1972 Grand Prix (tennis)

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 1972 Grand Prix circuit ran in competition with the 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit and, to a lesser extent, with the smaller 1972 USLTA Indoor Circuit. Five American indoor tournament in February and March were als part of the USLTA Indoor Circuit. In July 1971 at its annual meeting, the ILTF voted to ban all WCT contract professionals from their tournaments and facilities from the beginning of 1972 onwards. This meant that leading WCT players such as Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Arthur Ashe and John Newcombe did not initially have permission to compete in the Grand Prix circuit and Newcombe could not defend his two consecutive Wimbledon titles of 1970 and 1971. In April 1972, however, an agreement was reached between the ILTF and WCT that divided the 1973 tour in a WCT circuit that ran from January through April and a Grand Prix circuit that was scheduled for the rest of the year. Under the agreement the players contracted by the WCT could play in the Grand Prix events as of September 1972. The deal was ratified at the annual ILTF meeting in July. == Schedule == Key === February === === March === === April === === May === === June === === July === === August === === September === === October === === November === * Tournaments combined with a women's Grand Prix tour event. == Points distribution == No points were awarded for first round losers == Standings == Cliff Richey, Roscoe Tanner, Alex Metreveli, Tom Okker and Arthur Ashe played too few Grand Prix tournaments to qualify for prize money. == Grand Prix rankings == == List of tournament winners == The list of winners and number of singles titles won, alphabetically by last name: Jimmy Connors (6) Roanoke, Queen's Club, Columbus, Cincinnati, Albany, Jacksonville John Cooper (1) Hilversum Colin Dibley (1) Kitzbühel Tom Edlefsen (1) Kansas City Andrés Gimeno (3) Los Angeles, French Open, Eastbourne, Gstaad Pancho Gonzalez (1) Des Moines Bob Hewitt (4) Bournemouth, Bristol, Tanglewood, Indianapolis Jan Kodeš (1) Barcelona Karl Meiler (1) Buenos Aires Alex Metreveli (3) Sydney, Hobart, Adelaide Ilie Năstase (11) Baltimore, Omaha, Monte Carlo, Madrid, Nice, Düsseldorf, Montreal, South Orange, Seattle, US Open, London, Masters Manuel Orantes (5) Caracas, Rome, Brussels, Hamburg, Båstad Cliff Richey (2) London Indoor, Johannesburg Stan Smith (7) Salisbury, Hampton, Wimbledon, Washington, D.C., Sacramento, Los Angeles, Paris Bercy, Stockholm Roger Taylor (1) Merion The following players won their first Grand Prix title in 1972: Colin Dibley Kitzbühel Bob Hewitt Bournemouth == See also == 1972 World Championship Tennis circuit 1972 USLTA Indoor Circuit 1972 Women's Grand Prix 1972 Virginia Slims Circuit == Notes == == References == == External links == Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) – 1972 tournament archive Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) – History men's professional tours == Further reading == Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book (2nd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. ISBN 978-0-942257-70-0.