Fiend at Court Unplugged
In anticipation of the start of the 2021 US Open on Monday, I am continuing to explore trivia related to the court surfaces historically used by the tournament. Yesterday we identified the only man to win the singles championship on all three US Open surfaces: grass, clay, and hard. Today’s question is to name the only woman who won the US Open during the three years when the tournament was played on clay.
In February of 1975, the USTA formally dropped the “Lawn” from the associations name. The reason cited for the change is that the word “Lawn” was not representative of the full scope of work of the organization. Additionally the term was thought to be confusing and a barrier to broad participation in the sport. At the time that decision was made, the conversion of the grass courts to clay was already underway at Forest Hills. The change may have been prompted in part because upcoming US Open wasn’t going to be contested on a “Lawn” but rather the new clay surface.
The New York Times ran an article during the run up to the 1975 US Open indicating that the conversion to clay had been “the subject of much controversy.” It was reported that change was prompted by the players who demanded that the grass courts at Forest Hills be replaced because the surface was too soft and uneven. It is kind of ironic that the USTA made the decision to install clay courts for the tournament based on those complaints. “Soft and uneven” is the very definition of clay.
There were some changes made to the format of the US Open in 1975 as a concession to the clay surface. In anticipation of longer matches, the men’s draw was contested as best of 3 sets until the round of 16 when the format returned to the traditional best of 5. Tournament director Billy Talbert also indicated that matches might have to be scheduled at night for the first time to accommodate anticipated longer match lengths.
Player sentiment about the new surface leading into the event was mixed. The serve and volley players who had been dominating the grass court Grand Slams were not enthusiastic about the transition to clay for obvious reasons. Talbert’s spin was that “It will take a complete player to win” on the new surface.
The most vocal opposition to the new surface was reported to be from the Women’s Tennis Association, with Billie Jean King serving as the spokesperson. The official opposition to the surface cited by the New York Times was because the WTA regarded the surface as too slow. Billie Jean King was one of those serve and volley specialists that had dominated the Grand Slams contested on grass.
The New York Times also observed that the transition to clay was most likely to benefit Chris Evert who was already well established as a clay court specialist but had yet to win the US Open. Indeed, Evert won not only the 1975 tournament, but also defended her title in 1976 and 1977. Chris Evert is the only female player to ever win the US Open on clay.
For additional historic context, Evert’s father was a USLTA loyalist who had steered Evert to the USLTA sanctioned events rather than the breakaway Virginia Slims tour when she was a teenager. Evert wasn’t just America’s sweetheart… she was also the USLTA’s girl. It is not unreasonable to wonder if the decision to change the US Open surface was influenced in any way by the knowledge that clay might propel Evert to her first title at the expense of Billie Jean King.
- New Courts Alter U.S. Open, Charles Friedman, The New York Times, June 17, 1975.
- U.S.L.T.A. Drops “Lawn” in Name, New York Times, February 16, 1975.
