1981 World Championship Tennis Finals – Singles

January 2025 1981 World Championship Tennis Finals USA John McEnroe RSA 1928 Johan Kriek 6–1, 6–2, 6–4 singles Jimmy Connors was the defending champion but did not compete that year. John McEnroe won in the final 6–1, 6–2, 6–4 against Johan Kriek. Seeds A champion seed is indicated in bold text while text in italics indicates the round in which that seed was eliminated. USA John McEnroe (champion) USA Roscoe Tanner (semifinals) Draw Quarterfinals Semifinals Final 1 USA John McEnroe 7 6 6       USA Sandy Mayer 5 4 3       USA Brian Gottfried 7 6 6       USA Sammy Giammalva Jr. 5 3 1       POL Wojciech Fibak 5 6 1 4     RSA 1928 Johan Kriek 7 3 6 6     IND Vijay Amritraj 2 6 6 66 4 2 USA Roscoe Tanner 6 1 2 78 6 1 USA John McEnroe 6 6 6       USA Brian Gottfried 3 4 1       RSA 1928 Johan Kriek 77 6 4 0 6 2 USA Roscoe Tanner 62 3 6 6 4 1 USA John McEnroe 6 6 6       RSA 1928 Johan Kriek 1 2 4     References 1981 World Championship Tennis Finals Draw Singles