ATP Finals: When McEnroe, Borg, Lendl and Co. were rock stars in Madison Square Garden
The ATP Finals will begin next Sunday in the O2 Arena in London. However, the season-end tournament celebrated its breakthrough in New York City.
by Jens Huiber
last edit:
Nov 11, 2020, 11:55 am
Madison Square Garden in New York City is still considered by many sports fans to be the Mecca of American (indoor) sports. And that, although the New York Rangers (NHL) and New York Knicks (NBA) teams have hardly played a role in the distribution of the trophies in their respective disciplines in recent years. The legendary building in the heart of Manhattan has been around for a few decades now, and there are newer arenas that offer fans significantly more comfort.
At the beginning of 1978, however, the Garden was up to date. And the professional tennis circus must have done everything right when it awarded its season finale to New York City for twelve years. After trying Tokyo, Paris, Barcelona, Stockholm or Boston before. No, Madison Square Garden was just the right place at the right time. And with John McEnroe, Björn Borg, Jimmy Connors or Ivan Lendl, and later also Boris Becker, there were also players who spread the flair of rock stars in the hall where, in addition to sporting events, mainly concerts take place.
Ivan Lendl ruled New York
Ivan Lendl had come to terms with the circumstances in New York City particularly well: the native Czech reached nine finals in a row, winning five of them. “Playing in front of 19,000 spectators in New York City every winter, including some of the most influential people from various branches of the business, created an electrifying atmosphere,” Lendl wrote on the ATP website a few years ago. "The huge scoreboard hung over the court and limited the amount of praise."
“Sometimes the cigarette smoke made the air foggy,” Lendl continues. “The fans were very close to the court and supported their favorites, especially Connors, who always had a huge fan base behind him at the Masters. Or Mr. New York, Vitas Gerulaitis, who was a great personality. "
Everyone wanted to see Connors and Vilas
Ray Benton worked in the early years as tournament director of the Masters, as the ATP Finals were officially known at the time. And especially remembers a Thursday in January 1978. Jimmy Connors and Guillermo Vilas were scheduled for the evening session, but the two afternoon games had dragged on.
“I remember going up to the top floor of Madison Square Garden and looking down on Seventh Avenue,” said Benton. “It was about eight in the evening. People were standing in line three blocks away because they wanted to go into the hall. "
After moving out of New York City, the professionals celebrated the end of the season in Germany for ten years. First in Frankfurt, then in Hanover. After stops in Lisbon, Sydney, Shanghai and Houston, the 2009 finals made their first stop in London. This era will come to an end with the 2020 tournament. From next year, the unofficial ATP world champion will be determined in Turin.