Mike Davies (tennis)
Encyclopedia
Mike Davies is a Welsh former professional tennis
player. He has had a 60-year career in the tennis business, first as a tennis player, including a period as the number one ranked player in Great Britain
and a member of the British Davis Cup
team, then as an entrepreneur and one of the pioneers of the professional game.
, Wales
. He took up tennis at the age of 11, and was discovered by Fred Perry
and Dan Maskell
. He played on the British Davis Cup team with Bobby Wilson
, Billy Knight and Roger Becker
.
In 1952 Davies went to Australia for the first of three winter visits to work with Harry Hopman
, the Australian Davis Cup Coach, and Australian players like Lew Hoad
, Ken Rosewall
, Roy Emerson
, Fred Stolle
. It was there that Davies developed his game.
From 1958 to 1960 Davies was ranked number 1 in Great Britain. He played on the Davis Cup team for Great Britain from 1956 to 1960 and had a 15/8 match record. In 1960 he reached the final of the Men's Doubles at Wimbledon with Bobby Wilson; this is the last time a British male has been in the final of Wimbledon's Men's Singles or Men's Doubles.
After that doubles final, in 1960, he was invited to turn professional with Jack Kramer for a two-year guarantee of £4,500-a-year. He joined a select group of players considered to be the best in the world such as Pancho Gonzales
, Tony Trabert
, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Pancho Segura
, etc.
Since international tennis at this time was an amateur sport, Davies' professional status put him at odds with the ruling tennis body, the International Tennis Federation
[ITF], and his membership of the All-England Club at Wimbledon
was cancelled, and he became ineligible to ever play Davis Cup or any of the Grand Slams again. However he quickly learned how to be a better player and for the next five years or so played the best tennis of his life. As well as playing he was elected to the board of the first Players' Association that was formed by this select group of approximately 12–15 players and found himself leading the charge to promote professional tennis and to fight for open tennis. Soon Davies found himself doubling up as the tour's spokesman and selling the upcoming events and taking the first steps towards a flourishing career as Mr Big in the promotion of tennis as a business. This first Players Association [IPTPA] was the forerunner of what is now the Association of Tennis Professionals
(ATP), of which Davies was to become executive director in 1982.
In 1961 Davies published two books: one a teaching book, and the other a biography called Tennis Rebel (Stanley Paul, London).
Davies retired in 1967, one year before Wimbledon finally allowed professionals to play. However, he did come out of retirement to play in the first Open at Wimbledon. He had missed 28 Grand Slam events during the ban.
co-founded World Championship Tennis
(WCT) with his nephew, Al G. Hill, Jr. and, in 1968, they hired Davies with the task of building WCT into a major force. They had eight contracted players and promoted them as The Handsome Eight: Dennis Ralston
, Butch Buchholz
, Pierre Barthes
, John Newcombe
, Tony Roche
, Nikki Pilic, Roger Taylor and Cliff Drysdale
. WCT guaranteed each a certain amount of money for a certain number of weeks of play each year. After a couple of years WCT bought the contracts of the other professional players at the time, including Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson, Andrés Gimeno
and signed former amateurs Arthur Ashe
and Stan Smith
to professional contracts.
In 1970 Davies put together the plans for the first million-dollar tour: twenty tournaments throughout the world, played in twenty cities, 32 players under contract, each receiving $50,000. The eight with the best record would qualify for the WCT finals in Dallas. Davies ran the Dallas-based WCT as executive director for thirteen years.
During his time with WCT Davies was responsible for the following innovations and rule changes in the game:
as Marketing Director of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). One year later, when Buchholz left the ATP, Davies took over as executive director. The ATP was almost bankrupt at the time, and when Davies left after three years they had over $1 million in assets. He helped consolidate the players' pension plan and created more jobs for players with bigger draws and more tournaments and bigger prize money.
[ITF] and later moved back to London as general manager and Marketing Director. He was made a full member of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon in 1990 - 30 years after they had withdrawn his membership. During these years Davies almost tripled the Sponsorship and International Television revenue for the ITF, and created the Grand Slam Committee which now oversees the four Grand Slam events
which was first played in Munich Germany in 1990. This event was for the 16 players who had the best record in the four Grand Slam events. The prize money was $6 million, with $2 million going to the winner of the event. Still the highest prize money per player ever. In 1994 Davies negotiated the largest tennis Television contract which was between German TV, the German Tennis Federation and the ITF for a five-year deal for $200 million.
tournament in Connecticut and are still managing it today. The tournament is played the week before the US Open in August and is owned by the USTA.
Davies has been nominated (but not elected) to the International Tennis Hall of Fame
for his role in the transformation of the sport into a world-wide concern.
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...
player. He has had a 60-year career in the tennis business, first as a tennis player, including a period as the number one ranked player in Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and a member of the British Davis Cup
Davis Cup
The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation and is contested between teams of players from competing countries in a knock-out format. The competition began in 1900 as a challenge between Britain and the United States. By...
team, then as an entrepreneur and one of the pioneers of the professional game.
Playing career
Davies was born in SwanseaSwansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. He took up tennis at the age of 11, and was discovered by Fred Perry
Fred Perry
Frederick John Perry was a championship-winning English tennis and table tennis player who won 10 Majors including eight Grand Slams and two Pro Slams. Perry won three consecutive Wimbledon Championships between 1934 and 1936 and was World No. 1 four years in a row...
and Dan Maskell
Dan Maskell
Daniel "Dan" Maskell was an English tennis player, who later became even better known as a radio and television commentator on the game, and was known as the BBC's "voice of tennis"....
. He played on the British Davis Cup team with Bobby Wilson
Bobby Wilson (tennis)
Robert Keith Wilson is a former top-ranking English tennis player. Wilson reached the quarter-finals of Wimbledon four times, Forest Hills twice, and Roland Garros once during the late 1950s and early 1960s...
, Billy Knight and Roger Becker
Roger Becker
Roger Becker was a British tennis player.In 1952, Becker played in the Davis Cupat 18 years of age, the youngest British player to have done so at the time, his record stood until 2005 when it was broken by Andy Murray aged 17. He served as Paul Hutchins's coach for a time.-Sources:*...
.
In 1952 Davies went to Australia for the first of three winter visits to work with Harry Hopman
Harry Hopman
Henry Christian Hopman, CBE was a world-acclaimed Australian-American tennis player and coach, born in Glebe, Sydney, New South Wales, and soon moving to Parramatta, a city adjoining Sydney and now effectively a suburb of the metropolis.Hopman was a student at Rosehill Public Primary school...
, the Australian Davis Cup Coach, and Australian players like Lew Hoad
Lew Hoad
Lewis Alan Hoad was a champion tennis player....
, Ken Rosewall
Ken Rosewall
Kenneth Robert Rosewall AM MBE is a former world top-ranking amateur and professional tennis player from Australia. He won 23 Majors including eight Grand Slam singles titles and before the Open Era a record fifteen Pro Slam titles . Rosewall won 9 slams in doubles with a career double grand slam...
, Roy Emerson
Roy Emerson
Roy Stanley Emerson is an Australian former tennis player who won 12 Grand Slam singles titles and 16 Grand Slam men's doubles titles. He is the only male player to have won singles and doubles titles at all four Grand Slam tournaments. His 28 Grand Slam titles are an all-time record for a male...
, Fred Stolle
Fred Stolle
Frederick "Fred" Sydney Stolle is an Australian tennis player. He was born in Hornsby, New South Wales, Australia. He is the father of former Australian Davis Cup player Sandon Stolle....
. It was there that Davies developed his game.
From 1958 to 1960 Davies was ranked number 1 in Great Britain. He played on the Davis Cup team for Great Britain from 1956 to 1960 and had a 15/8 match record. In 1960 he reached the final of the Men's Doubles at Wimbledon with Bobby Wilson; this is the last time a British male has been in the final of Wimbledon's Men's Singles or Men's Doubles.
After that doubles final, in 1960, he was invited to turn professional with Jack Kramer for a two-year guarantee of £4,500-a-year. He joined a select group of players considered to be the best in the world such as Pancho Gonzales
Pancho Gonzales
Ricardo Alonso González , generally known as Richard "Pancho" Gonzales was an American tennis player. He was the world no. 1 professional tennis player for an unequalled eight years in the 1950s and early 1960s...
, Tony Trabert
Tony Trabert
Marion Anthony Trabert is a retired American tennis champion and long-time tennis author, TV commentator, instructor, and motivational speaker...
, Lew Hoad, Ken Rosewall, Pancho Segura
Pancho Segura
Pancho Segura, born Francisco Olegario Segura , was a leading tennis player of the 1940s and 1950s, both as an amateur and as a professional. In 1950 and 1952, as a professional, he was the World Co-No. 1 player...
, etc.
Since international tennis at this time was an amateur sport, Davies' professional status put him at odds with the ruling tennis body, 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], and his membership of the All-England Club at Wimbledon
All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club , also known as the All-England Club, based at Aorangi Park, Wimbledon, London, England, is a private members club. It is best known as the venue for the Wimbledon Championships, the only Grand Slam tennis event still held on grass...
was cancelled, and he became ineligible to ever play Davis Cup or any of the Grand Slams again. However he quickly learned how to be a better player and for the next five years or so played the best tennis of his life. As well as playing he was elected to the board of the first Players' Association that was formed by this select group of approximately 12–15 players and found himself leading the charge to promote professional tennis and to fight for open tennis. Soon Davies found himself doubling up as the tour's spokesman and selling the upcoming events and taking the first steps towards a flourishing career as Mr Big in the promotion of tennis as a business. This first Players Association [IPTPA] was the forerunner of what is now 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), of which Davies was to become executive director in 1982.
In 1961 Davies published two books: one a teaching book, and the other a biography called Tennis Rebel (Stanley Paul, London).
Davies retired in 1967, one year before Wimbledon finally allowed professionals to play. However, he did come out of retirement to play in the first Open at Wimbledon. He had missed 28 Grand Slam events during the ban.
WCT
In 1967 Lamar HuntLamar Hunt
Lamar Hunt was an American sportsman and promoter of American football, soccer, basketball, and ice hockey in the United States and an inductee into three sports' halls of fame. He was one of the founders of the American Football League and Major League Soccer , as well as MLS predecessor the...
co-founded World Championship Tennis
World Championship Tennis
World Championship Tennis was a tour for professional male tennis players established in 1968 and lasted until the emergence of the ATP Tour in 1990...
(WCT) with his nephew, Al G. Hill, Jr. and, in 1968, they hired Davies with the task of building WCT into a major force. They had eight contracted players and promoted them as The Handsome Eight: Dennis Ralston
Dennis Ralston
Richard Dennis Ralston is an American former professional tennis player. He attended the University of Southern California and won NCAA championships under their legendary coach, George Toley. He was coached in his earlier years by the legendary tennis player, Pancho Gonzales...
, Butch Buchholz
Butch Buchholz
Earl "Butch" Buchholz, Jr., is a former professional tennis player from the United States who was one of the game's top players in the late-1950s and early-1960s....
, Pierre Barthes
Pierre Barthes
Pierre Barthès is a French retired professional tour tennis player.-Career:Born in Béziers, Barthès was one of the Handsome Eight and reached a career high singles ATP ranking in 1974 of World No. 54. Before the creation of the ATP ranking, he was one of the best twenty players in 1971. He was...
, John Newcombe
John Newcombe
John David Newcombe, AO, OBE is a former World No. 1 tennis player.-Biography:He won seven Grand Slam singles titles, A natural athlete, Newcombe played several sports as a boy until devoting himself to tennis. He was the Australian junior champion in 1961, 1962, and 1963 and was a member of...
, Tony Roche
Tony Roche
Anthony "Tony" Dalton Roche is a former professional Australian tennis player, native of Tarcutta. He played junior tennis in the New South Wales regional city of Wagga Wagga. He won one Grand Slam singles title and twelve Grand Slam doubles titles. He is also very well known for coaching...
, Nikki Pilic, Roger Taylor and Cliff Drysdale
Cliff Drysdale
Cliff Drysdale is a former top-ranked professional tennis player of the 1960s and early 1970s who became a well-known tennis announcer. He was one of the Handsome Eight, signed by Lamar Hunt in 1968 for the newly formed World Championship Tennis group...
. WCT guaranteed each a certain amount of money for a certain number of weeks of play each year. After a couple of years WCT bought the contracts of the other professional players at the time, including Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Roy Emerson, Andrés Gimeno
Andrés Gimeno
Andrés Gimeno Tolaguera is a retired Spanish tennis player. He major achievement came in 1972, when he won the French Open....
and signed former amateurs Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...
and Stan Smith
Stan Smith
Stanley Roger "Stan" Smith is a former American tennis player and two time Grand Slam singles champion who also, with his partner Bob Lutz, formed one of the most successful doubles teams of all time. Together, they won many major titles all over the world...
to professional contracts.
In 1970 Davies put together the plans for the first million-dollar tour: twenty tournaments throughout the world, played in twenty cities, 32 players under contract, each receiving $50,000. The eight with the best record would qualify for the WCT finals in Dallas. Davies ran the Dallas-based WCT as executive director for thirteen years.
During his time with WCT Davies was responsible for the following innovations and rule changes in the game:
- first professional circuit to incorporate the tie-breaker
- first to insist on colored clothing on the players
- first to go to a colored tennis ball [first orange, then yellow]
- Davies created the 30 seconds between points and the 90 seconds between games
- first to place chairs on the court for the players during change-overs
- first to have a player representative and a trainer travel with the players to each tournament
- overrule by the umpire and experimented with electronic line calling in 1972
- first to complete a television deal with a major network (NBC) for its World Championship of Tennis Series, culminating in the Dallas finals
- first to syndicate tournaments in the U.S.
- first to sign a contract (with ESPN) before the network ever came on the air
ATP
In 1981 Davies left WCT after 13 years and joined his lifelong friend Butch BuchholzButch Buchholz
Earl "Butch" Buchholz, Jr., is a former professional tennis player from the United States who was one of the game's top players in the late-1950s and early-1960s....
as Marketing Director of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). One year later, when Buchholz left the ATP, Davies took over as executive director. The ATP was almost bankrupt at the time, and when Davies left after three years they had over $1 million in assets. He helped consolidate the players' pension plan and created more jobs for players with bigger draws and more tournaments and bigger prize money.
MITPC
Davies also served on the Men's Pro Council and was chairman of this committee which administered the Men's Professional Circuit, before the ATP.ITF
In 1987 Davies joined the International Tennis FederationInternational 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] and later moved back to London as general manager and Marketing Director. He was made a full member of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club at Wimbledon in 1990 - 30 years after they had withdrawn his membership. During these years Davies almost tripled the Sponsorship and International Television revenue for the ITF, and created the Grand Slam Committee which now oversees the four Grand Slam events
Grand Slam Cup
Davies also created the Grand Slam CupGrand Slam Cup
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 , which invited the best-performing players in the year's Grand Slam events to compete in the Grand Slam Cup.The...
which was first played in Munich Germany in 1990. This event was for the 16 players who had the best record in the four Grand Slam events. The prize money was $6 million, with $2 million going to the winner of the event. Still the highest prize money per player ever. In 1994 Davies negotiated the largest tennis Television contract which was between German TV, the German Tennis Federation and the ITF for a five-year deal for $200 million.
Retirement
Davies retired in 1995 and moved back to the United States. In 1997, he and Butch Buchholz, took over control of the Pilot Pen TennisPilot Pen Tennis
This article is about the former New Haven joint tennis event. It is now a women's-only event. For the New Haven men's tennis event known as Volvo International , click here....
tournament in Connecticut and are still managing it today. The tournament is played the week before the US Open in August and is owned by the USTA.
Davies has been nominated (but not elected) to the International Tennis Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. The hall of fame and honors players and contributors to the sport of tennis and includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, and a court tennis facility.-History:The hall of fame and...
for his role in the transformation of the sport into a world-wide concern.