2018 marked 50 years since the Open era of tennis began. Steve Tignor of tennis.com remembered 1968 as the year of revolt. In sport, tennis quietly joined the revolt as well. On Monday, April 22, 1968 at 1.43pm, John Clifton, 22, from Scotland became the first player to usher the dawn of a new era for tennis when he hit the first serve in front of 100 spectators at a tournament held in the seaside resort town of Bournemouth, England.
By 2011, Glenda Kwek of 'Fairfax Media' reported, "Tennis is already one of the most lucrative sports for women." Sports marketing expert Dr Danya Hodgetts remarked, "Women's sports coverage has come a long way. It's now regarded as a sport, not just a sideshow ... before the men's events. They're now events in their own right."
Bob Kramer recounted, "The history leading up to the ranking system (in 1973) included a 'star system' as far as entries into the tournaments. Some players would be on a list as players that could help sell tickets for the event, and they would have priority over others in acceptance into tournaments." Billie Jean King told CNN in 2009, "When Rod Laver won Wimbledon, he got £2000. And when I won Wimbledon in the same year, 1968, I got £750. I knew then that was going to be one of our next battles that we would have to fight over the years." Marc Bain reported in 2015, "Experts have said that male athletes are more marketable because they help advertisers reach the coveted 16-to-30-year-old-male demographic, but women control $29 trillion in buying power globally and make 64% of household buying decisions."
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett reported, "The Open era began in 1968. But besides 1968, what defines tennis pre-Open era? Like all sports, tennis has evolved over the years. Changes in equipment technology, surfaces, style of play and attire are apparent. However, the most significant differences between tennis before and after the Open era involve professional status, competition and money. The Open era also expanded the game's reach and exposed tennis to athletes outside of Europe, the United States and Australia. This brought more depth to the Grand Slam fields. Big money turned Grand Slams into world-class events."
Kevin Craft of theatlantic.com noted, "When Andre Agassi won the French Open in 1999, he earned the distinction of being the first player in the Open era of men's tennis to win every grand-slam tournament on the sport's three different playing surfaces: grass, clay, and hard courts. Rod Laver was the first Open era player to win all four tournaments in the same calendar year, but the difference between Laver and Agassi's achievements is that Laver did it when every grand slam except the French Open was played on grass.
"All of the top players today employ the power-baseline style that Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl pioneered and Agassi perfected. It is the most effective style given the slower playing conditions that are now the norm. If a top player can perfect the power-baseline game, he can put himself in position to compete at every grand slam and does not need to worry about making wild adjustments depending on the surface."
In 2017, Rafael Nadal won the 50th French Open men's singles final for a record 10th time - the first player in the Open era to win the same Grand Slam 10 times. Back in 1995, Thomas Muster won his first Grand Slam at the French Open on his 10th attempt and in 28 appearances at Grand Slam events. He later told fans, "My dreams since I was a kid have come true today. When I was a child I was dreaming about winning this tournament.
"Whenever I was making match points in unimportant matches, I had in my mind that this is the match point of Roland Garros, and today it was a reality. When you win it at 17, everyone says you're a wonderkid, or whatever, and when you're 17, winning could change and turn over your whole life. But nobody can say that about me: this wonder kid is old (27 in 1995) and he has no hair, but I can live with that problem."
Wimbledon celebrated its 50th year with a players reunion. "It is amazing where 50 years has gone to — time just floats away," Rod Laver told 'The New York Times'. Roger Federer won the 50th Wimbledon of the Open era, "Wimbledon was always my favorite tournament. (It) will always be my favorite tournament." The 50th edition of the Wimbledon championships was also the 10th Wimbledon men's singles final in the Open Era to feature neither of the Top 2 seeds. As reported, "This is the first meeting between the No. 3 seed and the No. 7 seed in a Grand Slam final in the Open era." At the 50th Australian Open, Serena Williams won her 7th women's singles final, the 23rd Grand Slam of her career and 23 of 29 major singles finals.
At the US Open, E.J. Crawford informed followers, "In 2017, the US Open will crown champions for the 50th time in the Open era, a span of time that has seen the Open evolve in countless ways – from grass courts to clay courts to hard courts, from the leafy West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills to the hard-scrabble USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, from green courts to blue courts, and on and on. The singular similarity in these 49 years is the event’s conclusion: one woman and one man hoisting the singles trophy and earning the title of US Open champion. Since the dawn of the Open era in 1968, 49 different players have claimed the US Open singles titles – 22 women and 27 men."
On television, the highest-rated US Open singles final was the match between John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg in 1980 which attracted 11.0% households ratings. In 1982, the men's final between Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl attracted 9.9% households ratings and in 1983, the men's final between Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl attracted 9.5% households ratings.
In the women's, the highest-rated US Open singles final was the 1981 match between Tracy Austin and Martina Navratilova which attracted 7.7% households ratings. Not far behind was the 1985 women's singles final between Hana Mandlíková and Martina Navratilova which attracted 7.3% households ratings. And the 1984 women's singles final between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert attracted 7.1% households ratings.
By 2011, Glenda Kwek of 'Fairfax Media' reported, "Tennis is already one of the most lucrative sports for women." Sports marketing expert Dr Danya Hodgetts remarked, "Women's sports coverage has come a long way. It's now regarded as a sport, not just a sideshow ... before the men's events. They're now events in their own right."
Bob Kramer recounted, "The history leading up to the ranking system (in 1973) included a 'star system' as far as entries into the tournaments. Some players would be on a list as players that could help sell tickets for the event, and they would have priority over others in acceptance into tournaments." Billie Jean King told CNN in 2009, "When Rod Laver won Wimbledon, he got £2000. And when I won Wimbledon in the same year, 1968, I got £750. I knew then that was going to be one of our next battles that we would have to fight over the years." Marc Bain reported in 2015, "Experts have said that male athletes are more marketable because they help advertisers reach the coveted 16-to-30-year-old-male demographic, but women control $29 trillion in buying power globally and make 64% of household buying decisions."
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett reported, "The Open era began in 1968. But besides 1968, what defines tennis pre-Open era? Like all sports, tennis has evolved over the years. Changes in equipment technology, surfaces, style of play and attire are apparent. However, the most significant differences between tennis before and after the Open era involve professional status, competition and money. The Open era also expanded the game's reach and exposed tennis to athletes outside of Europe, the United States and Australia. This brought more depth to the Grand Slam fields. Big money turned Grand Slams into world-class events."
Kevin Craft of theatlantic.com noted, "When Andre Agassi won the French Open in 1999, he earned the distinction of being the first player in the Open era of men's tennis to win every grand-slam tournament on the sport's three different playing surfaces: grass, clay, and hard courts. Rod Laver was the first Open era player to win all four tournaments in the same calendar year, but the difference between Laver and Agassi's achievements is that Laver did it when every grand slam except the French Open was played on grass.
"All of the top players today employ the power-baseline style that Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl pioneered and Agassi perfected. It is the most effective style given the slower playing conditions that are now the norm. If a top player can perfect the power-baseline game, he can put himself in position to compete at every grand slam and does not need to worry about making wild adjustments depending on the surface."
In 2017, Rafael Nadal won the 50th French Open men's singles final for a record 10th time - the first player in the Open era to win the same Grand Slam 10 times. Back in 1995, Thomas Muster won his first Grand Slam at the French Open on his 10th attempt and in 28 appearances at Grand Slam events. He later told fans, "My dreams since I was a kid have come true today. When I was a child I was dreaming about winning this tournament.
"Whenever I was making match points in unimportant matches, I had in my mind that this is the match point of Roland Garros, and today it was a reality. When you win it at 17, everyone says you're a wonderkid, or whatever, and when you're 17, winning could change and turn over your whole life. But nobody can say that about me: this wonder kid is old (27 in 1995) and he has no hair, but I can live with that problem."
Wimbledon celebrated its 50th year with a players reunion. "It is amazing where 50 years has gone to — time just floats away," Rod Laver told 'The New York Times'. Roger Federer won the 50th Wimbledon of the Open era, "Wimbledon was always my favorite tournament. (It) will always be my favorite tournament." The 50th edition of the Wimbledon championships was also the 10th Wimbledon men's singles final in the Open Era to feature neither of the Top 2 seeds. As reported, "This is the first meeting between the No. 3 seed and the No. 7 seed in a Grand Slam final in the Open era." At the 50th Australian Open, Serena Williams won her 7th women's singles final, the 23rd Grand Slam of her career and 23 of 29 major singles finals.
At the US Open, E.J. Crawford informed followers, "In 2017, the US Open will crown champions for the 50th time in the Open era, a span of time that has seen the Open evolve in countless ways – from grass courts to clay courts to hard courts, from the leafy West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills to the hard-scrabble USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, from green courts to blue courts, and on and on. The singular similarity in these 49 years is the event’s conclusion: one woman and one man hoisting the singles trophy and earning the title of US Open champion. Since the dawn of the Open era in 1968, 49 different players have claimed the US Open singles titles – 22 women and 27 men."
On television, the highest-rated US Open singles final was the match between John McEnroe and Bjorn Borg in 1980 which attracted 11.0% households ratings. In 1982, the men's final between Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl attracted 9.9% households ratings and in 1983, the men's final between Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl attracted 9.5% households ratings.
In the women's, the highest-rated US Open singles final was the 1981 match between Tracy Austin and Martina Navratilova which attracted 7.7% households ratings. Not far behind was the 1985 women's singles final between Hana Mandlíková and Martina Navratilova which attracted 7.3% households ratings. And the 1984 women's singles final between Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert attracted 7.1% households ratings.
