Major professional tennis tournaments before the Open Era

Before the advent of the Open Era of tennis competitions in April 1968, only amateurs were allowed to compete in established tournaments, including the four majors. There was no prize money and players were compensated for travel expenses only. However, many top tennis players turned professional to play legally for prize money in the years before the open era. They played in separate professional events, mostly on tours involving head-to-head competition, but also in professional tournaments as the biggest events on the pro tour. Professional tournaments, in particular the professional majors, usually only had a men's draw.

Professional majors In addition to the head-to-head tours, there were also major pro events, where the world's top professional male players often played. These tournaments held with a certain tradition and longevity. According to Ellsworth Vines, "the Wembley tournament in London..., the U.S. professional championship, and to some extent the tournament in Paris were the major professional tournaments prior to 1968."Tennis Myth and Method (1978), Ellsworth Vines and Gene Vier (), page 43

The oldest of these three tournaments was the U.S. Pro Tennis Championships, played at a variety of different venues and on a variety of different surfaces, between 1927 and 1999. The Wembley Championship, played between 1934 and 1990 at the Wembley Arena in the United Kingdom, was played on a wood surface through 1967. The third professional major was the French Pro Championship, where between 1930 and 1968 it was played on both clay and wood courts. A player who won all three in a calendar year was considered in retrospect by later tennis writers to achieve a "Professional Grand Slam", or "Pro Slam".

In some years, professional tournaments other than the pro majors had stronger fields and offered more prize money. Jack Kramer designated the four major professional tournaments for the 1958/1959 seasons as follows; Forest Hills, Kooyong, L.A. Masters, Sydney.World Tennis, November, 1958

U.S. Pro Tennis Championships

The U.S. Pro Tennis Championship, also known as the US Pro, and officially known as the Cleveland International Pro or Cleveland World Pro Tennis Championships between 1951 and 1962,Sports Illustrated, 22 April 1957, "...officially known as the World Pro Tennis Championships." https://vault.si.com/vault/1957/04/22/a-class-reunion was an annual tournament, later known as MFS Pro Championships. It was first organized by player Vincent Richards when promoter C. C. Pyle withdrew interest in the project. It was first played on the Notlek courts located at 119th Street and Riverside Drive, Manhattan. The tournament was held at various locations in several states until 1964, when it moved to the Longwood Cricket Club in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. In both 1951 and 1954 there are two U.S. Pro tournaments listed here for each year.

French Pro Championship

The French Pro Championship was first held in 1930, held by the "Association Française des Professeurs de Tennis (AFPT)", entitled "Championnat International de France Professionnel" (French Pro Championships) on June 18–22, 1930. From 1930 the French Pro Championship was 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.

Wembley Championship

The Wembley Championship, also known as the Wembley Pro, was held at the Wembley Arena, in London. This professional event ran from 1934 to 1967 and was originally played on a wood surface placed over the top of a drained pool. It was officially known as the "London Indoor Professional Championships" from 1951 through 1967.

List of professional major champions Singles Year U.S. Pro French Pro Wembley Pro1927 Vincent Richards (1/4) no competition no competition1928 Vincent Richards (2/4) no competition no competition1929 Karel Koželuh (1/4) no competition no competition1930 Vincent Richards (3/4) Karel Koželuh (2/4) no competition1931 Bill Tilden (1/3) Martin Plaa (1/1) no competition 1932 Karel Koželuh (3/4) Robert Ramillon (1/1) no competition1933 Vincent Richards (4/4) no competition no competition1934 Hans Nüsslein (1/4) Bill Tilden (2/3) Ellsworth Vines (1/4)1935 Bill Tilden (3/3) Ellsworth Vines (2/4) Ellsworth Vines (3/4)1936 Joe Whalen (1/1) Henri Cochet (1/1) no competition 1937 Karel Koželuh (4/4) Hans Nüsslein (2/4) Hans Nüsslein (3/4)1938 Fred Perry (1/2) Hans Nüsslein (4/4) no competition 1939 Ellsworth Vines (4/4) Don Budge (2/4) Don Budge (1/4)1940 Don Budge (3/4) no competition no competition1941 Fred Perry (2/2) no competition no competition1942 Don Budge (4/4) no competition no competition1943 Bruce Barnes (1/1) no competition no competition1944 no competition no competition no competition1945 Welby Van Horn (1/1) no competition no competition1946 Bobby Riggs (1/3) no competition no competition1947 Bobby Riggs (2/3) no competition no competition1948 Jack Kramer (1/2) no competition no competition1949 Bobby Riggs (3/3) no competition Jack Kramer (2/2)1950 Pancho Segura (1/3) no competition Pancho Gonzales (1/13)1951 Frank Kovacs (1/1)(Cleveland) Pancho Segura (2/3)(Forest Hills) no competition Pancho Gonzales (2/13)1952 Pancho Segura (3/3) no competition Pancho Gonzales (3/13)1953 Pancho Gonzales (4/13) no competition Frank Sedgman (1/2)1954 Pancho Gonzales (5/13)(Cleveland) Pancho Gonzales (6/13)(Los Angeles) no competition no competition1955 Pancho Gonzales (7/13) no competition no competition1956 Pancho Gonzales (8/13) Tony Trabert (1/2) Pancho Gonzales (9/13)1957 Pancho Gonzales (10/13) no competition Ken Rosewall (1/15)1958 Pancho Gonzales (11/13) Ken Rosewall (2/15) Frank Sedgman (2/2)1959 Pancho Gonzales (12/13) Tony Trabert (2/2) Mal Anderson (1/1)1960 Alex Olmedo (1/1) Ken Rosewall (3/15) Ken Rosewall (4/15)1961 Pancho Gonzales (13/13) Ken Rosewall (5/15) Ken Rosewall (6/15)1962 Butch Buchholz (1/1) Ken Rosewall (7/15) Ken Rosewall (8/15)1963 Ken Rosewall (9/15) Ken Rosewall (10/15) Ken Rosewall (11/15)1964 Rod Laver (1/8) Ken Rosewall (12/15) Rod Laver (2/8)1965 Ken Rosewall (13/15) Ken Rosewall (14/15) Rod Laver (3/8)1966 Rod Laver (4/8) Ken Rosewall (15/15) Rod Laver (5/8)1967 Rod Laver (6/8) Rod Laver (7/8) Rod Laver (8/8)

Doubles Year U.S. Pro Wembley Pro French Pro1929 Karel Koželuh Vinny Richards no competition no competition1930 Howard Kinsey Vincent Richards no competition Karel Koželuh Roman Najuch1931 Howard Kinsey Vincent Richards no competition 1932 Bruce Barnes Bill Tilden no competition 1933 Vincent Richards Charles Wood no competition no competition1934 Bruce Barnes Emmett Paré 1935 George Lott Lester Stoefen Bill Tilden Ellsworth Vines Bill Tilden Ellsworth Vines1936 Harold Blauer Charles Wood no competition Henri Cochet Albert Burke1937 George Lott Vincent Richards Hans Nüsslein Martin Plaa Lester Stoefen Bill Tilden1938 Fred Perry Vincent Richards no competition Martin Plaa Robert Ramillon1939 Bruce Barnes Keith Gledhill Don Budge Ellsworth Vines1940 Don Budge Fred Perry no competition no competition1941 Don Budge Fred Perry no competition no competition1942 Don Budge Bobby Riggs no competition no competition1943 Bruce Barnes Gene Mako no competition no competition1944 no competition no competition no competition1945 Vincent Richards Bill Tilden no competition no competition1946 Frank Kovacs Fred Perry no competition no competition1947 Don Budge Bobby Riggs no competition no competition1948 Jack Kramer Pancho Segura no competition no competition1949 Don Budge Frank Kovacs Jack Kramer Bobby Riggs no competition1950 Frank Kovacs Welby Van Horn Don Budge Pancho Gonzales no competition1951 Pancho Gonzales Pancho Segura(Forest Hills) Pancho Gonzales Pancho Segura no competition1952 no competition Pancho Gonzales Pancho Segura no competition1953 Don Budge Pancho Gonzales Don Budge Frank Sedgman no competition1954 Pancho Gonzales Pancho Segura(Cleveland) Frank Sedgman Jack Kramer(Los Angeles) no competition no competition1955 Jack Kramer Pancho Segura no competition no competition1956 Rex Hartwig Tony Trabert Pancho Gonzales Tony Trabert Pancho Gonzales Tony Trabert1957 Pancho Gonzales Ken Rosewall Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall no competition1958 Pancho Gonzales Pancho Segura Pancho Gonzales Ken Rosewall Lew Hoad Tony Trabert1959 no competition Lew Hoad Tony Trabert Lew Hoad Tony Trabert1960 Ashley Cooper Alex Olmedo Ken Rosewall Frank Sedgman Lew Hoad Tony Trabert1961 Andrés Gimeno Frank Sedgman Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall1962 Butch Buchholz Barry MacKay (tennis) Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall1963 Rod Laver Ken Rosewall Alex Olmedo Frank Sedgman Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall1964 no competition Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall1965 no competition Butch Buchholz Rod Laver Mal Anderson Ken Rosewall1966 Butch Buchholz Rod Laver Lew Hoad Ken Rosewall Butch Buchholz Rod Laver1967 Dennis Ralston Ken Rosewall Rod Laver Fred Stolle Pierre Barthès Andrés Gimeno Source:

Other important tournaments The Championships at Wimbledon, the U.S. Championships, the French Championships, and the Australian Championships were typically the top events, where amateur players could compete for the title, albeit without prize money. Since the professional circuit was less organized and somewhat less popular than the amateur circuit, the professional events hierarchy changed each year. In 1934 the U.S. Pro was a high-class tournament with all top ranked pro players whereas in 1936 it was a meeting between pro teachers without any leading pro players. A tournament could even be canceled at any time due to poor attendance.

Consequently, for a given year a pro tournament was important when it attracted the best pro players and then another year this same tournament could be a second-rank tournament because few or no leading players came. Before the open era in addition to numerous small tournaments and head-to-head tours between the leading professionals, there were some major tournaments which stood out at different periods. Some survived sporadically because of financial collapses while others temporarily rose to the highest levels of competition when other tournaments weren't held. These include:

Bristol Cup: 1920–1932

Sometimes labelled "Professional Championships of France" this tournament was held on the French Riviera at Menton, at Cannes.

Professional Championship of the World: 1927–1928

This event was held in October on clay courts, at the Queen's Club in London. In 1928 Myers of the Daily Telegraph wrote that "this was the best pro tournament ever held in England."

List of Queen's Club Pro winners: YearChampionRunner-upScore 1927 Dan Maskell Charles R Read 6–3, 6–3, 6–4 1928 Robert Ramillon Edmund Burke 6–1, 6–3, 5–7, 6–4

World Pro Championship: 1932–1933

The World Pro Championship were held in 1932 and 1933 in Berlin at the Rot-Weiss club, on clay. It had a very large participation (over 80 players). According to Ray Bowers, the tournament at the time was regarded as the most prestigious professional tournament in the world.

List of World Pro winners: YearChampionRunner-up 1932 Martin Plaa Bill Tilden 1933 Hans Nüsslein Bill Tilden

Bonnardel Cup: 1935–1937 This was a team tournament created by Bill Tilden and modeled on the Davis Cup format. In 1935, early rounds in France were hoped to be played at Roland Garros, but the French Tennis Association would not allow the event to be played at the stadium.

YearChampions1935 France1936 United States1937 France

International Pro Championship of Britain: 1935–1939

The International Pro Championship of Britain (also known as the Southport Pro, as well as the Southport Dunlop Cup for sponsorship purposes) was a professional tennis tournament held at Victoria Park in Southport between 1935 and 1939. It was open to professional players only, amateurs were not allowed to compete. The tournament was held on outdoor En-tout-cas, "all-weather" artificial clay.