TBT, 1972 WCT Finals: Rosewall-Laver classic draws 21 million viewers

Over the last decade, Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall had chased one another to and from every corner of the globe. From 1963 to ’67, they’d been the two best barnstorming pros in the world, competing everywhere from dim-lit gymnasiums to arenas attended by royalty, on surfaces that ranged from slick wood to cow dung.

When tennis went Open in 1968, their rivalry continued, at prominent tournaments in Paris, Los Angeles and beyond. Now, on this Sunday in 1972, Dallas’s Moody Coliseum, located on the Southern Methodist University campus, was the setting for what would prove their most memorable battle.

This was the WCT Finals, an event that at the time was the equivalent of today’s ATP Finals—an eight-man, season-ending playoff. In this case, the tournament was held in May to accommodate the demands of a new, exciting dimension: national TV coverage, each week on NBC. These were the early, enterprising years of the tennis boom, when WCT executive director and former barnstormer Mike Davies pioneered such innovations as viewer-friendly yellow balls, new camera angles, as well as an insistence that players abandon the bland white clothing yesteryear in favor of contemporary bright colors.

As the two best players on the WCT circuit that year, it was fitting that the 33-year-old Laver and 37-year-old Rosewall would meet in the season's finale. The winner would earn an unprecedented reward of $50,000. It was a far cry from the days when the globetrotting pros often had no idea how or even if they’d be compensated—or, as happened once in Philadelphia, if they’d be evicted mid-tournament to make way for an ice skating show.

Though Laver possessed more firepower than Rosewall, it was never easy for him to steamroll his fellow Aussie. Known as the Doomsday Stroking Machine, Rosewall played a game built around unwavering precision.

At the previous year’s WCT Finals, Rosewall had squeaked past Laver in four tight sets. Laver’s desire to gain revenge surfaced instantly, the Rocket sprinting to a 4-0 first set lead. But, as was his specialty, Rosewall, aka Muscles, clawed back, one deft scratch at a time. Though Laver would win the first set, 6-4, a rout at this stage seemed doubtful. If anything, it appeared over the next two sets that Rosewall would once again win a four-setter, as he took the next two, 6-0, 6-3.

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For all the knowledge these two had of various continents, they were even more familiar and comfortable with every inch of a tennis court. As was the prevalent playing style of the time, Laver and Rosewall were superb practitioners of the serve-and-volley attack, graced with ballerina-like balance, agility and ball control. Each was also extremely swift, the best in the game at striking laser-like passing shots, be it Laver’s dipping topspin off both sides, or Rosewall’s unrivaled backhand, a firm drive struck with a scintilla of underspin. Rosewall’s lob also was one of the best ever, superbly lofted and frequently giving him the chance to either retrieve a smash or take control of the rally.

Rosewall led 3-1 in the fourth, only to see Laver take it in a tiebreaker. The same pattern repeated in the fifth, including Laver serving at 4-5, 30-40—and erasing the match point with an ace down the middle. It only seemed fitting that it would end with a tiebreaker.

As the tennis continued, NBC’s broadcast team of Jim Simpson and Bud Collins received encouraging news: The network had opted to let the match continue to air in lieu of its regular evening programming. By this time, a remarkable 21 million viewers were watching Rosewall and Laver battle to the finish. They would not be disappointed.

In the tiebreaker—first to seven points—Laver served at 5-4. In most cases, a great lefty serving into the ad court at this stage should feel quite confident that his wide slice serve should carry him to victory. Surely, Laver did, as he carved that delivery—only to be at the receiving end of a cross-court missile from Rosewall that Laver could barely poke long. At 5-all, again to Rosewall’s backhand—and, even more emphatically, Rosewall laced a down-the-line winner. A thoroughly weary Rosewall tossed in a mild serve to Laver’s backhand. Perhaps dazed by the prior two points, Laver misfired his return.

In three hours and 34 minutes, Rosewall had earned a victory that brought him to tears—and tennis to new heights. In 1971, seven tennis tournaments were aired on American television and it had recently been estimated that ten million Americans played tennis. Five years later, approximately 70 were on the air—and the playing base had doubled. Surely, this epic match was a vital catalyst.