In Britain strikes had always been industrial disputes -
until 1973, that is, when most of the men's field at Wimbledon
withdrew their labour in the most sensational move in the
history of the Championships.
As with most disputes, it concerned who was top dog. And
in this respect Wimbledon was caught in the middle of a
confrontation between the then International Lawn Tennis
Federation (now ITF) and the newly-formed players "union",
the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP).
There had already been some flexing of muscles over who
ran what, and further turmoil broke out over the Yugoslav
number one, Nikki Pilic. He was suspended by his national
association, who alleged he had refused to play in a Davis
Cup tie, though Pilic hotly denied outright refusal. The
suspension, supported by the ILTF, meant that Pilic would
not be permitted to play at Wimbledon.
There were anxious ATP gatherings in London as Wimbledon's
opening day approached, with Pilic astounded to learn that
his fellow-players were prepared to boycott Wimbledon unless
he was allowed to play.
Though they had absolutely no quarrel with Wimbledon, years
of autocratic behaviour and penny-pinching by their national
associations had left the players in no mood to compromise.
They were enjoying the new-found power the ATP gave them.
The ILTF's Danish president, Allan Heyman, was confident
the players would never turn their backs on the world's
greatest tournament. But he was wrong. Jack Kramer, the
1947 Wimbledon champion and subsequently "king"
of pro tennis, accepted the post of ATP executive director,
while South Africa's Cliff Drysdale became its first president.
Before Open tennis came along in 1968, Kramer had been
regarded as a pariah, and he again suffered much media abuse
over the ATP's planned action. An emergency meeting in London
between Heyman and Kramer in London resolved nothing. Afterwards
Kramer said, "I think he (Heyman) wants a showdown."
A showdown ensued. To the despair of the All England Club,
the bewilderment of the British sporting public and the
fury of the British media, the boycott went ahead after
a failed attempt by the ATP to secure a High Court injunction
which would have forced Wimbledon to accept Pilic's entry.
Ultimately 79 players, including 13 of the original 16
seeds, withdrew but some big names remained. Roger Taylor,
the Sheffield lefthander who was Britain's best player and
who was reckoned to have a fine chance of becoming the first
home champion since Fred Perry in 1936, was persuaded to
take part, while Ilie Nastase, the 1972 runner-up, refused
to pull out, saying he was under orders from the Romanian
authorities.
Other competitors from what in those days were very much
"Iron Curtain" countries - players such as Jan
Kodes of Czechoslovakia and Alex Metreveli of the USSR -
also said they intended to play, while non-ATP members like
Jimmy Connors and the bright, 17-year-old Swedish newcomer,
Bjorn Borg, also announced they were heading for Wimbledon.
So in the end the line-up was reasonably good, though there
were some strange names in the draw (Hans-Joachim Plotz,
Ionel Santeiu, Colin McHugo and so on). Nastase was top
seed, Kodes second and Taylor third, with Connors seeded
fifth and Borg sixth.
With the women's field as strong as ever and the name of
Wimbledon still a magic attraction, attendances did not
suffer because of the strike, and whenever and wherever
Taylor appeared he was cheered for his loyalty.
Also highly popular was Borg. Everywhere the Swede went
he was besieged by teenage girls, who even invaded the sacred
turf of Centre Court to touch him and beseech his autograph.
It was the first manifestation of "Borgmania."
All of which helped to diminish the impact of the players'
strike, and as the leading seeds moved through the tournament
all seemed better than could have been hoped.
Then came the first upset as Nastase crashed to defeat
in four sets on Court Two against Alex "Sandy"
Mayer, the new US collegiate champion. Mayer went on to
the semi-finals, where he faced the fourth-seeded Metreveli,
who had ousted Connors in the quarter-finals 8-6 6-2 5-7
6-4.
Britain's hero, Taylor, had seen off Borg in the Quarter-Finals
in five sets but, with expectations of a British victory
soaring, he narrowly lost a classic semi-final to Kodes
by 8-9 9-7 5-7 6-4 7-5.
After such a match, the final was an anti-climax as Kodes,
already twice a winner of the French Open, swept aside Metreveli,
the first Russian to reach a Wimbledon Gentlemen's final,
6-1 9-8 6-3. The drama was over. And so was the strike.
Written by Barry Newcombe
