Details | |
---|---|
Duration | 18 March – 2 November |
Edition | 1st |
Tournaments | 14 |
Categories | (Pro) |
Achievements (singles) | |
Most tournament titles | Rod Laver (5) |
Most tournament finals | Rod Laver (6) |
1969 → |
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.
History
In 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 Sao 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
Pro tour |
Key
- 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
This is the complete schedule of events on the 1968 National Tennis League, with player progression partially documented until the quarterfinals stage.
January
No events
February
No events
March
Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semi Finalist | Quarter Finalist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
18 March | Sao 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
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 | Paris Pro Championships[9] Paris, France Singles - Doubles | Ken Rosewall 6–3 6–4 | Andrés Gimeno | Pancho Gonzales Rod Laver | Fred Stolle Roy Emerson |
May
Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semi Finalist | Quarter Finalist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
29 April-5 May [10] | National Tennis League Professional Championships 1968[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 6–2, 6–2 Andrés Gimeno 8–10, 6–3, 7–5 | Lew Hoad 6–3, 6–1 Pancho Gonzales 15-13, 6–4 Alex Olmedo 6–3, 6–4 Fred Stolle 6–3, 6–3 |
June
No events
July
Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semi Finalist | Quarter Finalist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
20 July | NTL Los Angeles Pro Championships 1968[12] Los Angeles, United States Carpet (i)[13] Singles - Doubles | Pancho Gonzales 1–6 6–3 6–4 | Rod Laver | ||
August
Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semi Finalist | Quarter Finalist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 August | NTL Oakland Pro Championships 1968[14] Oakland, United States Singles - Doubles | Fred Stolle 7–5, 6–3 | Pancho Gonzales | ||
September
No events
October
No events
Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semi Finalist | Quarter Finalist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
28 Sep - 1 Oct | NTL Midland Pro Championships[15] Midland, Texas, United States Singles - Doubles | Pancho Gonzales 7–5, 6–3 | Roy Emerson | Andrés Gimeno Rod Laver | Pancho Segura Fred Stolle |
November
Date | Tournament | Winner | Finalist | Semi Finalist | Quarter Finalist |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3 November[16] | NTL La Paz Pro Round Robin Championships 1968 La Paz, Bolivia Clay Singles | Rod Laver 6–4 3–6 7–5 | Andrés Gimeno | Fred Stolle Roy Emerson | |
8 November[17] | Sao Paulo Round Robin Pro Championships Sao Paulo, Brasil Clay (i) Singles | Rod Laver 7–5 5-7 6–4 | Round Robin Andrés GimenoFred Stolle Roy Emerson | ||
16 November[18] | NTL Lima Pro Round Robin Championships 1968 Lima, Perù Singles | Fred Stolle 2–6 6–2 6–3 | Andrés Gimeno | Rod Laver Roy Emerson |
December
No events
References
- ↑ 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 Pro Champs Invitation: Tournament Draw". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ↑ Archives, Tennis. "Wembley Invitation 1968". tennisarchives.com. Tennis Archives. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ 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 LA PAZ PRO CH. Tournament Roll of honour". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ↑ "SAO PAULO PRO Tournament Roll of honour". thetennisbase.com. Tennis Base. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
- ↑ "NTL LIMA PRO CH. Tournament Roll of honour". thetennisbase.com. The Tennis Base. Retrieved 8 October 2017.
Sources
- 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.