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Return winners: the 1990 atp finals, nick’s notes: bollettieri on the importance of teamwork, the top 5...missing achievements from legendary players, the top 5...feats by two compatriots, the top 5: summer “hot hands” on the atp tour, the greats' last wins: a look at the first 20 no. 1s, net play: revisiting the volley, flashback friday: stefan edberg announces his final year on atp tour, federer and edberg discuss racquets and history, return winners: the 1989 atp roland garros final, return winners: the 1990 atp finals.

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A.T.P. Announces 1990 Schedule

By Robert Mcg. Thomas Jr.

• Jan. 20, 1989

The Association of Tennis Professionals unveiled its inaugural tour yesterday, a 77-event schedule for 1990 that includes new tournaments in China and the Soviet Union while omitting several major American events that had been fixtures of the tour operated by the Men's Tennis Council.

Among other things, the new tour will offer a richer prize list and a compressed schedule that will give most players an eight-week off season at the end of the year.

The announcement yesterday in New York by the A.T.P.'s head, Hamilton Jordan, came just five months after the players' group said that it would operate its own tour beginning next year because of dissatisfaction with the current Grand Prix tour. That tour has been run since 1981 by the nine-member Men's Tennis Council, a joint operation of the players, tournament directors and the International Tennis Federation, which runs the four Grand Slam events. A Two-Tier Circuit

Marshall Happer 3d, the council's administrator, who had sought unsuccessfully to head off the new A.T.P. circuit by restructuring the current tour, was at the Australian Open and had no immediate comment yesterday.

As described by Jordan, the new tour will be a two-tier circuit with 21 so-called championship tournaments and 56 world series events.

The championship series, which includes seven events in the United States and nine in Europe, is broken down into two kinds of tournaments. There will be 11 single-week championship events, which will each have a week to themselves without competition from other championship events and offer a minimum prize list of $1 million. These tournaments will each be guaranteed 6 of the 10 top-ranked players. There will also be 10 double-up week events, each of which will offer at least $500,000 in prizes while sharing a week with another double-up event. They will be guaranteed 3 of the 10 top players. Appearance Fees Allowed

The World Series events will be divided between 13 tournaments that will offer at least $125,000 in prize money while being guaranteed at least half a dozen players ranked between 50 and 100, and 43 tournaments with a minimum prize list of $250,000. These tournaments will not be guaranteed any ranked players but, unlike all other tour events, will be allowed to lure players by offering appearance fees.

According to Jordan, the new tour will offer at least $28.9 million in prizes, a 45 percent increase over the $19.9 million being offered on the 1989 Grand Prix tour.

Among the details to be determined are one or more major sponsors for the tour and a site for the tour's final, championship event the week beginning Nov. 12. Because of a conflict with a women's tournament, the men's final cannot be held in Madison Square Garden, which has been the site of the current tour's Masters event. The U.S. Stops The 1990 schedule of United States stops on the Association of Tennis Professionals tour. The date listed is the starting date. The A.T.P. finals are scheduled to begin Nov. 15, at a site to be determined. Feb. 5 San Francisco Feb. 19 Philadelphia Feb. 26 Memphis March 5 Indian Wells, Calif. March 16 Key Biscayne, Fla. April 2 Orlando, Fla. May 7 Charleston, S.C. July 9 Newport, R.I. July 16 Washington July 30 Los Angeles Aug. 6 Cincinnati Aug. 13 Indianapolis and Stratton Mt., Vt. Aug. 20 Commack, L.I. and Schenectady, N.Y. Sept. 3 U.S Open Oct. 15 Scottsdale, Ariz.

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History Of The Nitto ATP Finals

Men's professional tennis has always featured a year-end championship ever since Jack Kramer, the first executive director of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), implemented the Grand Prix structure of a year-long series of tennis tournaments in 1969 . Right from the first Masters in Tokyo in December 1970 it became a prestigious event, and was subsequently held in Paris, Barcelona, Boston, Melbourne, Stockholm, and Houston before the event started a 13-year association with Madison Square Garden in New York from 1977 to 1989 . The Masters evolved into the ATP Tour World Championships in 1990 . Frankfurt and Hannover shared the event through 1999 . In 2000 , the event was rebranded Tennis Masters Cup and was held in Lisbon, Sydney, Houston and Shanghai. In 2009 , the event moved to The O2 in London, the world's busiest entertainment arena, as the Nitto ATP Finals and celebrated the 50-year anniversary in 2020. After a successful 12-year stint in London, the tournament moved to Turin in 2021 .

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November 18, 1990: The day Andre Agassi won the season-ending ATP Masters for his first major title

Every day Tennis Majors looks back at the biggest moments in tennis history. On November 18, 1990, Andre Agassi, who had never won a major tournament before, defeated world No 1 Stefan Edberg in the final of the first ATP Masters held in Europe in 15 years

What happened exactly on that day?

On November 18, 1990, in the final of the season-ending ATP Masters, Andre Agassi won a spectacular four-set match to beat Stefan Edberg , world No 1 at the time, 5-7, 7-6, 7-5, 6-2. For the Las Vegas Kid, it was a great way to end a season during which he had been defeated in two Grand Slam finals, at Roland-Garros and at the US Open . The year-end tournament (today known as the ATP Finals) was held for the very first time in Frankfurt, after 13 years at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York. 

The players: Andre Agassi and Stefan Edberg

• Andre Agassi: The brash, hugely talented Las Vegas Kid ,

Andre Agassi, the Las Vegas Kid, was a tennis phenom. He had turned pro in 1986 and soon became one of tennis’ biggest superstars, not only due to his incredible tennis skills but also thanks to his unruly hair (or lack thereof – read his autobiography “Open” for more on that) and fashion sense, such as the iconic denim shorts, accompanied by an underlayer of pink compression shorts, that were his signature for a while.

Taught by his father originally, then trained at the world-famous Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy, Agassi’s game was completely unique. It relied on a jaw-dropping return (the best of its time) and on Agassi’s preternatural gift for hitting the ball on the rise off of both wings with incredible power. Revolutionary at the time, Agassi’s game style was then copied by generations of tennis players after him.

In 1990, at the age of 20, Andre Agassi had already claimed 11 ATP titles and reached Grand Slam semi-finals on three occasions, at Roland-Garros 1988 (lost to Mats Wilander, 4-6, 6-2, 7-5, 5-7, 6-0) and at the US Open in 1988 and 1989 (lost to Ivan Lendl each time). In 1990, he reached the final at Roland-Garros, where, although he was the heavy favourite, he was defeated by Andres Gomez (6-3, 2-6, 6-4, 6-4). The only thing he still lacked was a major title, which most of the pundits thought he would finally achieve a few months later, when he faced countryman Pete Sampras in the US Open final – however, his young rival delivered an exquisite performance to deprive Agassi a first Grand Slam trophy (6-4, 6-3, 6-2).

• Stefan Edberg: Supreme serve and volleyer; ice-cool Grand Slam champ from Sweden

Stefan Edberg was born in 1966 in Vastervik, Sweden. Very successful in the juniors (he achieved the junior calendar Grand Slam in 1983), he almost quit tennis the same year, at the age of 17, after one of his serves accidentally killed a line judge in New York. Thankfully for him and for tennis fans, he decided to continue. As early as December 1985, a few months after young Boris Becker had broken through by winning Wimbledon , Edberg claimed his first Grand Slam, also on grass, at the Australian Open , defeating fellow Swede Mats Wilander in the final (6-4, 6-3, 6-3). The tournament was not held in 1986, due to its change of date to January, and Edberg would successfully defend his title in January 1987, defeating Aussie favourite Pat Cash (6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 5-7, 6-3).

In 1988, the Swede added a Wimbledon title to his achievements, defeating Boris Becker (4-6, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2) in a final that started one of the most famous rivalries in tennis history. In 1989, Edberg lost confidence after losing two major finals in a row: the first one at Roland-Garros, defeated by Michael Chang (6-1, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2) in a heartbreaking match where he missed 10 break points in the fourth set, and the second one at Wimbledon, where his rival Becker took brutal revenge for the previous year’s final (6-0, 7-6, 6-4).

The Swede lost in the final of five other important events that year, but at the end of the year, he managed to edge Becker in the final of the Masters Cup (4-6, 7-6, 6-3, 6-1). He started 1990 by reaching the final at the Australian Open, but he was forced to retire in the second set of his clash against Ivan Lendl because of an abdominal injury. After another disappointment at the French Open, where he lost in the first round, Edberg reclaimed the Wimbledon crown, edging Becker in five sets in their third consecutive final at the All England Club (6-2 6-2 3-6 3-6 -4). The Swede became world No 1 for the first time on August 13,1990 and, despite an unexpected first-round loss to Alexander Volkov at the US Open (6-3, 7-6, 6-2), he still held the top spot in November.

The place: Frankfurt, Germany

Founded in 1970, the year-end ATP Masters Cup was the final showdown between the eight best players in the world. Held in a different location every year at the start, in settled at the Madison Square Garden in New York, from 1977 until 1989.  Then, in 1990, the tournament moved to Frankfurt in Germany, where the Festhalle would host 13,500 spectators. As only the eight top players of the year qualify for the event, the list of its former champions is a veritable who’s who of men’s tennis.

The facts: Agassi goes down to Edberg in the round-robin stage

In 1990, the different professional tours had finally all merged into one international circuit known as the ATP Tour – as a result, the Masters was now called the ATP World Tour Championships.

The idea of a year-end championship, featuring the best players in the world, was born in 1969, at the same time as the first year-long series of events – the Grand Prix, created by Jack Kramer, a former professional player who later played a major part in the creation of the ATP. Its first edition, known at first as the Masters Grand Prix, was held in December 1970 in Tokyo. The six best players of the Grand Prix circuit played in a round-robin format, and it was Stan Smith who won the tournament. Seven players competed in the second edition in Paris, and in 1972, the tournament was played for the first time in the format that we all know: eight players grouped in two pools playing a round-robin phase to try and qualify for the semi-finals. However, in the 1980s, two different formats were tried: in 1982-1984, 12 players played a knock-out tournament, and in 1985, this format was extended to 16 players. 

In its initial years, the prestigious event moved every year – Tokyo, Paris, Barcelona, Boston, Melbourne, Stockholm and Houston – until it settled down in New York in 1977 for 13 years. There, at the Madison Square Garden, the “World’s Most Famous Arena”, the Masters Cup became more than just a tennis tournament, it became a must-see spectacle. In the first edition, tickets were sold out well in advance, with more than 18,500 spectators packing the stands. The tournament director, Ray Benton, had moved the event to January, to avoid competition with American football, and, before the upcoming Super Bowl, the Tennis Masters was the main sports event in the United States that week.

However, all good things must come to an end, and the 1989 Masters, won by Stefan Edberg, was the last one to be played in New York. In 1990, all different circuits finally united to become the ATP Tour, and the Masters, rebranded as the IBM ATP World Tour Championships, was back in Europe for the first time since 1975.

• Between 1977 and 1986, the Masters was held in January the following year

In this first German edition of the ATP World Tour Championships, it was Andre Agassi, the rising American star, who claimed the biggest title of his young career. In the final, Agassi met Edberg for the second time in Frankfurt: the two players had already played each other in the round-robin stage, and the Swede had prevailed (7-6, 4-6, 7-6). This loss had not affected Agassi’s confidence in any major way, as he showed during his semi-final win against world No 2 Boris Becker (6-2, 6-4). 

The contrasts in style between these two players led to a very entertaining clash, with Edberg constantly rushing to the net despite Agassi’s skills at return and passing shots. In the end, it was the American’s power which prevailed, and the Las Vegas Kid won in four sets (5-7, 7-6, 7-5, 6-2).

Asked how he felt about claiming his biggest title to date and beating the world No 1, Agassi said, according to The New York Times : “I’m not going to say that Stefan doesn’t deserve it, but he knows that that can change real quickly.”

What next ? Two more slams for Edberg; Agassi wins eight

Stefan Edberg would claim two more Grand Slam titles in his career, both at the US Open, in 1991 and 1992. In total, he would spend 72 weeks as world No 1.

It would be two more years before Agassi claimed a first Grand Slam title, at Wimbledon in 1992, and almost five years would go by before the American finally became world No 1 in April 1995. Although he would play at the Masters on 10 more occasions and reach the final three times (in 1999, 2000 and 2003), Agassi would never win the tournament again.

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1990 Classics

Watch Andre Agassi take on Stefan Edberg in the 1990 Frankfurt ATP Finals.

1990 Year-End Top 10

Masters 1000 finals from 1990, 1990 replays.

clock This article was published more than  35 years ago

1990 MEN'S TENNIS TOUR INTRODUCED BY ATP

Washington on 77- tournament schedule.

NEW YORK, JAN. 19 -- A revolution in men's tennis was completed today with the announcement of a new tour to be run by the Association of Tennis Professionals, including stops in Moscow, Beijing and Washington on a 77-tournament calendar that will begin in 1990 and be worth $38 million. The tour will be divided into a multi-tiered system with a top level of 21 world class tournaments promising the strongest field and most expensive purses. But some well known events won't be on the new streamlined circuit, most notably the Tournament of Champions at Forest Hills. One tournament that will be a significant part of the ATP Tour, although not at the uppermost level, is the Sovran Bank/D.C. Tennis Classic, which received sanctioning with a purse of $550,000. Under the new format, the $1 million tournaments will be guaranteed at least six or seven of the world's top 10 players among the field; the 10 other events worth a minumum of $500,000, like the Sovran Bank Classic, will be guaranteed three of the top 10 players. ATP Commissioner Hamilton Jordan, in announcing the schedule at a news conference this morning, called the new player-conceived format "better organized, an official game that is easier to understand." But the reorganization of the tour came after a protracted power struggle with the rest of the tennis world, and at the expense of some events on the current Grand Prix tour, including three in North America. The loss of those tournaments means the calendar will be skewed in favor of European events, with 43 on that continent, 23 in North America. The main factor separating first- and second-tier events is whether a tournament is the sole event on the ATP calendar that week and thus is guaranteed a stronger field. There will be 15 tournaments offering at least $1 million (only 11 of them first tier). Four of the first tier events will be held in the United States, the richest being the $1.3 million ATP Championships in Cincinnati. Successful tournaments in Dallas and Chicago applied for but did not receive sanctioning on the new circuit. The fate of these tournaments remains unclear, but Marty Rotberg, director of the Tournament of Champions, said an event at Forest Hills would continue in some form. "It deserves it," he said. World Championship Tennis, an organization of tennis promoters and administrators within the current Grand Prix, may opt to run some of its current tournaments separately from the ATP. Executive Director Owen Williams said, "What we'll be doing is taking each and every one and making a determination as we go." The WCT will negotiate to obtain the year-end ATP finals for Dallas, a tournament Jordan projects as a potential Super Bowl of tennis. The Grand Prix is currently administered jointly by the ATP, tournament directors, and the International Tennis Federation, which also oversees the four Grand Slam events. Each body has a one-third say in decision-making. The players organization moved to take control of their sport last summer, contending the process was too disorganized, with diffuse packaging and marketing, and often conflicted scheduling. Some conflict still exists, and the new schedule is not much easier to understand than the current one. The second tier tournaments such as the Sovran Bank Classic will be played on five so-called "double event" dates which offer alternative tournaments to players. The Sovran will be in competition in the week of July 16 with the Mercedes Cup in Stuttgart, West Germany, which offers a purse of $900,000. Jordan said the arrangement should strengthen the D.C. tournament nevertheless, because three top 10 players will be guaranteed, and the date falls after Wimbledon, when many American players may wish to return home. "They got a championship date," Jordan said. "Granted, they're up against a good tournament." Jordan said the four Grand Slam events, the Australian, French and U.S. Opens and Wimbledon, would not agree to enter into a contract with the ATP tour. Jordan said the ATP has informally agreed to schedule around the major championships, which originally opposed the players' revolt but now appear ready to coexist peacefully. What the ATP's relationship with the majors will be is one of a number of questions the new tour has yet to answer, including what corporate sponsorships will be available and, most importantly, whether the players will hold to their appearance commitments, and tournament directors to their prize money promises. "We will now set about to do the difficult part," Jordan acknowledged. "It's one thing to create a new system. It's another thing to make it work . . . We realize we will make some mistakes. We may have to come back in two or three years and change some things." But the ATP has one key asset in any further power struggle -- the support of the players themselves. Jordan said 22 of the top 25 players in the world have signed contracts agreeing to play on the ATP tour and abide by its bylaws. Jimmy Connors did not sign a contract, but has said he supports a player-run tour. Ivan Lendl has signed a letter-of-intent committing him to the new system. The third player who has not signed is Andrei Chesnikov of the Soviet Union. Jordan said all of the tournament directors have also signed contractual commitments. The ATP will create a provisional board of directors in the next 60 to 90 days and begin developing its bylaws, including a process of guaranteeing player appearances. Under the current system, players can be notoriously unreliable, pulling out of tournaments at the last moment, citing injuries or conflicting commitments. Frequently they have opted for large guaranteed "under the table" appearance fees. Jordan said the new system is designed to include a third tier, with a number of "free weeks" when players are not committed and tournaments with purses of $250,000 or less can offer above board appearance money to build their marquee value. "I have told the players that commitments will be vigorously enforced," Jordan said. "We are not proud of the fact that players did not complete their commitments in the old system."

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