French Pro Championship

In 1930 the "Association Française des Professeurs de Tennis (AFPT)" held its first pro tournament, titled "Championnat International de France Professionnel" (French Pro Championships) June 18–22, 1930,[1] and is considered as a part of the professional major from 1927 to 1967 till the advent of Open Era. The tournament only had a men's draw.

French Pro Championships
Defunct tennis tournament
Founded1930
Abolished1968
LocationParis, France
VenueStade Roland Garros (1930–39,1956–1962,1968)
Palais des Sports (1950–1953)
Stade Pierre de Coubertin (1963–67)
SurfaceClay, Hard, Wood

From 1930 the French Pro Championship were always played at Paris, on outdoor clay at Roland Garros except from 1963 to 1967 where it was held at Stade Pierre de Coubertin on indoor wood. Ken Rosewall holds the record for 8 wins overall and 7 consecutive wins.

There was a professional tournament at Roland Garros in 1952 held on a round robin basis, in which Segura finished first, winning the decider over Pancho Gonzales, Kramer third, and Budge fourth. There is no indication yet of recognition by the AFPT as the official French Pro.

There were tournaments played on indoor cement in 1950 and 1953 at the Palais des Sports. They are listed in the table below, but there is no suggestion that they were seen as official French Pro titles.

Champions

Singles
Year Champion Runner-up Score Venue Surface
Professional Era
1930 Karel Koželuh Albert Burke6–1, 6–2, 6–1 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1931 Martin Plaa Robert Ramillon6–3, 6–1, 3–6, 6–2 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1932 Robert Ramillon Martin Plaa6–4, 3–6, 8–6, 6–4 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1933[lower-alpha 1]Not held
1934 Bill Tilden Martin Plaa6–2, 6–4, 7–5 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1935 Ellsworth Vines Hans Nüsslein10–8, 6–4, 3–6, 6–1 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1936 Henri Cochet Robert Ramillon6–3, 6–1, 6–1 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1937 Hans Nüsslein Henri Cochet6–2, 8–6, 6–3 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1938 Hans Nüsslein Bill Tilden6–0, 6–1, 6–2 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1939 Don Budge Ellsworth Vines6–2, 7–5, 6–3 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1940–1949Not held
1950[lower-alpha 2] Pancho Segura* Jack KramerPalais des SportsHard (i)
1951Not held
1952[lower-alpha 2] Pancho Segura* Pancho GonzalesRoland GarrosClay
1953[lower-alpha 2] Frank Sedgman* Pancho GonzalesPalais des SportsHard (i)
1954–1955Not held
1956 Tony Trabert Pancho Gonzales6–3, 4–6, 5–7, 8–6, 6–2 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1957Not held
1958 Ken Rosewall Lew Hoad3–6, 6–2, 6–4, 6–0 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1959 Tony Trabert Frank Sedgman6–4, 6–4, 6–4 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1960 Ken Rosewall Lew Hoad6–2, 2–6, 6–2, 6–1 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1961 Ken Rosewall Pancho Gonzales2–6, 6–4, 6–3, 8–6 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1962 Ken Rosewall Andrés Gimeno3–6, 6–2, 7–5, 6–2 [2]Roland GarrosClay
1963 Ken Rosewall Rod Laver6–8, 6–4, 5–7, 6–3, 6–4 [2]Stade Pierre de CoubertinWood (i)
1964 Ken Rosewall Rod Laver6–3, 7–5, 3–6, 6–3 [2]Stade Pierre de CoubertinWood (i)
1965 Ken Rosewall Rod Laver6–3, 6–2, 6–4 [2]Stade Pierre de CoubertinWood (i)
1966 Ken Rosewall Rod Laver6–3, 6–2, 14–12 [2]Stade Pierre de CoubertinWood (i)
1967 Rod Laver Andrés Gimeno6–4, 8–6, 4–6, 6–2 [2]Stade Pierre de CoubertinWood (i)
Open Era
1968 Rod Laver John Newcombe6–2, 6–2, 6–3Roland GarrosClay

Notes:

  1. In History of the Pro Tennis Wars[3] Ray Bowers gives a detailed account of the first twenty years of the professional tennis tours, from a modest beginning in 1926 with Suzanne Lenglen and Vincent Richards as the main attractions, on through 1945. No mention is made of a French Pro tournament in 1933. The only professional competition played that year at Roland Garros was a USA-France meeting, September 22–24, in the Davis Cup format won by the USA 4–1 where Cochet overcame Bruce Barnes, Tilden defeated Plaa and Cochet, Barnes beat Plaa, and Americans then closed out the doubles. Many sources, probably incorrectly, considered the Tilden-Cochet match as a final of a supposed French Pro.[4]
  2. In 1953, from Saturday November 21 to Sunday November 22, a 4-man (Sedgman winner, Gonzales runner-up, Segura 3rd and Budge 4th) professional tournament was held in Paris on indoor red cement at the Palais des Sports but there is no mention that this tournament was a French Pro: in particular in the January 1954 edition of Tennis de France, the French magazine, run by Philippe Chatrier (future president of the ILTF) who made the report of this tournament by interviewing the winner Frank Sedgman. Joe McCauley included this tournament in his list of French Pro tournaments but in the precis to his book History of Professional Tennis mentions that it may not have been considered at the time as an official French Pro. In January 1950 at the same site Pancho Segura defeated Jack Kramer.

Doubles
Year Champion Runner-up Score Venue Surface
Professional Era
1930 Karel Koželuh
Roman Najuch		 Albert Burke
Edmund Burke		6–4, 6–2, 3–6, 6–1Roland GarrosClay
1931 Roland Garros Clay
1932 Roland Garros Clay
1933 Not held
1934 Roland Garros Clay
1935 Bill Tilden
Ellsworth Vines		 Albert Burke
Hans Nüsslein		6–4, 3–6, 7–5, 6–4Roland GarrosClay
1936 Henri Cochet
Albert Burke		 Martin Plaa
Robert Ramillon		6–1, 4–6, 6–1, 6–3Roland GarrosClay
1937 Lester Stoefen
Bill Tilden		 Henri Cochet
Robert Ramillon		6–4, 3–6, 6–2, 6–3Roland GarrosClay
1938 Martin Plaa
Robert Ramillon		 Hans Nüsslein
Bill Tilden		6–3, 4–6, 4–6, 6–3, 6–4Roland GarrosClay
1939 Don Budge
Ellsworth Vines		 Henri Cochet
Robert Ramillon		6–4, 6–4, 2–6, 6–4Roland GarrosClay
1940–1949Not held
1950 Palais des Sports Hard (i)
1951 Not held
1952 Roland Garros Clay
1953 Don Budge*
Frank Sedgman*		 Pancho Gonzales
Pancho Segura		 2–6, 9–7, 6–4 Palais des Sports Hard (i)
1954–1955Not held
1956 Pancho Gonzales
Tony Trabert		 Rex Hartwig
Frank Sedgman		6–3, 2–6, 6–1Roland GarrosClay
1957Not held
1958 Lew Hoad
Tony Trabert		 Pancho Gonzales
Ken Rosewall		6–4, 2–6, 6–1Roland GarrosClay
1959 Lew Hoad
Tony Trabert		 Mervyn Rose
Frank Sedgman		14–12, 6–4, 6–2Roland GarrosClay
1960 Lew Hoad
Tony Trabert		 Ken Rosewall
Frank Sedgman		6–4, 6–0, 6–1Roland GarrosClay
1961 Lew Hoad
Ken Rosewall		 Pancho Gonzales
Tony Trabert		6–1, 6–3, 8–10, 13–11Roland GarrosClay
1962 Lew Hoad
Ken Rosewall		 Mal Anderson
Ashley Cooper		6–1, 6–3, 6–3Roland GarrosClay
1963 Lew Hoad
Ken Rosewall		 Mal Anderson
Rod Laver		6–2, 7–5, 8–6Stade Pierre de CoubertinWood (i)
1964 Lew Hoad
Ken Rosewall		 Luis Ayala
Andrés Gimeno		6–8, 6–4, 6–4Stade Pierre de CoubertinWood (i)
1965 Mal Anderson
Ken Rosewall		 Butch Buchholz
Rod Laver		10–8, 4–6, 8–6, 2–6, 10–8Stade Pierre de CoubertinWood (i)
1966 Butch Buchholz
Rod Laver		 Pierre Barthès
Andrés Gimeno		6–3, 6–3, 6–4Stade Pierre de CoubertinWood (i)
1967 Pierre Barthès
Andrés Gimeno		 Rod Laver
Fred Stolle		6–3, 6–4Stade Pierre de CoubertinWood (i)
Open Era
1968 Roy Emerson
Rod Laver		 Ken Rosewall
Fred Stolle		1–6, 3–6, 11–9, 6–3, 6–2Roland GarrosClay

Source:[5]

Bristol Cup and other French professional events
Main article: Bristol Cup

Before 1930 some tournaments were sometimes labelled "Professional Championships of France": the Bristol Cup (held from 1920 to 1932), the most important pro tournament in the world in the 1920s, was sometimes referred as the French Pro[6] as well as the World Pro tournament held at Deauville in 1925.[7] Therefore, two different tournaments were both considered as French Pro Championships in 1925 (World Pro at Deauville and Bristol Cup at Cannes) and from 1930 to 1932 (Roland Garros and Bristol Cup at Beaulieu).[8]

Records

Men's singles

Source: French Pro Championships, (1930–68): The Tennisbase included [9]

Most titles Ken Rosewall 8
Most finals Ken Rosewall 8
Most consecutive titles Ken Rosewall
(1960 - 1966)
 7
Most consecutive finals Ken Rosewall
(1960 - 1966)
 7
Most matches played Ken Rosewall 32
Most matches won Ken Rosewall 30
Most consecutive matches won Ken Rosewall 25
Most editions played Ken Rosewall 11
Best winning % Ken Rosewall 93.75%
Title won with the fewest games lost Karel Koželuh 20
(1930)
Youngest champion Don Budge 23y, 7m, 14d
(1939)
Oldest champion Bill Tilden 41y, 7m, 7d
(1934)
Longest final
1963 (55 games)
Ken Rosewall 66566
Rod Laver 84734
Shortest final
1938 (21 games)
Hans Nüsslein 666
Bill Tilden 012

See also

References
  1. Le Tennis en France 1875–1955
  2. "French Pro Championships". www.tennis.co.nf. Archived from the original on 2017-09-03. Retrieved 2017-09-22.
  3. "Tennis Server - Between The Lines - Archive 2004 - 2015". tennisserver.com. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
  4. "Cochet as professional". The Courier-mail. No. 25. 25 September 1933. p. 9 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. McCauley (2000), pp. 256–257.
  6. Lowe's Lawn Tennis Annual
  7. Ayres' Lawn Tennis Almanack 1925
  8. Alan, Little (2014). The Golden Days of Tennis on the French Riviera 1874–1939. London: Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. p. 452. ISBN 9780906741542.
  9. Garcia, Gabriel. "Tournament Records: French Pro Championships". thetennisbase.com. Madrid, Spain: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 14 December 2017.

Bibliography
  • McCauley, Joe (2000). The History of Professional Tennis. Windsor: The Short Run Book Company Limited.
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