1975 Grand Prix (tennis) explained

1975 Grand Prix circuit
Duration:	26 December 1974 – 16 December 1975
Edition:	6th
Tournaments:	44
Categories:	TC events (3) GPM events (1) AA events (15) A events (6) B events (19)
Most Tournament Titles:	Manuel Orantes (6)
Most Tournament Finals:	Manuel Orantes (9)
Prize Money Leader:	Guillermo Vilas ($237,392)
Points Leader:	Guillermo Vilas (850)
Player Of The Year:	Arthur Ashe^[1]
Newcomer Of The Year:	Vitas Gerulaitis
Previous:	1974
Next:	1976

The 1975 Commercial Union Assurance Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit administered by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF) which served as a forerunner to the current Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour and the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) Tour.^[2] The circuit consisted of the four modern Grand Slam tournaments and open tournaments recognised by the ILTF. The Commercial Union Assurance Masters, Davis Cup Final and Nations Cup are included in this calendar but did not count towards the Grand Prix.^[3]

The men's schedule started in December 1974 with the Australian Open and continued in May 1975 following the conclusion of the rival 1975 World Championship Tennis circuit which ran from January to early May.

Schedule

Key

Triple Crown

Grand Prix Masters

Group AA events

Group A events

Group B events

Team events

December 1974

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Semifinalists	Quarterfinalists
26 Dec		John Newcombe 7–5, 3–6, 6–4, 7–6			Kim Warwick John Alexander Alex Metreveli Geoff Masters
26 Dec		John Alexander Phil Dent 6–3, 7–6	Bob Carmichael Allan Stone		Kim Warwick John Alexander Alex Metreveli Geoff Masters

May

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Quarterfinalists
5 May	Bavarian Championships Munich, West Germany Group B Clay – $50,000 – 32S/16D Singles – Doubles	Guillermo Vilas 2–6, 6–0, 6–2, 6–3		Harald Elschenbroich Pavel Hutka Jan Kodeš Hans-Jürgen Pohmann
5 May		Wojciech Fibak Jan Kodeš 7–5, 6–3	Milan Holeček Karl Meiler
12 May	Coca-Cola British Hard Court Championships Bournemouth, Great Britain Group B Clay – $50,000 – 48S/24D/16XD	Manuel Orantes 6–3, 4–6, 6–2, 7–5		Bernard Mitton Roger Taylor Jan Kodeš Ilie Năstase
		Juan Gisbert Sr. Manuel Orantes 8–6, 6–3	Syd Ball Dick Crealy
		Sharon Walsh David Lloyd 3–6, 8–6, 7–5	Lesley Charles Mark Farrell
19 May	German Open Hamburg, West Germany Group AA Clay – $100,000 – 64S/32D	Manuel Orantes 3–6, 6–2, 6–2, 4–6, 6–1		Guillermo Vilas Wojciech Fibak Onny Parun Roger Taylor
19 May		Juan Gisbert Sr. Manuel Orantes 6–3, 7–6	Wojciech Fibak Jan Kodeš	Guillermo Vilas Wojciech Fibak Onny Parun Roger Taylor
26 May	Italian Open Rome, Italy Group AA Clay – $100,000 – 64S/32D	Raúl Ramírez 7–6, 7–5, 7–5		Björn Borg Eddie Dibbs Harold Solomon Onny Parun
	Italian Open Rome, Italy Group AA Clay – $100,000 – 64S/32D	Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 6–4, 7–6, 2–6, 6–1	Jimmy Connors Ilie Năstase	Björn Borg Eddie Dibbs Harold Solomon Onny Parun
	Agfacolor Cup Düsseldorf, West Germany Group B Clay – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Jaime Fillol 6–4, 1–6, 6–0, 7–5		Raymond Moore Harald Elschenbroich Hans Kary Toma Ovici
		François Jauffret Jan Kodeš 6–2, 6–3	Harald Elschenbroich Hans Kary	Raymond Moore Harald Elschenbroich Hans Kary Toma Ovici

June

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Quarterfinalists
3 Jun	French Open Paris, France Grand Slam Triple Crown Clay – 128S/64D/32XD Singles – Doubles – Mixed doubles	Björn Borg 6–2, 6–3, 6–4		Harold Solomon John Andrews Onny Parun Raúl Ramírez
		Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 6–2, 2–6, 6–2, 6–4	John Alexander Phil Dent
		Fiorella Bonicelli Thomaz Koch 6–4, 7–6	Pam Teeguarden Jaime Fillol
17 Jun	John Player Open Nottingham, Great Britain Group AA Grass – $100,000 – 64S/30D	Tom Okker 6–1, 3–6, 6–3		Jimmy Connors Arthur Ashe Bob Carmichael Guillermo Vilas
17 Jun		Charlie Pasarell Roscoe Tanner 6–2, 6–3	Tom Okker Marty Riessen	Jimmy Connors Arthur Ashe Bob Carmichael Guillermo Vilas
24 Jun		Arthur Ashe 6–1, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4		Raúl Ramírez Guillermo Vilas Björn Borg Tom Okker
		Vitas Gerulaitis Sandy Mayer 7–5, 8–6, 6–4	Colin Dowdeswell Allan Stone
		Margaret Court Marty Riessen 6–4, 7–5	Betty Stöve Allan Stone

July

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Quarterfinalists
7 Jul	Swedish Open Båstad, Sweden Group B Clay – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Manuel Orantes 6–0, 6–3		Björn Borg Juan Gisbert Sr. Ismail El Shafei Patrick Proisy
		Ove Bengtson Björn Borg 7–6, 7–5	Juan Gisbert Sr. Manuel Orantes	Björn Borg Juan Gisbert Sr. Ismail El Shafei Patrick Proisy
		Ken Rosewall 6–4, 6–4, 6–3		Jeff Borowiak Iván Molina Marcelo Lara Nikola Pilić
		Jürgen Fassbender Hans-Jürgen Pohmann 6–4, 9–7, 6–1	Colin Dowdeswell Ken Rosewall	Jeff Borowiak Iván Molina Marcelo Lara Nikola Pilić
	Head Cup Kitzbühel, Austria Group B Clay – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Adriano Panatta 2–6, 6–2, 7–5, 6–4		Hans Kary János Benyik Balázs Taróczy Jiří Hřebec
		Paolo Bertolucci Adriano Panatta 6–2, 6–2, 7–6	Patrice Dominguez François Jauffret	Hans Kary János Benyik Balázs Taróczy Jiří Hřebec
14 Jul	Chicago International Chicago, United States Group B Carpet – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Roscoe Tanner 6–1, 6–7, 7–6		Sashi Menon Brian Gottfried Sherwood Stewart Haroon Rahim
		John Alexander Phil Dent 6–3, 6–4	Mike Cahill John Whitlinger	Sashi Menon Brian Gottfried Sherwood Stewart Haroon Rahim
		Guillermo Vilas 6–4, 6–7, 6–2, 6–3		Jürgen Fassbender Ismail El Shafei Nikola Špear François Jauffret
		Wojciech Fibak Guillermo Vilas 6–4, 6–3	Željko Franulović John Lloyd
21 Jul	Washington Star International Washington, United States Group AA Clay – $100,000 – 64S/32D	Guillermo Vilas 6–1, 6–3		Jaime Fillol Eddie Dibbs Ilie Năstase Arthur Ashe
21 Jul		Bob Lutz Stan Smith 7–5, 2–6, 6–1	Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez	Jaime Fillol Eddie Dibbs Ilie Năstase Arthur Ashe
28 Jul	First National Bank Classic Louisville, United States Group AA Clay – $100,000 – 64S/30D	Guillermo Vilas 6–4, 6–3		Željko Franulović Manuel Orantes Raúl Ramírez John Alexander
		Not played.	Fibak / Vilas A. Amritraj / V. Amritraj
	Western Championships Cincinnati, United States Group B Clay – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Tom Gorman 7–5, 2–6, 6–4		Brian Teacher Cliff Drysdale Dick Crealy Robert Kreiss
		Phil Dent Cliff Drysdale 7–6, 6–4	Marcelo Lara Joaquín Loyo-Mayo	Brian Teacher Cliff Drysdale Dick Crealy Robert Kreiss

August

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Quarterfinalists
4 Aug	U.S. Clay Court Championships Indianapolis, United States Group AA Clay – $130,000 – 64S/32D	Manuel Orantes 6–2, 6–2		Eddie Dibbs Juan Gisbert Sr. Iván Molina Jaime Fillol
		Juan Gisbert Sr. Manuel Orantes 7–5, 6–0	Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez	Eddie Dibbs Juan Gisbert Sr. Iván Molina Jaime Fillol
	Volvo International North Conway, United States Group B Clay – $100,000 – 48S/20D	Jimmy Connors 6–2, 6–2		Víctor Pecci Norman Holmes Raymond Moore John Alexander
		Haroon Rahim Erik van Dillen 7–6, 7–6	John Alexander Phil Dent	Víctor Pecci Norman Holmes Raymond Moore John Alexander
11 Aug	Rothmans Canadian Open Toronto, Ontario, Canada Group AA Clay – $100,000 – 64S/32D	Manuel Orantes 7–6, 6–0, 6–1		Wojciech Fibak John Alexander Adriano Panatta Hans-Joachim Plötz
		Cliff Drysdale Raymond Moore 6–4, 5–7, 7–6	Jan Kodeš Ilie Năstase
	City National Buckeye Championships Columbus, United States Group B $50,000 – Clay – 32S/16D	Vijay Amritraj 6–4, 7–5		Jürgen Fassbender Bernard Mitton Jim Delaney Sherwood Stewart
		Bob Lutz Stan Smith 6–2, 6–7, 6–3	Jürgen Fassbender Hans-Jürgen Pohmann
18 Aug		Björn Borg 6–3, 6–4, 6–2		Rod Laver Wojciech Fibak Manuel Orantes Raúl Ramírez
		Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 4–6, 6–3, 7–6	John Andrews Mike Estep	Rod Laver Wojciech Fibak Manuel Orantes Raúl Ramírez
	Tennis Week Open South Orange, United States Group B Clay – $50,000 – 32S/12D	Ilie Năstase 7–6, 6–1		Jimmy Connors Raymond Moore Victor Amaya Balázs Taróczy
		Jimmy Connors Ilie Năstase 6–2, 6–3	Dick Crealy John Lloyd	Jimmy Connors Raymond Moore Victor Amaya Balázs Taróczy
25 Aug		Manuel Orantes 6–4, 6–3, 6–4		Andrew Pattison Eddie Dibbs Ilie Năstase Jaime Fillol
		Jimmy Connors Ilie Năstase 6–4, 7–6	Tom Okker Marty Riessen
		Rosemary Casals Dick Stockton 6–3, 7–6	Billie Jean King Fred Stolle

September

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Quarterfinalists
15 Sep		Arthur Ashe 3–6, 7–5, 6–3		Bob Lutz Marty Riessen Dick Stockton Allan Stone
15 Sep		Anand Amritraj Vijay Amritraj 7–6^(7–3), 4–6, 6–4	Cliff Drysdale Marty Riessen	Bob Lutz Marty Riessen Dick Stockton Allan Stone
22 Sep	Fireman's Fund International San Francisco, United States Group AA Carpet (i) – $100,000 – 64S/32D Singles – Doubles	Arthur Ashe 6–0, 7–6^(7–4)		Bob Lutz Dick Stockton Cliff Drysdale Sandy Mayer
22 Sep		Fred McNair Sherwood Stewart 6–2, 7–6^(7–3)	Allan Stone Kim Warwick	Bob Lutz Dick Stockton Cliff Drysdale Sandy Mayer
29 Sep	Hawaii Open Maui, United States Group B Hard – $50,000 – 32S/20D	Jimmy Connors 6–1, 6–0		Billy Martin Bob Lutz Jeff Borowiak Allan Stone
		Fred McNair Sherwood Stewart 3–6, 7–6, 6–3	Jeff Borowiak Haroon Rahim	Billy Martin Bob Lutz Jeff Borowiak Allan Stone
	Nations Cup Kingston, Jamaica $100,000 – 8 countries	2–1		Commonwealth Caribbean

October

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Quarterfinalists
6 Oct	Trofeo Melia Madrid, Spain Group A Clay – $75,000 – 64S/32D	Jan Kodeš 5–7, 2–6, 7–6, 6–2, 6–3		Guillermo Vilas Eddie Dibbs Ilie Năstase Manuel Orantes
	Trofeo Melia Madrid, Spain Group A Clay – $75,000 – 64S/32D	Jan Kodeš Ilie Năstase 7–6, 4–6, 9–7	Juan Gisbert Sr. Manuel Orantes	Guillermo Vilas Eddie Dibbs Ilie Năstase Manuel Orantes
	South Pacific Championships Melbourne, Australia Group B Clay – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Brian Gottfried 6–2, 7–6, 6–1		Geoff Masters Nick Saviano Ross Case Dick Crealy
		Ross Case Geoff Masters 6–4, 6–0	Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez	Geoff Masters Nick Saviano Ross Case Dick Crealy
13 Oct	Custom Credit Australian Indoor Championships Sydney, Australia Group AA Hard (i) – $100,000 – 48S/24D	Stan Smith 7–6, 6–2		Sandy Mayer John Alexander Tom Gorman Geoff Masters
	Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 6–4, 6–2	Ross Case Geoff Masters		Sandy Mayer John Alexander Tom Gorman Geoff Masters
	Trofeo Conde de Godó Barcelona, Spain Group A Clay – $75,000 – 64S/32D	Björn Borg 1–6, 7–6, 6–3, 6–2		Eddie Dibbs Jan Kodeš Ilie Năstase Manuel Orantes
		Björn Borg Guillermo Vilas 3–6, 6–4, 6–3	Wojciech Fibak Karl Meiler	Eddie Dibbs Jan Kodeš Ilie Năstase Manuel Orantes
20 Oct	Aryamehr Cup Tehran, Iran Group AA Clay – $100,000 – 48S/24D	Eddie Dibbs 1–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–4		Corrado Barazzutti Onny Parun Jairo Velasco Manuel Orantes
		Juan Gisbert Sr. Manuel Orantes 7–5, 6–7, 6–1, 6–4	Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan	Corrado Barazzutti Onny Parun Jairo Velasco Manuel Orantes
	Hitachi & Nissan-Datsun Championships Perth, Australia Group B Hard – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Harold Solomon 6–2, 7–6, 7–5		Cliff Richey Tony Roche Syd Ball Tom Gorman
	Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 2–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–0	Ross Case Geoff Masters		Cliff Richey Tony Roche Syd Ball Tom Gorman
27 Oct	Philta International Manila, the Philippines Group A Hard – $75,000 – 32S/16D	Ross Case 6–3, 6–1		Manuel Orantes John Newcombe Dick Crealy Hans-Jürgen Pohmann
		Ross Case Geoff Masters 6–1, 6–2	Syd Ball Kim Warwick
	Jean Becker Open Paris, France Group B Hard (i) – $50,000 – 32S/18D Singles – Doubles	Tom Okker 6–3, 2–6, 6–3, 3–6, 6–4		Roscoe Tanner Jaime Fillol Eddie Dibbs Onny Parun
		Wojciech Fibak Karl Meiler 6–4, 7–6	Ilie Năstase Tom Okker	Roscoe Tanner Jaime Fillol Eddie Dibbs Onny Parun

November

Week	Tournament	Champions	Runners-up	Quarterfinalists
2 Nov	Stockholm Open Stockholm, Sweden Group AA Hard (i) – $100,000 – 64S/32D	Adriano Panatta 6–4, 6–3		Arthur Ashe Roscoe Tanner Ilie Năstase Bernard Mitton
		Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan 3–6, 6–3, 6–4	Charlie Pasarell Roscoe Tanner	Arthur Ashe Roscoe Tanner Ilie Năstase Bernard Mitton
	Japan Open Tennis Championships Tokyo, Japan Group AA Hard – $100,000 – 48S/24D	Raúl Ramírez 6–4, 7–5, 6–3		Harold Solomon Dick Crealy John Newcombe Hans-Jürgen Pohmann
		Brian Gottfried Raúl Ramírez 7–6, 6–4	Juan Gisbert Sr. Manuel Orantes
9 Nov	Dewar Cup^[4] Edinburgh/London, Great Britain Group A Carpet – 48S/23D	Eddie Dibbs 1–6, 6–1, 7–5		Arthur Ashe Jan Kodeš Haroon Rahim Bernard Mitton
		Wojciech Fibak Karl Meiler 6–1, 7–5	Jimmy Connors Ilie Năstase	Arthur Ashe Jan Kodeš Haroon Rahim Bernard Mitton
	South American Championships Buenos Aires, Argentina Group A Clay – $50,000 – 32S/28D	Guillermo Vilas 6–1, 6–4, 6–4		Željko Franulović Iván Molina Víctor Pecci José Edison Mandarino
		Paolo Bertolucci Adriano Panatta 7–6, 6–7, 6–4	Jürgen Fassbender Hans-Jürgen Pohmann
	Citizen's Classic Hong Kong, Hong Kong Group B Hard – $50,000 – 32S/16D	Tom Gorman 6–3, 6–1, 6–1		Juan Gisbert Sr. Bob Carmichael John Newcombe Tom Okker
		Tom Okker Ken Rosewall 6–3, 6–4	Bob Carmichael Sandy Mayer	Juan Gisbert Sr. Bob Carmichael John Newcombe Tom Okker
16 Nov	South African Breweries Open Johannesburg, South Africa Group AA Hard – $100,000 – 43S/24D/16XD	Harold Solomon 6–3, 6–2, 5–7, 6–2		Pat Cramer Frew McMillan Raymond Moore Andrew Pattison
	Bob Hewitt Frew McMillan 7–5, 6–4	Karl Meiler Charlie Pasarell
	Title shared.	Kloss / Bertram Carnahan / Russell
	Indian Open Calcutta, India Group A $50,000 – Clay – 32S/16D	Vijay Amritraj 7–5, 6–3		Tom Gorman Sandy Mayer Haroon Rahim Juan Gisbert Sr.
		Juan Gisbert Sr. Manuel Orantes 1–6, 6–4, 6–3	Anand Amritraj Vijay Amritraj	Tom Gorman Sandy Mayer Haroon Rahim Juan Gisbert Sr.
30 Nov		Ilie Năstase 6–2, 6–2, 6–1		Manuel Orantes Adriano Panatta Harold Solomon Raúl Ramírez
30 Nov		Juan Gisbert Sr. Manuel Orantes 7–5, 6–1	Jürgen Fassbender Hans-Jürgen Pohmann	Manuel Orantes Adriano Panatta Harold Solomon Raúl Ramírez

December

Grand Prix points system

The tournaments listed above were divided into four groups. Group TC consisted of the Triple Crown – the French Open, the Wimbledon Championships and the US Open – while the other tournaments were divided into three other groups – AA, A and B – by prize money and draw size. Points were allocated based on these groups and the finishing position of a player in a tournament. No points were awarded to first round losers and ties were settled by the number of tournaments played. The points allocation – with doubles points listed in brackets – can be found below:

Champion: 120 (24)

Runner-up: 90 (18)

Semifinalist: 60 (12)

Quarterfinalist: 30 (6)

Fourth Round: 15 (3)

Third Round: 7 (1)

Second Round: 3

Champion: 80 (16)

Runner-up: 60 (12)

Semifinalist: 40 (8)

Quarterfinalist: 20 (4)

9th – 16th: 10 (2)

17th – 32nd: 5

Champion: 60 (12)

Runner-up: 45 (9)

Semifinalist: 30 (6)

Quarterfinalist: 15 (3)

9th – 16th: 7 (1)

17th – 32nd: 3

Champion: 40 (8)

Runner-up: 30 (6)

Semifinalist: 20 (4)

5th – 8th: 10 (2)

9th – 16th: 5

Standings

Rk	Name	Points
1		850
2		764
3		560
4		550
5		485
6		470
7		402
8		393
9		375
10		370

ATP rankings

These are the ATP rankings of the top twenty singles players at the end of the 1974 season^[5] and at the end of the 1975 season,^[6] with numbers of ranking points, points averages, numbers of tournaments played, year-end rankings in 1975, highest and lowest positions during the season and number of spots gained or lost from the first rankings to the year-end rankings.

As of 20 December 1974^[7]
Rk	Name
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20

Year-end rankings 1975 (15 December 1975)^[8]
Rk	Name	Points	Average	High	Low	Change
1		769	42.72			=
2		893	42.52			+3
3		728	38.32			=
4		905	37.71			+3
5		887	35.48			+6
6		387	29.77			+3
7		699	29.12			+3
8		587	24.46			+18
9		569	23.71			+5
10		351	23.40			-6
11		326	23.29			-5
12		279	23.25			+15
13		620	22.14			+6
14		485	20.21			+24
15		286	19.07			+30
16		469	18.04			+15
17		582	17.64			-1
18		450	17.31			+4
19		342	16.29			-2
20		187	15.58			-18

List of tournament winners

The list of winners and number of Grand Prix singles titles won, alphabetically by last number of titles:

Manuel Orantes (6) Bournemouth, Hamburg, Båstad, Indianapolis, Montreal, US Open
Guillermo Vilas (5) Munich, Hilversum, Washington, D.C., Louisville, Buenos Aires
Arthur Ashe (3) Wimbledon, Los Angeles, San Francisco
Björn Borg (3) French Open, Boston, Barcelona
Ilie Năstase (3) Barcelona, South Orange, Masters
Vijay Amritraj (2) Columbus, Calcutta
Ross Case (2) Manila, Sydney Indoor
Jimmy Connors (2) North Conway, Maui
Tom Gorman (2) Cincinnati, Hong Kong
Tom Okker (2) Nottingham, Paris (Jean Becker)
Adriano Panatta (2) Kitzbühel, Stockholm
Raúl Ramírez (2) Rome, Tokyo Outdoor
Harold Solomon (2) Perth, Johannesburg
Eddie Dibbs (1) Tehran
Jaime Fillol (1) Düsseldorf
Brian Gottfried (1) Melbourne Indoor
Jan Kodeš (1) Madrid
John Newcombe (1) Australian Open
Ken Rosewall (1) Gstaad
Stan Smith (1) Sydney Indoor

No players won their first Grand Prix title in 1975.

External links

ATP Archive 1975: Commercial Union Grand Prix Tournaments
History Mens Professional Tours

Notes and References

Web site: The ATP Moves to Dallas. D Magazine. Dennis Spencer. September 13, 1976.
Web site: History. Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
Book: World of Tennis '76 : a BP and Commercial Union yearbook. 1976. Queen Anne Press. London. 9780362002768. 650229036. 25–33. John Barrett.
The tournament began at Meadowbanks in Edinburgh on 8 November and moved to the Royal Albert Hall in London on 12 November.
Web site: ATP Rankings (singles) – 20 Dec 1974. Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
Web site: ATP Rankings (singles) – 15 Dec 1975. Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
Web site: ATP rankings 20 Dec 1974 . ATP . 14 September 2023.
Web site: ATP Year-end top 20 . ATP . 14 September 2023.