Open Era

The Open Era is the period in tennis beginning in 1968, when major tournaments began admitting both amateur and professional players.

Open tennis: A tennis format in which amateur and professional players compete in the same events. The 1968 change established this system for major tournaments.
Tennis professionalization: The development of tennis into a paid, organized professional sport. The Open Era made professional competition central to the sport’s leading events.
1968 French Open: The first Grand Slam tennis tournament open to professional players, held in Paris in 1968. It marked the first Grand Slam played under open entry rules.
Pre-Open Era: The period of tennis before 1968, when leading tournaments generally excluded players classified as professionals. Its amateur-only rules define the system the Open Era replaced.
Amateurism in tennis: The former rule that restricted major tennis competitions to players classified as amateurs. The Open Era began by removing this barrier to tournament entry.
ATP Tour: The worldwide professional men’s tennis tour organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. It grew from the need to coordinate professional men’s tournaments after the game opened.
1970 Australian Open: The 1970 edition of the Australian Open, notable as the first Grand Slam with equal prize money for men and women. It showed how the Open Era could change tournament policy as well as entry rules.
Grand Slam (tennis): The achievement of winning all four major tennis championships in one calendar year, also used collectively for those tournaments. The four majors provide the main competitive frame for measuring the Open Era.
World Championship Tennis: A professional tennis tour and organization founded by Lamar Hunt and Al Hill Jr. in 1968. Its professional circuit helped pressure tennis institutions to open major events.
WTA Tour: The worldwide professional women’s tennis tour organized by the Women’s Tennis Association. It gave women professionals a unified tour within the newly open sport.

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