Grand Slam Cup
Encyclopedia
The Grand Slam Cup was a tennis
tournament held annually at the Olympiahalle
in Munich
in Germany
from 1990 through 1999. The event was organized by the International Tennis Federation
(ITF), which invited the best-performing players in the year's Grand Slam
events to compete in the Grand Slam Cup.
The tournament was created in 1990 and was played on indoor carpet courts. From 1990 to 1996, it was held in December but was moved to the middle of autumn from 1997 to 1999. From 1990 to 1997 the tournament was limited to male players. A women's Cup was added in 1998 and was held simultaneously with the men's Cup.
Throughout its existence the Grand Slam Cup was famous for paying out the highest prize money of any tournament in tennis. The winner for the first three years of the Cup received U.S.$2 million in prize money, which dipped to $1.625 million in 1993, rose to $1.875 million in 1996 and back to $2 million in 1997 before falling to $1.3 million in 1998. If the Cup was won by a player who had also won a Grand Slam event that year they received a bonus of $1 million. Prize money for the winner of the two women's Cups was fixed at $800,000.
The Cup was not recognized by the Association of Tennis Professionals
(ATP) for the course of its run, and participants did not receive points in the ATP computer rankings nor have it credited as an official career title. Following the discontinuation of the Cup in 1999 the ATP decided to give the event full recognition and added it to players' lists of official titles.
A compromise between the ITF and the ATP was announced on December 9, 1999 which merged the Cup with the ATP Tour World Championship, the ATP's year-end tournament also held annually in Germany, giving birth to the ATP World Tour Finals, an official tour event.
A direct result of the merging of the two competitions can still be seen in the qualification rules for the ATP World Tour Finals, which included one notable difference from those of the ATP Tour World Championship. The Tour World Championship was meant to include the top eight players on the ATP computer rankings at the end of a season, even though this could mean the exclusion of a Grand Slam champion who had not been able to earn sufficient ranking points in the rest of the year. Present Finals rules ensure the participation of a Grand Slam champion who is unable to earn a top eight ranking at the end of the season and automatic qualification for the top seven players in the computer rankings. The eighth ranked player, however, qualifies only if all Grand Slam singles champions are among the top eight. Any Grand Slam event champion who is not in the top eight but is still in the top twenty is included to the detriment of the eighth ranked player. This situation occurred at the 2004 Tennis Masters Cup
, where Andre Agassi
, the 8th ranked player in the ATP Champions Race, was excluded from the event in favor of Gastón Gaudio
, who had won that year's French Open but was ranked 10th at the end of the year.
ITF's Grand Slam Cup qualification points table
Rounds of Grand Slam events only
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
tournament held annually at the Olympiahalle
Olympiahalle
Olympiahalle is a multi-purpose arena in Munich, Germany, part of the Olympic Park and close to the Olympic Stadium.The arena is used for concerts, sporting events, exhibitions or trade fairs. In the past, it served as a part-time home for the defunct ice hockey team EC Hedos München...
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
from 1990 through 1999. The event was organized by the International Tennis Federation
International Tennis Federation
The International Tennis Federation is the governing body of world tennis, made up of 205 national tennis associations.It was established as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by 12 national associations meeting at a conference in Paris, France on 1 March 1913...
(ITF), which invited the best-performing players in the year's Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
events to compete in the Grand Slam Cup.
The tournament was created in 1990 and was played on indoor carpet courts. From 1990 to 1996, it was held in December but was moved to the middle of autumn from 1997 to 1999. From 1990 to 1997 the tournament was limited to male players. A women's Cup was added in 1998 and was held simultaneously with the men's Cup.
Throughout its existence the Grand Slam Cup was famous for paying out the highest prize money of any tournament in tennis. The winner for the first three years of the Cup received U.S.$2 million in prize money, which dipped to $1.625 million in 1993, rose to $1.875 million in 1996 and back to $2 million in 1997 before falling to $1.3 million in 1998. If the Cup was won by a player who had also won a Grand Slam event that year they received a bonus of $1 million. Prize money for the winner of the two women's Cups was fixed at $800,000.
The Cup was not recognized by the Association of Tennis Professionals
Association of Tennis Professionals
The Association of Tennis Professionals or ATP was formed in 1972 by Donald Dell, Jack Kramer, and Cliff Drysdale to protect the interests of male professional tennis players. Since 1990, the association has organized the worldwide tennis tour for men and linked the title of the tour with the...
(ATP) for the course of its run, and participants did not receive points in the ATP computer rankings nor have it credited as an official career title. Following the discontinuation of the Cup in 1999 the ATP decided to give the event full recognition and added it to players' lists of official titles.
A compromise between the ITF and the ATP was announced on December 9, 1999 which merged the Cup with the ATP Tour World Championship, the ATP's year-end tournament also held annually in Germany, giving birth to the ATP World Tour Finals, an official tour event.
A direct result of the merging of the two competitions can still be seen in the qualification rules for the ATP World Tour Finals, which included one notable difference from those of the ATP Tour World Championship. The Tour World Championship was meant to include the top eight players on the ATP computer rankings at the end of a season, even though this could mean the exclusion of a Grand Slam champion who had not been able to earn sufficient ranking points in the rest of the year. Present Finals rules ensure the participation of a Grand Slam champion who is unable to earn a top eight ranking at the end of the season and automatic qualification for the top seven players in the computer rankings. The eighth ranked player, however, qualifies only if all Grand Slam singles champions are among the top eight. Any Grand Slam event champion who is not in the top eight but is still in the top twenty is included to the detriment of the eighth ranked player. This situation occurred at the 2004 Tennis Masters Cup
2004 Tennis Masters Cup
The 2004 Tennis Masters Cup was a tennis tournament played on outdoor hard courts. It was the 35th edition of the year-end singles championships, the 30th edition of the year-end doubles championships, and was part of the 2004 ATP Tour...
, where Andre Agassi
Andre Agassi
Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game...
, the 8th ranked player in the ATP Champions Race, was excluded from the event in favor of Gastón Gaudio
Gastón Gaudio
Gastón Norberto Gaudio is a former tennis player from Argentina. His career-high ATP ranking was World No. 5 in 2005...
, who had won that year's French Open but was ranked 10th at the end of the year.
Qualification
Qualification and seeding for the Grand Slam Cup were not related to the ATP computer rankings. Points were allocated to a player based on his Grand Slam performances, and after all four Grand Slam events had concluded the 16 players with the most points – 12 in 1998 and 1999 – qualified for the Cup. Grand Slam champions were not assured of a berth in the event.ITF's Grand Slam Cup qualification points table
Rounds of Grand Slam events only
| First Round | 2 |
| Second Round | 20 |
| Third Round | 40 |
| Fourth Round | 75 |
| Quarterfinals | 150 |
| Semifinals | 300 |
| Final | 450 |
| Champion | 600 |
Form of play
Matches in the first two rounds of the Cup were the best of three sets while the semifinals and final were the best of five sets. There was no tie-break if a match went over the full distance.Men
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 |  Pete SamprasPete Sampras Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.... |
Brad Gilbert Brad Gilbert Brad Gilbert , is an American tennis coach, a television tennis commentator, an author and former professional tennis player. He was born in Oakland, California and graduated from Piedmont High School .... |
6–3, 6–4, 6–2 |
| 1991 | David Wheaton David Wheaton David Wheaton is a former professional tennis player from the United States.Born in Minneapolis, Wheaton played in his first tournament at age eight, and won the Minnesota State High School tennis title in 1984, as a ninth grader. In 1987, he won the US Open junior title and was ranked the No. 1... |
Michael Chang Michael Chang Michael Te-Pei Chang is a former American professional tennis player. He is best remembered for becoming the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17.... |
7–5, 6–2, 6–4 |
| 1992 |  Michael StichMichael Stich Michael Detlef Stich is a former professional tennis player from Germany. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 1991... |
Michael Chang Michael Chang Michael Te-Pei Chang is a former American professional tennis player. He is best remembered for becoming the youngest-ever male player to win a Grand Slam singles title when he won the French Open in 1989 at the age of 17.... |
6–2, 6–3, 6–2 |
| 1993 |  Petr KordaPetr Korda Petr Korda is a former professional tennis player from the Czech Republic. He is best known for winning the Australian Open in 1998 and for testing positive for the banned substance, nandrolone, following a match at Wimbledon that same year.-Career:Korda was born in Prague, Czechoslovakia.He first... |
Michael Stich Michael Stich Michael Detlef Stich is a former professional tennis player from Germany. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at Wimbledon in 1991... |
2–6, 6–4, 7–6 (7–5), 2–6, 11–9 |
| 1994 |  Magnus LarssonMagnus Larsson Per Henrik Magnus Larsson is a former professional tennis player from Sweden.Larsson turned professional in 1989 and won his first top-level singles title at Florence in 1990. His first doubles title was also won in Florence, in 1991.Some of the most significant highlights of Larsson's career came... |
Pete Sampras Pete Sampras Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.... |
7–6 (8–6), 4–6, 7–6 (7–5), 6–4 |
| 1995 |  Goran IvaniševićGoran Ivaniševic Goran Ivanišević is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He is best remembered for being the only person to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon as a wildcard. He achieved this in 2001, having previously been runner-up at the championships in 1992, 1994 and 1998. Ivanišević is famous... |
Todd Martin Todd Martin ----Todd Christopher Martin is a former professional tennis player from the United States.-Playing career:... |
7–6 (7–4), 6–3, 6–4 |
| 1996 | Boris Becker Boris Becker Boris Franz Becker is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player from Germany. He is a six-time Grand Slam singles champion, an Olympic gold medalist, and the youngest-ever winner of the men's singles title at Wimbledon at the age of 17... |
Goran Ivanišević Goran Ivaniševic Goran Ivanišević is a retired Croatian professional tennis player. He is best remembered for being the only person to win the men's singles title at Wimbledon as a wildcard. He achieved this in 2001, having previously been runner-up at the championships in 1992, 1994 and 1998. Ivanišević is famous... |
6–3, 6–4, 6–4 |
| 1997 | Pete Sampras Pete Sampras Pete Sampras is a retired American tennis player and former world no. 1. During his 15-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles and became recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.... |
 Patrick RafterPatrick Rafter Patrick "Pat" Michael Rafter is an Australian former World No. 1 tennis player. He twice won the men's singles title at the US Open and was twice the runner-up at Wimbledon. Rafter was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006. He was known for his natural serve-and-volley style of... |
6–2, 6–4, 7–5 |
| 1998 |  Marcelo RíosMarcelo Ríos Marcelo Andrés Ríos Mayorga is a former World No. 1 tennis player from Chile. Nicknamed El Chino and El zurdo de Vitacura , he became the first Latin American player to reach the top position on the Association of Tennis Professionals singles rankings in 1998. He held the World No... |
Andre Agassi Andre Agassi Andre Kirk Agassi is a retired American professional tennis player and former world no. 1. Generally considered by critics and fellow players to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Agassi has been called the best service returner in the history of the game... |
6–4, 2–6, 7–6 (7–1), 5–7, 6–3 |
| 1999 |  Greg RusedskiGreg Rusedski Gregory "Greg" Rusedski is a British Canadian former tennis player who turned professional in 1991 and played until his retirement on 7 April 2007, at the age of 33... |
Tommy Haas Tommy Haas Tommy Haas is a German and recently naturalized American professional tennis player. He has competed on the ATP Tour since 1996. After breaking into the world top 100 in 1997, and reaching a career-high ranking of world no... |
6–3, 6–4, 6–7 (5–7), 7–6 (7–5) |
Women
| Year | Champion | Runner-up | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Venus Williams Venus Williams Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate... |
 Patty SchnyderPatty Schnyder Patty Schnyder is a retired Swiss professional tennis player. She played on the WTA tour from 1993 to 2011 and is a former World No. 7. She defeated several World No... |
6–2, 3–6, 6–2 |
| 1999 | Serena Williams Serena Williams Serena Jameka Williams is an American professional tennis player and a former world no. 1. The Women's Tennis Association has ranked her world no. 1 in singles on five separate occasions. She became the world no. 1 for the first time on July 8, 2002 and regained this ranking for the fifth time on... |
Venus Williams Venus Williams Venus Ebony Starr Williams is an American professional tennis player who is a former World No. 1 and is ranked World No. 101 as of 10 October 2011 in singles and World No. 20 in doubles as of 2011. She has been ranked World No. 1 in singles by the Women's Tennis Association on three separate... |
6–1, 3–6, 6–3 |