&sq=&lang=&file=File:Rod_Laver_en_1970.jpg) Rod Laver in 1970 | |
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 27 April 1970 – 9 December 1970 |
| Edition | 1st |
| Tournaments | 20 |
| Categories | Group A (3) Masters Group 1 (6) Group 2 (11) |
| Achievements (singles) | |
| Most tournament titles |  Rod Laver (4) |
| Most tournament finals | Rod Laver (7) |
| Prize money leader |  Cliff Richey ($25,000) |
| Points leader | Cliff Richey (60) |
1971 → | |
The 1970 Pepsi-Cola ILTF Grand Prix was a tennis circuit administered by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) which served as a forerunner to the current Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour.[1] It was the inaugural edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of men's tournaments recognised by the ILTF.[a] The creation of the Grand Prix circuit, on an experimental basis during its first year, was announced in April 1970 by the president of the ILTF, Ben Barnett.[2] It was the brainchild of Jack Kramer, former tennis promoter and winner of the Wimbledon and US championships, and was aimed at countering the influence of commercial promoters, particularly Lamar Hunt and his World Championship Tennis circuit and George MacCall's National Tennis League.[3][4]
The tournaments were graded in one of three categories which determined the number of ranking points available: Class A, comprising the three Grand Slam tournaments, Class 1 and Class 2. The Pepsi-Cola Masters and Davis Cup Final are included in this calendar but did not count towards the Grand Prix. In addition to the tournament prize money a bonus pool of $150,000 was available for the top 20 ranked players. The bonus pool was jointly funded by Pepsi-Cola as title sponsor and the participating tournaments which reserved 10% of their prize money.[5][6] Cliff Richey earned $25,000 bonus as the winner of the first Grand Prix circuit.[7] At the end of the season the top six ranked players qualified for a Masters round-robin tournament held in Tokyo which was won by Stan Smith.
All open tennis tournaments were eligible to be included in the Grand Prix circuit provided they committed to not paying any management fees to commercial organizations with players under contract. Originally the Italian Championships, played in April in Rome, was part of the Grand Prix calendar but it was withdrawn during the tournament when it became known that they had paid management fees to the competing World Championship Tennis organization.[8]
- ^ "How it All Began". ATPWorldTour.com. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- ^ "Tennis Gets A Grand Prix". The Sydney Morning Herald. Apr 9, 1970.
- ^ "Grand Prix Experiment In Tennis Is Planned". The Morning Record. Apr 9, 1970. p. 12.
- ^ "Obituaries – Jack Kramer". The Daily Telegraph. London. 14 Sep 2009.
- ^ "Tennis Assn. Ponders $200,000 Grand Prix". No. The Deseret News. UPI. Jun 23, 1970.
- ^ "Tennis Grand Prix picks up more money". Ellensburg Daily Record. UPI. Aug 14, 1970.
- ^ "Richey Clinches Grand Prix Title". The New York Times. Nov 25, 1970.
- ^ John Barrett, ed. (1971). World of Tennis '71. London: Queen Anne Press. pp. 133–136. ISBN 978-0-362-00091-7.
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