The approach to Wimbledon's first Open Championship in 1968
was hot and sultry. This was not a good sign because Wimbledon
officials know that conditions like that are almost certain
to be followed by heavy rains. That is exactly what happened
and the first week was one of the wettest in the entire
history of the Championships.
It was an historic year in another way because of the civil
unrest in France when the first French Open was being played
prior to Wimbledon. Paris, and other cities in France, were
hit by lack of public transport and services, and aircraft
movements in and out of France virtually ended. But against
this background the French Open proved particularly successful
and huge crowds flocked to the Stade Roland Garros. All
the players arrived as well as if to prove and to share
with the spectators the belief that the show must go on.
Ken Rosewall beat his fellow Australian Rod Laver to win
the French title, repeating the victory he had gained in
the first open tournament of all - the British Hard Court
Championships played at the West Hants club at Bournemouth
at the start of the new era for the game which began on
April 22.
Wimbledon had always been at the forefront of the drive
for an open game. Indeed one chairman of Wimbledon, the
late Herman David, has described the amateur game as a "living
lie." By the start of 1967 the pressure was growing
interminably for the game to become open to all and it was
as if to test the water that Wimbledon presented an eight
man Wimbledon World Professional Championship on the Centre
Court in August. The prize money was £12, 500, and
the BBC showed the tournament to salute the introduction
of colour television. Laver won the title.
Towards the end of 1967 the Lawn Tennis Association voted
for open tennis across the board and within a matter of
weeks the world at large was ready for the change. Consequently,
the excitement surrounding the first Open at Wimbledon was
immense. For the first time some of the great players of
the past were to tackle the challenge of Wimbledon once
more. Back came Laver after a five year gap as a professional
and with him from that same previously excluded grouping
came Pancho Gonzales, who had not played at Wimbledon since
1949, Pancho Segura, Lew Hoad, Andres Gimeno, Butch Buchholz,
and, of course, Rosewall, who had been runner-up in the
singles final in 1954 and 1956.
Laver, champion in 1961 and 1962, was top seed. Rosewall
was placed second with Gimeno, the Spaniard at third place,
and John Newcombe, the 1967 champion, in fourth place. Newcombe
had turned professional after winning the title but the
arrival of open tennis meant there was no break in his playing
at Wimbledon.
Gonzales, a huge favourite, was seeded eighth but lasted
no further than the second round where he fell to the Russian,
Alex Metreveli. Rosewall, having been pushed by two strong
grass court players, Charlie Pasarell and Onny Parun, in
the second and third rounds, was beaten in the fourth by
the 15th seeded Australian left hander Tony Roche. Newcombe,
too, was a fourth round loser to the American Arthur Ashe
while Gimeno was defeated in the third round by the South
African Ray Moore.
As the tournament narrowed to the last eight, with play
starting at 1pm on three days to counter the effects of
the bad weather, Laver and Buchholz were the lone survivors
from the old professional ranks and just Laver remained
in the Semi-Finals where he faced Ashe, the thirteenth seed,
and his fifth American opponent. Roche played another American,
the unseeded Clark Graebner, at the same stage. An all-Australian
final, not exactly a rarity at Wimbledon, resulted. The
winner would earn £2000 in prize money.
It was a daunting task for Roche, the son of the butcher
from a hamlet called Tarcutta in New South Wales. He was
less known on the world stage and even though he was to
become a great champion and dominate Wimbledon doubles with
Newcombe he did not have the measure of Laver in a final
between two left handers. Laver won 6-3 6-4 6-2 and Wimbledon's
first open
tournament was over.
The Ladies' Championship was a triumph for the American
Billie Jean King who won for a third year running. Mrs King
was seeded to play another former winner, Margaret Court
of Australia, in the Final but instead played another Australian
Judy Tegart who beat Mrs Court in the quarter-finals. In
the semi-finals Mrs King beat the British left hander Ann
Jones and Miss Tegart beat the American Nancy Richey. Mrs
King won the final 9-7 7-5, earning £750.
Elsewhere, John Newcombe and Tony Roche won the Gentlemen's
doubles, Rosemary Casals and Billie Jean King won the Ladies'
Doubles and Ken Fletcher and Margaret Court won the Mixed
Doubles.
Written by Barry Newcombe
