1977 Grand Prix (tennis)
The 1977 Colgate-Palmolive Grand Prix was a professional tennis circuit administered by the International Lawn Tennis Federation (ILTF, later the ITF) 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 Colgate-Palmolive Masters is included in this calendar but did not count towards the Grand Prix ranking. Colgate-Palmolive was the new tour sponsor, taking over from Commercial Union. Guillermo Vilas won the Grand Prix circuit, having accumulated the most points (2,047), and received the largest share from the bonus pool ($300,000). The top eight points ranked singles players as well as the top four doubles teams qualified for the season-ending Masters tournament[3]
|  Vilas playing in 1975 | |
| Details | |
|---|---|
| Duration | 26 December 1976 – 8 January 1978 | 
| Edition | 8th | 
| Tournaments | 76 | 
| Achievements (singles) | |
| Most tournament titles |  Guillermo Vilas (16) | 
| Most tournament finals |  Guillermo Vilas (22) | 
| Prize money leader |  Guillermo Vilas ($635,000) | 
| Points leader |  Guillermo Vilas (2,047) | 
| Awards | |
| Player of the year |  Björn Borg  [1] | 
| Newcomer of the year |  Tim Gullikson | 
| ← 1976  1978 →  | |
Schedule
    
- Key
| Grand Slam events | 
| Grand Prix Masters | 
| Six-star events | 
| Five-star events | 
| Four-star events | 
| Three-star events | 
| Two-star events | 
| One-star events | 
| Team events | 
December 1976
    
| Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Dec | Marlboro New South Wales Open Sydney, Australia $75,000 – Grass – 48S/24D Two star | .svg.png.webp) Tony Roche 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 6–4 |  Dick Stockton |  Guillermo Vilas  Roscoe Tanner | .svg.png.webp) Ross Case .svg.png.webp) Phil Dent .svg.png.webp) Ken Rosewall  Hank Pfister | 
| .svg.png.webp) Syd Ball .svg.png.webp) Kim Warwick 6–3, 6–4 | .svg.png.webp) Mark Edmondson .svg.png.webp) John Marks | 
January
    
February
    
March
    
April
    
| Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr | Murcia Open Murcia, Spain $50,000 – Clay – 32S/16D One star | .svg.png.webp) José Higueras 6–4, 6–0, 6–3 |  Buster Mottram |  Frank Gebert .svg.png.webp) Javier Soler |  François Jauffret  Patrice Dominguez  Jean-Louis Haillet  Patrick Proisy | 
|  Patrice Dominguez  François Jauffret 7–5, 6–2 |  Patricio Cornejo  Hans Gildemeister | ||||
| 18 Apr | United Bank Classic Denver, United States $100,000 – Carpet – 32S/16D Three star |  Björn Borg 7–5, 6–2 |  Brian Gottfried | .svg.png.webp) Bob Hewitt  James Delaney |  Peter Fleming .svg.png.webp) Kim Warwick .svg.png.webp) Colin Dibley .svg.png.webp) Frew McMillan | 
| .svg.png.webp) Colin Dibley .svg.png.webp) Geoff Masters 6–2, 6–3 | .svg.png.webp) Syd Ball .svg.png.webp) Kim Warwick | ||||
| 25 Apr | Romika Cup Munich, West Germany Clay – 32S/16D Two star | .svg.png.webp) Željko Franulović 6–1, 6–1, 6–7, 7–5 |  Víctor Pecci | .svg.png.webp) José Higueras .svg.png.webp) Dick Crealy |  Patrick Proisy  Hans Gildemeister  Iván Molina .svg.png.webp) Nikola Pilić | 
|  František Pala  Balázs Taróczy 6–3, 6–4 | .svg.png.webp) Nikola Špear  John Whitlinger | 
May
    
June
    
July
    
August
    
September
    
October
    
November
    
December
    
| Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Dec | Marlboro South Australia Men's Classic Adelaide, Australia Grass – $100,000 – 64S/32D Three star |  Tim Gullikson 3–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2, 6–4 |  Chris Lewis | .svg.png.webp) Kim Warwick  Tom Gorman |  Bill Scanlon .svg.png.webp) Phil Dent .svg.png.webp) John Alexander .svg.png.webp) Allan Stone | 
| .svg.png.webp) Kim Warwick .svg.png.webp) Syd Ball 3–6, 7–6, 6–4 | .svg.png.webp) John Alexander .svg.png.webp) Phil Dent | ||||
| 12 Dec | Marlboro New South Wales Championships Sydney, Australia Grass – $175,000 – 64S/32D Four star |  Roscoe Tanner 6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 6–7, 6–4 |  Brian Teacher |  Vitas Gerulaitis .svg.png.webp) Cliff Letcher | .svg.png.webp) Phil Dent  Bill Scanlon .svg.png.webp) Colin Dibley  Butch Walts | 
| .svg.png.webp) John Alexander .svg.png.webp) Phil Dent 7–6, 2–6, 6–3 | .svg.png.webp) Ray Ruffels .svg.png.webp) Allan Stone | ||||
| 19 Dec | Australian Open (December) Melbourne, Australia Grand Slam Grass – $200,000 – 64S/32D |  Vitas Gerulaitis 6–3, 7–6, 5–7, 3–6, 6–2 |  John Lloyd | .svg.png.webp) John Alexander .svg.png.webp) Bob Giltinan | .svg.png.webp) Ray Ruffels .svg.png.webp) Ken Rosewall .svg.png.webp) John Newcombe  Robin Drysdale | 
| .svg.png.webp) Ray Ruffels .svg.png.webp) Allan Stone 7–6, 7–6 | .svg.png.webp) John Alexander .svg.png.webp) Phil Dent | 
January 1978
    
| Week | Tournament | Champions | Runners-up | Semifinalists | Quarterfinalists | 
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Jan | Colgate-Palmolive Masters New York, USA Masters Grand Prix Carpet – $400,000 – S8/D4 |  Jimmy Connors 6–4, 1–6, 6–4 |  Björn Borg |  Guillermo Vilas  Brian Gottfried | Round Robin  Raúl Ramírez  Roscoe Tanner .svg.png.webp) Manuel Orantes  Eddie Dibbs | 
| .svg.png.webp) Bob Hewitt .svg.png.webp) Frew McMillan 7–5, 7–6, 6–3 |  Bob Lutz  Stan Smith | 
Points system
    
The Grand Prix tournaments were divided into seven groups. Group TC consisted of the Grand Slam tournaments; the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon Championships and the US Open—while the other tournaments were given star ratings ranging from six stars to one star, based on prize money and draw size. Points were allocated based on these ratings 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.[3] The points allocation, with doubles points listed in brackets, is as follows:
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Standings
    
The 1977 Grand Prix tournaments were divided in seven separate point categories, ranging from the Triple Crown tournaments (250 points for the winner) to the smallest One Star tournaments (50 points for the winner). At the end of the year the 35 top-ranked players received a bonus from the bonus pool. To qualify for a bonus a player must have played at least 15 tournaments. The top eight points ranked singles players and top four doubles teams were entitled to participate in the season-ending Masters tournament.[3]
| Rk | Name | Points | Bonus | 
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Guillermo Vilas (ARG) | 2,047 | $300,000 | 
| 2 |  Brian Gottfried (USA) | 1,548 | $125,000 | 
| 3 |  Björn Borg (SWE) | 1,210 | $75,000 | 
| 4 | .svg.png.webp) Manuel Orantes (ESP) | 870 | $50,000 | 
| 5 |  Eddie Dibbs (USA) | 777 | $45,000 | 
| 6 |  Roscoe Tanner (USA) | 758 | $40,000 | 
| 7 |  Raúl Ramírez (MEX) | 754 | $35,000 | 
| 8 |  Jimmy Connors (USA) | 722 | – | 
| 9 |  Vitas Gerulaitis (USA) | 670 | – | 
| 10 |  Harold Solomon (USA) | 624 | $32,000 | 
ATP rankings
    
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List of tournament winners
    
The list of winners and number of Grand Prix singles titles won, alphabetically by last number of titles:
 Guillermo Vilas (16) Springfield, Buenos Aires, Virginia Beach, French Open, Kitzbühel, Washington, D.C., Louisville, South Orange, Columbus, US Open, Paris, Tehran, Bogotá, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Johannesburg Guillermo Vilas (16) Springfield, Buenos Aires, Virginia Beach, French Open, Kitzbühel, Washington, D.C., Louisville, South Orange, Columbus, US Open, Paris, Tehran, Bogotá, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Johannesburg
 Björn Borg (10) Boca Raton, Memphis, Nice, Denver, Madrid, Barcelona, Wimbledon, Basel, Cologne, Wembley Björn Borg (10) Boca Raton, Memphis, Nice, Denver, Madrid, Barcelona, Wimbledon, Basel, Cologne, Wembley
 Vitas Gerulaitis (5) Ocean City, Rome, Brisbane, Perth, Australian Open (December) Vitas Gerulaitis (5) Ocean City, Rome, Brisbane, Perth, Australian Open (December)
 Brian Gottfried (5) Baltimore, Palm Springs, Washington Indoor, La Costa, Vienna Brian Gottfried (5) Baltimore, Palm Springs, Washington Indoor, La Costa, Vienna
 Jeff Borowiak (3) Dayton, Gstaad, Montreal Jeff Borowiak (3) Dayton, Gstaad, Montreal
 Jimmy Connors (3) Las Vegas, Maui, Sydney Indoor Jimmy Connors (3) Las Vegas, Maui, Sydney Indoor
 Tim Gullikson (3) Newport, Taiwan, Adelaide Tim Gullikson (3) Newport, Taiwan, Adelaide
 Sandy Mayer (3) Little Rock, Hampton, Stockholm Sandy Mayer (3) Little Rock, Hampton, Stockholm
.svg.png.webp) Manuel Orantes (3) Indianapolis, Boston, Tokyo Outdoor Manuel Orantes (3) Indianapolis, Boston, Tokyo Outdoor
 Vijay Amritraj (2) Auckland, Bombay Vijay Amritraj (2) Auckland, Bombay
 Corrado Barazzutti (2) Båstad, Paris Bercy Corrado Barazzutti (2) Båstad, Paris Bercy
 Paolo Bertolucci (2) Hamburg, Berlin Paolo Bertolucci (2) Hamburg, Berlin
 Eddie Dibbs (2) Miami, Oviedo Eddie Dibbs (2) Miami, Oviedo
 Raúl Ramírez (2) Queen's Club, Los Angeles Raúl Ramírez (2) Queen's Club, Los Angeles
 Harold Solomon (2) Brussels, Cincinnati Harold Solomon (2) Brussels, Cincinnati
 Roscoe Tanner (2) Australian Open (January), Sydney Outdoor Roscoe Tanner (2) Australian Open (January), Sydney Outdoor
.svg.png.webp) John Alexander (1) North Conway John Alexander (1) North Conway
 Mark Cox (1) Helsinki Mark Cox (1) Helsinki
 Victor Amaya (1) Adelaide Victor Amaya (1) Adelaide
 Wojciech Fibak (1) Düsseldorf Wojciech Fibak (1) Düsseldorf
.svg.png.webp) Željko Franulović (1) Munich Željko Franulović (1) Munich
.svg.png.webp) José Higueras (1) Murcia José Higueras (1) Murcia
 Jiří Hřebec (1) San Jose Jiří Hřebec (1) San Jose
 Karl Meiler (1) Manila Karl Meiler (1) Manila
.svg.png.webp) Ilie Năstase (1) Aix-en-Provence Ilie Năstase (1) Aix-en-Provence
.svg.png.webp) Andrew Pattison (1) Laguna Niguel Andrew Pattison (1) Laguna Niguel
 Patrick Proisy (1) Hilversum Patrick Proisy (1) Hilversum
.svg.png.webp) Ken Rosewall (1) Hong Kong Ken Rosewall (1) Hong Kong
 Stan Smith (1) Los Angeles PSW Stan Smith (1) Los Angeles PSW
 Brian Teacher (1) Jackson Brian Teacher (1) Jackson
 Butch Walts (1) San Francisco Butch Walts (1) San Francisco
The following players won their first title in 1977:
 Victor Amaya Adelaide Victor Amaya Adelaide
 Tim Gullikson Newport Tim Gullikson Newport
.svg.png.webp) Chris Kachel Manila Chris Kachel Manila
 Patrick Proisy Hilversum Patrick Proisy Hilversum
 Brian Teacher Jackson Brian Teacher Jackson
References
    
- "Tennis Pros Cite Borg, Gullikson". The Milwaukee Sentinel. Sep 13, 1977.
- "How it All Began". ATPWorldTour.com. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
- John Barrett, ed. (1978). World of Tennis 1978 : a BP yearbook. London: Macdonald and Janes. ISBN 9780354090391.
External links
    
    
Further reading
    
- Collins, Bud (2010). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book (2nd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. ISBN 978-0-942257-70-0.




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