slam tournaments, Grand Prix Masters, Super Series, Open Week Series and Regular Series.
1988 Grand Prix – Super Series
The 1988 Grand Prix circuit was the nineteenth edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of 77 tournaments which were held from January through December. The tournaments were graded in one of six categories which determined the number of ranking points available: Grand Slam events, comprising four Grand Slam tournaments, Olympic Games, Grand Prix Masters, Super Series, Open Week Series and Regular Series.
1989 Grand Prix – Super Series
The 1989 Grand Prix circuit was the nineteenth and final edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of 73 tournaments which were held from January through December. The tournaments were graded in one of five categories which determined the number of ranking points available: Grand Slam events, comprising four Grand Slam tournaments, Grand Prix Masters, Super Series, Open Week Series and Regular Series. There were 30 Super Series tournaments.[21]
See also
References
- "Borg Faces Qualifying". 17 January 1982. The South East Missourian Newspaper. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- Lorge, Barry (27 January 1978). "Pro Tennis: Chaos Now 1st Concern". Washington Post. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- Ed Hickey (22 July 1979). "Is Pro Tennis turning its back on an early supporter?". The New York Times. p. S2.
The ATP subsequently announced on March 15 a Super Grand Prix Tournament in Cincinnati to be held Aug. 20-26, the same dates as the United States pro tournament.
- "World Championship Tennis (WCT) will not renew its contract". UPI. 9 April 1981.
Past participation required WCT to assume substantial responsibility for eight of 32 'Super' Grand Prix events.
- Bonk, Thomas (14 January 1989). "L.A. Tennis Event to Lose Status on New Tour". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
- Seppy, Tom. "Dells Format Will End Chaos in Pro Tennis Ranks". June 19, 1977. The Yorktown Vindicator News Paper. Retrieved 14 August 2014.
- "Grand Prix Net Circuit Changes". The Lakeland Ledger. AP. January 25, 1976. p. 8C. Retrieved 17 April 2017 – via Google News Archive.
- "Men's Circuit Consolidates". The Lakeland Ledger. AP. March 24, 1977. p. 4B. Retrieved 17 April 2017 – via Google News Archive.
- Calabria, Pat (16 Jan 1990). "COMMENTARY: Distance and Timing Play Roles in Decline of Australian Open". The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California: newspapers.com. p. 175. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
- Jack Kramer with Frank Deford (1981). The Game : My 40 Years in Tennis. London: Deutsch. pp. 275–276. ISBN 0233973079.
- "History". www.itftennis.com. International Tennis Federation (ITF).
- Bodo, Peter. "Majorcan Roulette". Retrieved 2022-03-24.
- John Barrett, ed. (1979). World of Tennis 1979 : a BP yearbook. London: Macdonald and Jane's. pp. 26–29. ISBN 978-0354090681.
- Barry Lorge (April 13, 1978). "Peace Still Eludes Men's Pro Tennis". Washington Post.
- "1978 Houston WCT". atptour.com. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- "1978 Louisville draws". atptour.com. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- "Gene Mayer beats his Brother". 10 November 1981. The Reading Eagle Newspaper. Retrieved 21 March 2015.
- "Borg Faces Qualifying". 17 January 1982. The South East Missourian Newspaper. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- "1982 Los Angeles WCT draw". atptour.com. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- Kenneth Reich (January 6, 1985). "Ivan Lendl says tennis would be better off if there were fewer tournaments : a case of less is more popular?". The Los Angeles Times.
- Thomas Bonk (January 14, 1989). "L. A. tennis event to lose status on new tour". The Los Angeles Times.
External links
- ATP results archive
- ITF Results Archive 1970–1989 Archived 2010-02-12 at the Wayback Machine: accessed 17 May 2011.
Sources
- Barrett, John. Tingay, Lance. The World of Tennis Year Book Annuals 1969 to 2001. Queen Anne Press. London, England.
Further reading
- Bud Collins, History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book, New Chapter Press, US, 2nd Edition, 2010. ISBN 0942257707.