Open Tennis
Open tennis meant that, for the first time, professional players were able to compete in tournaments traditionally restricted to amateurs. Before open tennis, money was paid covertly to some of the world’s best players, even though they retained their status as amateurs.
Players such as Jack Kramer, Pancho Gonzales, Pancho Segura, and Bobby Riggs barnstormed the United States, touring the country and playing short-duration events before small crowds in small venues. Some called it “the secret tennis tour.”
Open tennis was not a universally popular concept. The International Tennis Federation (ITF), for example, threatened to prohibit players from entering its tournaments if they turned pro.
Businessmen and promoters such as Kramer, Lamar Hunt, Dave Dixon, and George MacCall had most of the world’s best professional players under contract. They convinced (perhaps coerced) the tennis establishment to allow their contract professionals to play in Grand Slam and other high-profile tournaments. When tournament officials reluctantly agreed to let the pros in, the promoters threatened to keep those same players out until they were given substantial prize money.
The first “Open Era” tournament was held in Bournemouth, England, in 1968. The first open Grand Slam event was the French Open. Open Era tennis elevated the quality of play, increased the number of spectators at tournaments, and made the sport of tennis more attractive to television audiences.
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