Rodney George Laver is an Australian former tennis player. Laver was ranked the world number 1 professional player indisputably for five years from 1965 to 1969 and by some sources also in 1964 and 1970. He was also ranked as the number 1 amateur in 1961 and 1962. Laver won 198 singles titles which is the most won by a player in history.
Kenneth Robert Rosewall is an Australian former world top-ranking professional tennis player. Rosewall won 147 singles titles, including a record 15 Pro Majors and 8 Grand Slam titles for a total 23 titles at pro and amateur majors. He also won 15 Pro Majors in doubles and 9 Grand Slam doubles titles. Rosewall achieved a Pro Slam in singles in 1963 by winning the three Pro Majors in one year and he completed the Career Grand Slam in doubles.
Stanley Roger Smith is an American former professional tennis player. A world No. 1 player and two-time major singles champion, Smith also paired with Bob Lutz to create one of the most successful doubles teams of all-time. In 1970, Smith won the inaugural year-end championships title. In 1972, he was the year-end world No. 1 singles player. In 1973, he won his second and last year end championship title at the Dallas WCT Finals. In addition, he won four Grand Prix Championship Series titles. In his early years he improved his tennis game through lessons from Pancho Segura, the Pasadena Tennis Patrons, and the sponsorship of the Southern California Tennis Association headed by Perry T. Jones. Since 2011, Smith has served as President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Outside tennis circles, Smith is best known as the namesake of a popular brand of tennis shoes.
George Clifford Richey Jr. is an American former amateur and professional tennis player who was active during the 1960s and 1970s. Richey achieved a highest singles ranking of World No. 6 and reached at least the quarterfinal stage of the singles event at all four Grand Slam tournaments.
Željko Franulović is a Croatian former tennis player who competed for SFR Yugoslavia and has since had a long career in tennis management. He has been the Monte-Carlo Masters tournament director since 2005.
The 1970 French Open was a tennis tournament that was held at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris in France from 25 May through 7 June 1970. It was the 74th edition of the French Open, the 40th to be open to foreign competitors, and the second Grand Slam of the year. Jan Kodeš and Margaret Court won the singles titles.
Defending champion Jan Kodeš successfully defended his title, defeating Ilie Năstase in the final, 8–6, 6–2, 2–6, 7–5 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1971 French Open.
Ilie Năstase defeated Arthur Ashe in the final, 3–6, 6–3, 6–7(1–5), 6–4, 6–3 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1972 US Open.
John Newcombe defeated Jan Kodeš in the final, 6–4, 1–6, 4–6, 6–2, 6–3 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1973 US Open.
Jan Kodeš defeated Željko Franulović in the final, 6–2, 6–4, 6–0 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1970 French Open.
John Newcombe defeated Ken Rosewall in the final, 5–7, 6–3, 6–2, 3–6, 6–1 to win the gentlemen's singles tennis title at the 1970 Wimbledon Championships. It was his second Wimbledon singles title, and his fifth major singles title overall.
Rod Laver defeated the defending champion Ken Rosewall in the final, 6–4, 6–3, 6–4 to win the men's singles tennis title at the 1969 French Open. It was the second leg of his eventual second Grand Slam, which remains the only Grand Slam achieved in men's singles tennis in the Open Era.
Richard Crealy is an Australian former tennis player most notable for reaching the final of the Australian Open in 1970, being a member of the 1970 Australian Davis Cup Team, and winning three Grand Slam titles in doubles.
The 1970 South American Open Championships was a men's tennis tournament that was part of the 1970 Pepsi-Cola Grand Prix and held in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was the third edition of the tournament held in Buenos Aires and ran from 31 October through 8 November 1970. It was played on outdoor clay courts. Željko Franulović won the singles title.
The 1971 Masters was a men's tennis tournament played on indoor carpet courts of the Coubertin Stadium in Paris, France. It was the 2nd edition of the Masters Grand Prix and was the season-ending event of the 1971 Grand Prix circuit. The tournament consisted of a round robin competition for the seven highest points scorers of the Grand Prix circuit. John Newcombe and Ken Rosewall, players signed to the rival World Championship Circuit but who also took part in several Grand Prix tournaments, had qualified for the event but declined to participate. The tournament was held from 4 December until 12 December 1971 and was won by Ilie Năstase who earned the $15,000 first prize.
The 1975 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit administered by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) which served as a forerunner to the current Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. The circuit consisted of the four modern Grand Slam tournaments and open tournaments recognised by the ILTF. The Commercial Union Assurance Masters, Davis Cup Final and Nations Cup are included in this calendar but did not count towards the Grand Prix.
The 1973 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix was a tennis circuit administered by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) which served as a forerunner to the current Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. The circuit consisted of the four modern Grand Slam tournaments and open tournaments recognised by the ILTF. This article covers all tournaments that were part of that year's Men's Grand Prix. Bonus points were awarded to players who were nominated to play in certain 1973 Davis Cup ties and who miss tournaments through competing in those ties. The Commercial Union Assurance Masters is included in this calendar but did not count towards the Grand Prix.
The 1972 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit held that year and organized by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF). It consisted of 33 Grand Prix tournaments in different categories including three of the four Grand Slam tournaments and was followed by a season-ending Masters tournament. The circuit ran from February through November.
The 1971 Pepsi Cola Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit held that year. It incorporated three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, the Grand Prix tournaments. It was the second edition of the Grand Prix circuit and was run by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ITLF). In addition to regular tournament prize money a bonus prize money pool of £60,000 ($150,000) was available to be divided among the 20 highest ranking players after the last tournament. To be eligible for a share of the bonus pool a player had to compete in a minimum of nine tournaments. The circuit culminated in a Masters event in Paris for the seven highest point scoring players. Stan Smith was the winner of the circuit with 187 ranking points and four tournament victories.
The 1970 Pepsi-Cola ILTF Grand Prix was a tennis circuit administered by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) which served as a forerunner to the current Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour. It was the inaugural edition of the Grand Prix circuit and consisted of men's tournaments recognised by the ILTF. The creation of the Grand Prix circuit, on an experimental basis during its first year, was announced in April 1970 by the president of the ILTF, Ben Barnett. It was the brainchild of Jack Kramer, former tennis promoter and winner of the Wimbledon and US championships, and was aimed at countering the influence of commercial promoters, particularly Lamar Hunt and his World Championship Tennis circuit and George MacCall's National Tennis League.
Stan Smith 
