The 1968 Men's National Tennis League (NTL) [1] was the inaugural series of professional tennis tournaments founded by George McCall, among others: Rod Laver, Roy Emerson, Ken Rosewall, Andrés Gimeno, Pancho Gonzales and Fred Stolle.
 Laver won most title's this year | |
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 18 March – 2 November |
| Edition | 1st |
| Tournaments | 18 |
| Categories | (Pro) |
| Achievements (singles) | |
| Most titles |  Rod Laver (7) |
| Most finals | Rod Laver (8) |
1969 → | |
History
editIn 1967 two new professional tennis organizations were formed: the National Tennis League,[2] organized by former U.S. Davis Cup captain George MacCall, and World Championship Tennis (WCT), which was founded by New Orleans promoter Dave Dixon and funded by Dallas oil and football tycoon Lamar Hunt. At the time the two professional tours signed a significant number of the world’s top players, professional and amateur.
In 1968 Men's National Tennis League offered prize money totaling $400,000 USD.[3] It began in March with the opening tournament held in São Paulo, Brazil that was won by Rod Laver and ended with the final tournament held in Lima, Peru in November that was won by Fred Stolle.
Legend
edit| Pro tour |
Key
edit- Q = Qualifier
- WC = Wild card
- LL = Lucky loser
- Alt = Alternate
- SE = Special exempt
- PR = Protected ranking
- ITF = ITF entry
- JE = Junior exempt
- w/o = Walkover
- r = Retired
- d = Defaulted
- SR = Special ranking
Calendar
editThis is the complete schedule of events on the 1968 National Tennis League, with player progression partially documented until the quarterfinals stage.
January
editNo events
February
editNo events
March
edit| Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semi Finalist | Quarter Finalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 March | São Paulo Pro Championships[4] São Paulo, Brazil Clay (i) Singles |
Rod Laver 7–5, 5–7, 6–4 |
 Pancho Gonzales |
||
| 23 March | Buenos Aires Pro Championships[5] Buenos Aires, Argentina Clay Singles |
Rod Laver 7–5, 5–7, 6–4 |
Pancho Gonzales |
3rd Place  Andrés Gimeno 4th Place Fred Stolle |
|
| 27 March | NTL Bogotá Pro Championships[6] Bogotà, Colombia Clay (i) Singles - Doubles |
Andrés Gimeno 11–13, 6–3, 6–4 |
Fred Stolle |
3rd Place Rod Laver 4th Place Pancho Gonzales
| |
| Rod Laver Fred Stolle 10–5 |
Andrés Gimeno Pancho Gonzales
|
April
edit| Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semi Finalist | Quarter Finalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 April | NTL Hollywood Pro Challenge Cup[7] Hollywood, United States Clay Singles |
Roy Emerson 6–1, 6–1 |
Ken Rosewall |
3rd Pancho Gonzales 4th Place Rod Laver |
 John Hammill Crawford Henry  Rey Garrido Peter Cawthorn
|
| 18 April [8] | BBC2 World Pro Invitation Championships Wembley, Great Britain Carpet (i) Singles |
Rod Laver 6–3 10-8 |
Ken Rosewall |
Roy Emerson Pancho Gonzales |
|
| 20 April | NTL Paris Pro Championships[9] Paris, France Clay Singles - Doubles |
Ken Rosewall 6–3 6–4 |
 Andrés Gimeno |
Pancho Gonzales Rod Laver |
Fred Stolle Roy Emerson
|
May
edit| Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semi Finalist | Quarter Finalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 April-5 May [10] | NTL Wembley Invitation[11] Wembley, Great Britain Wood (i) Singles - Doubles |
Rod Laver 6–0, 6–1, 6–0 |
Ken Rosewall |
||
| Rod Laver Roy Emerson 12-10 6–4 |
Andrés Gimeno Pancho Gonzales
| ||||
| 18 May | NTL Madison Square Garden Pro Championships New York City, United States Carpet (i) Singles - Doubles |
Rod Laver 4–6, 6–3, 9–7, 6–4 |
Ken Rosewall |
Roy Emerson Andrés Gimeno |
Lew Hoad Pancho Gonzales Alex Olmedo Fred Stolle
|
June
editNo events
July
edit| Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semi Finalist | Quarter Finalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 July | NTL Los Angeles Pro Championships[12] Los Angeles, United States Carpet (i)[13] Singles - Doubles |
Pancho Gonzales 1–6 6–3 6–4 |
Rod Laver |
Roy Emerson Ken Rosewall |
|
August
edit| Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semi Finalist | Quarter Finalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 August | NTL Oakland Pro Championships[14] Oakland Coliseum Arena Oakland, United States Carpet (i) Singles - Doubles |
Fred Stolle 7–5, 6–3 |
Pancho Gonzales |
Roy Emerson |
|
| 11 August | NTL Masters Championships[15] Highland Racquet & Riding Club Binghamton, United States Carpet (i) Singles - Doubles |
 Andrés Gimeno6–4, 6–1 |
Fred Stolle |
Roy Emerson Rod Laver |
|
| 18 August | NTL Colonial Pro Championships[16] Highland Racquet & Riding Club Fort Worth, United States Singles - Doubles |
Ken Rosewall 6–4, 6–2 |
Andrés Gimeno |
Mal Anderson Fred Stolle |
Tut Bartzen Roy Emerson Pancho Gonzales Rod Laver
|
September
editNo events
October
editNo events
| Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semi Finalist | Quarter Finalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Sep - 1 Oct | NTL Midland Championships[17] Midland, Texas, United States Singles - Doubles |
Pancho Gonzales 7–5, 6–3 |
Roy Emerson |
Andrés Gimeno Rod Laver |
Pancho Segura Fred Stolle
|
| 4 - 7 Oct | NTL South Texas Pro Championships[18] Corpus Christi, United States Singles - Doubles |
Rod Laver 6–2, 6–4 |
Andrés Gimeno |
Roy Emerson Fred Stolle |
Pancho Gonzales Pancho Segura
|
November
edit| Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semi Finalist | Quarter Finalist |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-3 November[19] | NTL Lima Pro Championships Lima, Peru Clay Singles |
Fred Stolle 3-0 matches |
Round Robin Andrés Gimeno Rod Laver Roy Emerson |
||
| 6 November[20] | NTL La Paz Pro Round Robin La Paz, Bolivia Clay Singles |
Rod Laver 3-0 matches |
Round Robin Andrés Gimeno Fred Stolle Roy Emerson |
||
| 8 November[21] | São Paulo Round Robin Pro Championships São Paulo, Brazil Clay (i) Singles |
Rod Laver 3-0 matches |
Round Robin Andrés Gimeno Fred Stolle Roy Emerson |
||
| 7 -10 Nov | NTL French Tour[22] Lyon & Marseille, France Clay Singles |
Ken Rosewall (won Lyon event) Pancho Gonzales(won Marseille event) joint 1st |
|||
December
editNo events
Prize money
editMen's
edit| # | Player | $US |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rod Laver |
70,359 |
| 2 | Ken Rosewall |
61,307 |
| 3 | Pancho Gonzales |
38,987 |
| 4 | Andrés Gimeno |
36,524 |
| 5 | Roy Emerson |
35,188 |
| 6 | Fred Stolle |
34,335 |
References
edit- ^ Gitlin, Marty (2011). Billie Jean King: Tennis Star & Social Activist: Tennis Star & Social Activist. ABDO. p. 46. ISBN 9781617149467.
National Tennis league 1968.
- ^ Robertson, max (1974). Encyclopaedia of Tennis. Allen & Unwin. p. 74. ISBN 9780047960420.
- ^ Prugh, Jeff (6 Mar 1968). "Pro Net League to Aid Minority Group Youths". The Los Angeles Times. los Angeles, California: newspapers.com. p. 26. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
- ^ Archives, Tennis. "Sao Paulo Pro Championships 1968". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives, 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ Archives, Tennis. "Buenos Aires Pro Championships 1968". www.tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives 2017. Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 2017-09-30.
- ^ Archives, Tennis. "Bogota Pro Championships 1968". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives 2017. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ "Hollywood NTL 1968". thetennisbase. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ "BBC2 PRO Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base.
- ^ Archives, Tennis. "Paris Pro Championships 1968". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives 2017. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ "NTL Wembley Invitation: Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ Archives, Tennis. "Wembley Invitation 1968". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
- ^ Archives, Tennis. "Los Angeles Professional Championships 1968". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ "Gonzales whips Stolle". Los Angeles Times. 18 July 1968. pp. Sports page 1.
- ^ Archives, Tennis. "Oakland Pros 1968". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives 2017. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ^ McCauley, Joe (2003). The History of Professional Tennis. Windsor, Berkshire, England: , Short Run Book Company. pp. 252, 253. ASIN B001EOVE56.
- ^ McCauley, Joe (2003). The History of Professional Tennis. Windsor, Berkshire, England: , Short Run Book Company. p. 253. ASIN B001EOVE56.
- ^ Collins, Bud; Trabert, Tony (2000). "1968 Results". In McCauley, Joe (ed.). THE HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL TENNIS. Windsor, England: The Short Run Book Company Ltd. p. 253.
- ^ Collins, Bud; Trabert, Tony (2000). "1968 Results". In McCauley, Joe (ed.). THE HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL TENNIS. Windsor, England: The Short Run Book Company Ltd. p. 253.
- ^ "NTL LIMA PRO CH. Tournament Roll of honour". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ "Tournaments: La Paz Round Robin Championships". The Tennis Base. Madrid, Spain: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
- ^ "SAO PAULO PRO Tournament Roll of honour". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ^ Collins, Bud; Trabert, Tony (2000). "1968 Results". In McCauley, Joe (ed.). THE HISTORY OF PROFESSIONAL TENNIS. Windsor, England: The Short Run Book Company Ltd. p. 255.
- ^ McCauley, Joe (2003). The History of Professional Tennis. Windsor, Berkshire, England: , Short Run Book Company. p. 255. ASIN B001EOVE56.
Sources
edit- McCauley, Joe; Trabert, Tony; Collins, Bud (2000). The History of Professional Tennis. The Short Run Book Company Limited. Exeter. England.
- Robertson, Max (1974). Encyclopaedia of Tennis. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 9780047960420.