The 62nd International Tennis Championships of Germany took place from August 5 to August 13, 1968 on the Rothenbaum in Hamburg .
For the first time they were played as an “open” tournament for professional players. Initially, this only affected the gentlemen for whom there was officially announced prize money of 40,000 DM for the first time . The organizer, the Hamburger Tennisgilde, signed seven professionals of the World Championship Tennis , namely the French Pierre Barthès , the South African Cliff Drysdale , the two Australians John Newcombe and Tony Roche , the Yugoslav Nikola Pilić , the American Marty Riessen and the British Roger Taylor . In addition, there was the contractless Australian professional player Mal Anderson . With the exception of Anderson and Riessen, these players had already competed in Hamburg.
The now married South African Annette du Plooy won all three titles, in the women's doubles with Pat Walkden, who has now been naturalized to South Africa from Rhodesia, as well as in mixed with her compatriot Frew McMillan . In the men's category, John Newcombe won the singles, while the Dutch Tom Okker and Marty Riessen were successful in doubles . Okker was the only player in the tournament to have licensed player status . As in the previous year , Wilhelm Bungert reached the semi-finals in the men's singles .
Only the professional players and the licensed player Tom Okker were entitled to receive , while the amateur players only received the usual expenses. Even the professionals of the World Championship Tennis , which had already been guaranteed 10,000 DM before the tournament, did not receive the prize money directly, but instead they were collected by this organization, which paid its players according to its own guidelines. So were times Anderson and Tom Okker the only players who got paid her won prize money of 625 DM or 3,125 DM directly. In total, only DM 31,250 of the prize money was exhausted.
↑ According to the Hamburger Abendblatt of August 3, 1968. In the HA of August 14, 1968, however, there is talk of 60,000 DM additional costs "through the commitment of the Hunt Group".
Roy Emerson
Françoise Durr
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Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan
Winnie Shaw Judy Tegart