Open Era
As Open Era (German "Open Era") is known in tennis the period with the approval of professional tennis players to major tournaments, including the Grand Slam has tournaments started. Before that, only amateurs were allowed to participate in these competitions . Since the beginning of the Open Era in the spring of 1968, many of the most famous tournaments have had the term Open in their name, such as the Australian Open , the French Open and the US Open .
The British Hard Court Championships were held in Bournemouth on April 22, 1968 as the first open tournament, which was approved for both amateurs and professional players . The winner of this clay court tournament was the Australian Ken Rosewall . With his subsequent triumph in Paris , Rosewall also became the first Grand Slam tournament winner of the Open Era. A total of twelve open tournaments were held in 1968.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Randy Walker: 40 Years Ago This Week - Open Tennis Begins! on Tennisgrandstand.com , accessed December 27, 2011.
- ↑ The History of Tennis - Open Era on Tennistheme.com , accessed December 27, 2011.