Stan Smith’s 1972 Wimbledon cup sits alongside his 1971 United States Open winner’s prize in a trophy case inside his Hilton Head Island, S.C., home.
“Once you’ve won it you always want to win it again.”But in 1973, Smith decided not to play.
Instead, he and 80 other players voted to boycott the tournament just before the first matches in support of the player Nikola Pilic.
It was when its members banded together, flexed their muscles and walked out on the most prestigious tournament in tennis, with ramifications that are still being felt today.
Among them: greater communication between the players and the tournaments, and wider distribution of prize money at all levels of the pro game.
Persons:
Stan Smith’s, Smith, “, ”, John Newcombe, Ilie Nastase, you’ve, Nikola Pilic, Pilic, Billie Jean King
Organizations:
United, Wimbledon, International Lawn Tennis Federation, Davis, Women’s Tennis Association, Association of Tennis Professionals
Locations:
Yugoslavia