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 grand slam 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 tournament played on indoor cement in 1953 at the Palais des Sports. It is listed in the table below, but there is no suggestion that it was seen as a French Pro.

Champions
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)
1951–1952Not held
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.

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[5] as well as the World Pro tournament held at Deauville in 1925.[6] 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).[7]

Date City Champion Runner-up Score
20–26 December 1920Cannes Romeo Acquarone Joseph Negro3–6, 7–5, 5–7, 6–2, 6–3[8]
12–18 December 1921Cannes John C. S. Rendall A. Page6–3, 6–4, 4–6, 7–5[9]
19–23 December 1922Menton John C. S. Rendall Joseph Negro6–1, 0–6, 6–4, 6–2 (or 6–1, 0–6, 6–4, 6–1)
17–23 December 1923Menton John C. S. Rendall Joseph Negro6–2, 6–3, 7–5
15–21 December 1924Cannes (Métropole) Albert Burke Roman Najuch7–5, 1–6, 6–4, 6–1
21–27 December 1925Cannes (Métropole) Albert Burke Roman Najuch0–6, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4, 6–1
13–19 December 1926Menton Karel Koželuh Albert Burke3–6, 6–1, 6–2, 6–0
1927Not held
9–15 January 1928Menton Karel Koželuh Roman Najuch6–3, 6–2, 6–4
7–13 January 1929Menton Karel Koželuh Albert Burke6–3, 6–1, 6–0
13–19 January 1930Menton Karel Koželuh Roman Najuch6–3, 6–3, 6–4 (or 6–3, 6–4, 6–4)
12–18 January 1931Menton Karel Koželuh Albert Burke6–3, 6–1, 5–7, 6–4
4–10 January 1932Menton Karel Koželuh Martin Plaa6–1, 6–4, 1–6, 6–0

See also

Records

Men's singles

Source: French Pro Championships, (1930–68): The Tennisbase included [10]

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

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 (25). 25 September 1933. p. 9 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. Lowe's Lawn Tennis Annual
  6. Ayres' Lawn Tennis Almanack 1925
  7. Alan, Little (2014). The Golden Days of Tennis on the French Riviera 1874–1939. London: Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum. p. 452. ISBN 9780906741542.
  8. "Bristol Cup 1920". Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  9. "Bristol Cup 1921". Retrieved 13 June 2016.
  10. Garcia, Gabriel. "Tournament Records: French Pro Championships". thetennisbase.com. Madrid, Spain: Tennismem SL. Retrieved 14 December 2017.
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