World Championship Tennis facts for kids

World Championship Tennis (WCT) was a special group of professional tennis tournaments for male players. It started in 1968 and continued until 1990. Many tennis events around the world were part of WCT. Players were ranked based on how well they did in these tournaments.

WCT changed tennis a lot, especially in how it was run as a business. It introduced new rules like the tie-breaker system, which helped finish matches faster. They also tried a "no-ad" scoring system, sometimes called "sudden death," where players didn't need to win by two points after a 40-40 score. WCT also made players wear colorful clothes, which was a big change back then! They even encouraged fans to cheer loudly instead of just politely clapping. WCT also made sure everyone knew about the big prize money and bonuses, which helped attract the best players.

The Start of World Championship Tennis

World Championship Tennis began in September 1967. It was created by a sports promoter named David Dixon. He had seen how difficult it was for professional tennis players before this time, with poorly organized matches. In August 1967, he shared his idea for a pro tennis tour with Lamar Hunt and Al Hill Jr., who decided to invest. WCT quickly became a major tennis tour for players who had contracts with them in the early 1970s.

WCT started with eight main players, known as the "Handsome Eight." These players included Dennis Ralston, John Newcombe, Tony Roche, Cliff Drysdale, Earl Buchholz, Niki Pilić, Roger Taylor, and Pierre Barthès. The very first WCT tournament took place in January 1968 in Sydney, Australia. It used a special scoring system called VASSS. This first event was quickly put together in a TV studio parking lot and was won by Tony Roche. The first WCT tournament in America was held in February 1968 in Kansas City, Missouri. In March 1968, Lamar Hunt and Al Hill Jr. took over Dixon's share, and Dixon left the group. WCT lost money in its first year, but Al Hill, Jr. became its president.

By early 1970, WCT had signed more famous players like Marty Riessen, Ray Moore, Tom Okker, and Arthur Ashe. In July 1970, WCT also gained the contracts of players from another big professional group, the National Tennis League (NTL). This meant WCT now had even more top players, including Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Pancho Gonzáles, Andrés Gimeno, Roy Emerson, and Fred Stolle.

WCT Grows and Changes

In 1971, the WCT tour grew to include 21 tournaments all over the world. However, in July 1971, the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF), a major tennis organization, decided to ban WCT players from their tournaments starting in 1972. This caused a big problem!

At the end of the 1971 WCT season, the top eight players competed in a special year-end championship tournament in November. This was similar to another championship called The Masters, run by a rival group called the Grand Prix circuit. For business reasons, from 1972 onwards, the WCT championship was usually held in the spring in Dallas, Texas. It became famous as the WCT Finals. This tournament ran for 19 years, with the last one in 1989. The way this event was set up was later used by the Association of Tennis Professionals for their own year-end tournaments.

In April 1972, WCT and ILTF made an agreement. They decided to split the 1973 tennis season: WCT tournaments would run from January to May, and the Grand Prix circuit would take over for the rest of the year. This meant WCT players could once again play in Grand Prix tournaments.

The WCT tour later joined with the Grand Prix tennis circuit in 1978. But on April 30, 1981, WCT announced it was leaving the Grand Prix circuit to start its own full season again in 1982. Lamar Hunt said this was because of rules placed on them by the Men's Professional Council, which managed the Grand Prix circuit. In January 1983, WCT even sued the Men's International Professional Tennis Council (MIPTC), the Association of Tennis Professionals, and the ITF, saying they were unfairly limiting trade. In November 1983, they reached a deal, and WCT rejoined the Grand Prix starting in 1985.

The Final Years of WCT

1989 was the very last season for the WCT tour. The ATP started its own tennis circuit from 1990. On August 28, 1990, after the Tournament of Champions event in Forest Hills, WCT announced it was closing down.

WCT also built and ran tennis clubs in the United States, like the WCT Lakeway World of Tennis in Texas and WCT Peachtree World of Tennis in Georgia.

WCT Tournaments by Year

Here's a look at some of the WCT tournaments and their winners in later years:

WCT in 1985

WCT tournaments returned to the Grand Prix after a three-year break. There were only four events. Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe each won two titles. McEnroe played in all four, while Lendl played just two and won both. McEnroe won the WCT Houston title, beating Kevin Curren.

At the WCT Finals in Dallas, McEnroe was surprisingly defeated by Joakim Nyström. Lendl won the title, making it three wins in three weeks for him. He won tournaments on different surfaces (hard, clay, and carpet), which was very impressive!

In Atlanta, McEnroe won the final against Paul Annacone. The WCT Tournament of Champions in Forest Hills had an exciting final between Lendl and McEnroe. Even though McEnroe had beaten Lendl often before, Lendl won this match 6–3, 6–3.

Nabisco Grand Prix

Date	Location	Tournament	Prize Money/ Surface	Final	Semifinals
Mar 3	Houston, USA	WCT Houston Shoot-Out	$300,000 Carpet	John McEnroe d. Kevin Curren, 7–5, 6–1, 7–6	John McEnroe d. Peter Fleming, 6–4, 6–0 Kevin Curren d. Shahar Perkiss, 6–2, 6–2
April 14	Dallas, USA	Buick WCT Finals	$500,000 Carpet	Ivan Lendl d. Tim Mayotte, 7–6, 6–4, 6–1	Ivan Lendl d. Jimmy Connors, 6–3, 2–1 ret. Tim Mayotte d. Joakim Nyström, 6–4, 4–6, 6–2, 7–5
April 28	Atlanta, USA	WCT Atlanta	$300,000 Carpet	John McEnroe d. Paul Annacone, 7–6, 7–6, 6–2	John McEnroe d. Mike Leach, 6–3, 6–3 Paul Annacone d. Kevin Curren, walkover
May 12	Forest Hills, USA	Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions	$500,000 Clay (Har-Tru)	Ivan Lendl d. John McEnroe, 6–3, 6–3	Ivan Lendl d. Aaron Krickstein, 6–1, 2–6, 6–1 John McEnroe d. Henrik Sundström, 6–2, 3–6, 6–2

WCT in 1986

The WCT Atlanta tournament saw some big upsets. Top players Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker lost in the first round. Edberg lost to Mikael Pernfors, and Becker lost to Tim Wilkison. In Dallas, Anders Järryd was the surprise winner. He took the place of an injured Ivan Lendl.

Nabisco Grand Prix

Date	Location	Tournament	Prize Money/ Surface	Final	Semifinals
Apr 6	Atlanta, USA	WCT Atlanta	$220,000 Carpet	Kevin Curren d. Tim Wilkison, 7–6, 7–6	Kevin Curren d. Brian Teacher, 6–4, 6–2 Tim Wilkison d. David Pate, 6–4, 2–6, 6–4
Apr 13	Dallas, USA	Buick WCT Finals	$500,000 Carpet	Anders Järryd d. Boris Becker, 6–7, 6–1, 6–1, 6–4	Anders Järryd d. Mats Wilander, 6–4, 7–5, 6–3 Boris Becker d. Stefan Edberg 7–6, 7–6, 4–6, 7–6
May 11	Forest Hills, Queens, USA	Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions	$500,000 Clay (Har-Tru)	Yannick Noah d. Guillermo Vilas, 7–6, 6–0	Yannick Noah d. Ivan Lendl, 6–3, 7–5 Guillermo Vilas d. Martín Jaite, 6–3, 6–3
Oct 12	Scottsdale, USA	WCT Scottsdale Open	$220,000 Hard	John McEnroe d. Kevin Curren, 6–3, 3–6, 6–2	John McEnroe d. David Pate, 6–3, 6–3 Kevin Curren d. Todd Witsken, 7–5, 6–7, 6–4
Nov 23	Houston, USA	WCT Houston Shoot-Out	$220,000 Carpet	Slobodan Živojinović d. Scott Davis, 6–1, 4–6, 6–3	Slobodan Živojinović d. Derrick Rostagno, 6–4, 6–4 Scott Davis d. Eliot Teltscher, 7–5, 6–4

WCT in 1987

Nabisco Grand Prix

Date	Location	Tournament	Prize Money/ Surface	Final	Semifinals
Apr 12	Dallas, USA	WCT Finals	$500,000 Carpet	Miloslav Mečíř d. John McEnroe, 6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2	Miloslav Mečíř d. Andrés Gómez, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, 6–2 John McEnroe d. Stefan Edberg, 7–6, 6–7, 7–6, 6–4
May 10	Forest Hills, USA	Shearson Lehman Brothers Tournament of Champions	$500,000 Clay (Har-Tru)	Andrés Gómez d. Yannick Noah, 6–4, 7–6, 7–6	Andrés Gómez d. Boris Becker, 4–6, 6–4, 6–3 Yannick Noah d. Slobodan Živojinović, 6–3, 7–5
Oct 11	Scottsdale, USA	WCT Scottsdale Open	$232,000 Hard	Brad Gilbert d. Eliot Teltscher, 6–2, 6–2	Brad Gilbert d. Michael Chang 6–3, 6–4 Eliot Teltscher d. David Pate 7–6, 7–5

WCT in 1988

Nabisco Grand Prix

Date	Location	Tournament	Prize Money/ Surface	Final	Semifinals
Apr 3	Dallas, USA	WCT Finals	$500,000 Carpet	Boris Becker d. Stefan Edberg, 6–4, 1–6, 7–5, 6–2	Boris Becker d. Brad Gilbert, 6–4, 6–2, 6–1 Stefan Edberg d. Yannick Noah, 6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–3
May 8	Forest Hills, USA	Eagle Tournament of Champions	$485,000 Clay (Har-Tru)	Andre Agassi d. Slobodan Živojinović, 7–5, 7–6, 7–5	Andre Agassi d. Aaron Krickstein, 6–3, 6–3 Slobodan Živojinović d. Luiz Mattar, 7–6, 6–3
Oct 9	Scottsdale, USA	WCT Eagle Classic	$297,000 Hard	Mikael Pernfors d. Glenn Layendecker, 6–2, 6–4	Mikael Pernfors d. Kevin Curren, 4–6, 6–2, 6–3 Glenn Layendecker d. Jim Pugh, 3–6, 6–4, 6–1

WCT in 1989

1989 was the last year for the WCT tour. Only three events were held, and they were part of the Nabisco Grand Prix. Players earned ATP ranking points from these tournaments.

At the 19th (and last) WCT Finals in Dallas, John McEnroe won his fifth Dallas title. His semifinal match against Ivan Lendl was one of the best of the tournament. McEnroe beat Lendl for the first time in over three years! The tournament faced some challenges because Boris Becker and Andre Agassi pulled out. Brad Gilbert stepped in for Becker and surprisingly made it to the final. Later that spring, Lendl won the last two WCT titles in Scottsdale and Forest Hills, bringing the WCT era to a close.

Nabisco Grand Prix

Date	Location	Tournament	Prize Money/ Surface	Final	Semifinals
Mar 5	Dallas, USA	WCT Finals	$500,000 Carpet	John McEnroe d. Brad Gilbert, 6–3, 6–3, 7–6	John McEnroe d. Ivan Lendl, 6–7, 7–6, 6–2, 7–5 Brad Gilbert d. Mikael Pernfors, 6–3, 6–7, 6–3, 6–3
Mar 12	Scottsdale, USA	WCT Eagle Classic	$297,000 Hard	Ivan Lendl d. Stefan Edberg, 6–2, 6–3	Ivan Lendl d. Emilio Sánchez, 6–2, 3–6, 6–3 Stefan Edberg d. Amos Mansdorf, 6–7, 6–4, 6–1
May 8	Forest Hills, USA	Eagle Tournament of Champions	$485,000 Clay (Har-Tru)	Ivan Lendl d. Jaime Yzaga, 6–2, 6–1	Ivan Lendl d. Andre Agassi, 6–2, 6–3 Jaime Yzaga d. Michael Chang, 6–4, 6–3

WCT in 1990

There was no WCT tour in 1990 because the ATP started its own circuit. However, there was one final tournament approved by WCT. The Forest Hills WCT event was moved from green clay to hardcourts. It was a special event not part of the ATP Tour. Ivan Lendl showed his dominance by winning this very last WCT title.

Special event

Date	Location	Tournament	Prize Money/ Surface	Final	Semifinals
Aug 26	Forest Hills, USA	WCT Tournament of Champions	$500,000 Hard	Ivan Lendl d. Aaron Krickstein, 6–4, 6–7, 6–3	Ivan Lendl d. Henri Leconte, 6–7, 6–3, 6–1,

WCT Year-End Championship Finals

The WCT Finals were usually held in Dallas, Texas. The first finals in 1971 had quarterfinals and semifinals in Houston, with the final match in Dallas. From 1972 to 1979, they were played at the Moody Coliseum. From 1980 to 1989, they moved to Reunion Arena in Dallas.

The first WCT Finals in 1971 happened in November, just before The Masters, which was the similar championship for the rival Grand Prix circuit. Because of TV, the second WCT Finals were held in May 1972. Most later finals were also held between March and May. However, in 1972, another smaller WCT Finals event was held in November in Rome. The winner, Arthur Ashe, received $25,000, which was half the $50,000 won by Ken Rosewall in the main May event.

Ten years later, in 1982, there were three WCT Finals events! The most important one was in Dallas. The others were in the autumn in Naples, Italy, and in the winter (January 1983) in Detroit, Michigan.

Year	Champion	Runner-up	Score
1971	Ken Rosewall	Rod Laver	6–4, 1–6, 7–6(7–3), 7–6(7–4)
1972	Ken Rosewall	Rod Laver	4–6, 6–0, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6
1972 winter (Rome)	Arthur Ashe	Bob Lutz	6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 7–6
1973	Stan Smith	Arthur Ashe	6–3, 6–3, 4–6, 6–4
1974	John Newcombe	Björn Borg	4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 6–2
1975	Arthur Ashe	Björn Borg	3–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–0
1976	Björn Borg	Guillermo Vilas	1–6, 6–1, 7–5, 6–1
1977	Jimmy Connors	Dick Stockton	6–7, 6–1, 6–4, 6–3
1978	Vitas Gerulaitis	Eddie Dibbs	6–3, 6–2, 6–1
1979	John McEnroe	Björn Borg	7–5, 4–6, 6–2, 7–6
1980	Jimmy Connors	John McEnroe	2–6, 7–6, 6–1, 6–2
1981	John McEnroe	Johan Kriek	6–1, 6–2, 6–4
1982	Ivan Lendl	John McEnroe	6–2, 3–6, 6–3, 6–3
1982 fall (Naples)	Ivan Lendl	Wojciech Fibak	6–4, 6–2, 6–1
1982 winter (Detroit)	Ivan Lendl	Guillermo Vilas	7–5, 6–2, 2–6, 6–4
1983	John McEnroe	Ivan Lendl	6–2, 4–6, 6–3, 6–7, 7–6
1984	John McEnroe	Jimmy Connors	6–1, 6–2, 6–3
1985	Ivan Lendl	Tim Mayotte	7–6, 6–4, 6–1
1986	Anders Järryd	Boris Becker	6–7, 6–1, 6–1, 6–4
1987	Miloslav Mečíř	John McEnroe	6–0, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2
1988	Boris Becker	Stefan Edberg	6–4, 1–6, 7–5, 6–2
1989	John McEnroe	Brad Gilbert	6–3, 6–3, 7–6

WCT Challenge Cup

WCT also held special events like the Aetna World Cup. In this event, Australian pros played against US pros in a team competition. This was because, in 1970, professional players with contracts were not allowed to play in the Davis Cup. Another special event was the Challenge Cup, which was a tournament for eight players.

Winners of the WCT Challenge Cup

• 1976 – Honolulu – Ilie Năstase defeated Arthur Ashe, 6–3, 1–6, 6–7, 6–3, 6–1
• 1976/7 – Las Vegas – Ilie Năstase defeated Jimmy Connors, 3–6, 7–6, 6–4, 7–5
• 1977 – Las Vegas – Jimmy Connors defeated Roscoe Tanner, 6–2, 5–6, 3–6, 6–2, 6–5
• 1978 – Montego Bay – Ilie Năstase defeated Peter Fleming, 2–6, 5–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–4
• 1979 – Montreal – Björn Borg defeated Jimmy Connors, 6–4, 6–2, 2–6, 6–4
• 1980 – Montreal – John McEnroe defeated Vijay Amritraj, 6–1, 6–2, 6–

See also

• Grand Prix tennis circuit
• History of tennis