Moose Malloy
G.O.A.T.
Came across a very interesting article from the LA Times in 1990. Here are some excerpts. Brad Gilbert is lucky there wasn't social media(or Ben Rothenburg) in 1987. And kudos to Mac for his stance, doubt many players back then would have turned down that kind of money.
That was the before . The after began last January, when the International Olympic Committee ruled that any tennis player who played in South Africa would not be eligible to compete in the Olympics. Tennis became a medal sport in 1988.
The ruling has forced many of the world’s tennis players to make a difficult decision. South African tennis tournaments have not only tradition and hospitality but also very competitive purses. Also, in the past, the South African Grand Prix tournaments were important to players because they award points that go toward determining who will play in the men’s year-ending Masters tournament, in which only the top eight singles players in the world compete.
American Brad Gilbert came under fire in 1987 for playing in a tournament at Johannesburg two weeks before the Masters, to earn enough points to qualify for the latter event. American Tim Mayotte was battling Gilbert for the eighth and final spot but chose not to play in South Africa. And because of previous commitments, Mayotte could not play in another tournament the next week, the last week to earn points, thereby failing to qualify for the Masters.
These very different decisions were subjected to intense scrutiny.
Mayotte chose not to play in South Africa because he had already drawn the ire of anti-apartheid groups when he played there several years previously. For that, Mayotte had been placed on a United Nations blacklist, but he was not alone. Some of tennis’ brightest stars have at some point been on it, including Chris Evert and Boris Becker.
Gilbert argued that his decision to play in South Africa had nothing to do with politics, but everything to do with his job.
“I’m a tennis player and not a politician,” he said in an interview in New York in 1987. “I don’t think sports and politics should be mixed. I went to Johannesburg because I needed points to qualify for the Masters. I’d have gone to the moon to get here. If I hadn’t gone to Johannesburg, I’d be sitting on the sidelines now.”
South African tennis did not have a good year in 1989. First, the revamped Assn. of Tennis Professionals, the men’s pro tour now run by the players, scheduled two stops in South Africa for the following year. Then the ATP canceled the tournaments for “moral and practical reasons,” according to ATP President Vijay Amritraj.
The ATP’s player council was widely criticized for scheduling the events and in August held a five-hour discussion on the subject. Leading the group arguing to remove the tournaments from the 1990 schedule was former Wimbledon champion Arthur Ashe.
After the decision to pull out, Amritraj said: “For the last six or eight months, we had this question asked of us everywhere, all around the world. It overshadowed everything we had done with the tour. These two events were canceled for the good of the tour. The Olympics are a major factor, so is the United Nations boycott, and the fact that South Africa is not a respected member of the world sports community.”
Meanwhile, satellite events in South Africa, lesser tournaments for which players receive points in the ATP rankings, continue.
About a month after the ATP decision, the International Tennis Federation suspended South Africa as an associate member until the country dismantles apartheid.
skipping further down....
South Africa was a founding member of the ITF in 1913 and has been in Davis Cup competition since its inception. Yet since apartheid was installed in South Africa in 1948, there has continually been some form of protest in the tennis community. The only time South Africa won the Davis Cup was in 1974, by default, the only default in the finals in the Cup’s 90-year history.
India refused to play South Africa in protest against apartheid. Four years later, South Africa voluntarily withdrew from Davis Cup competition.
American Davis Cup stalwart John McEnroe has been a consistently strong critic of apartheid, having once turned down $1 million to play an exhibition in South Africa.
McEnroe also told Ashe, a former U.S. Davis Cup captain, that he would never play on a Davis Cup team with Curren or Kriek, both former South Africans who have U.S. citizenship.
Some countries are stepping up the pressure, too. Israel played India in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in 1987. In order to gain visas for India, Israeli players Amos Mansdorf and Shlomo Glickstein signed statements denouncing apartheid and pledging not to play in South Africa.
A few months later, Mansdorf competed in the South African Open and said he didn’t feel in any way bound by the pledge.
The campaign against South African tennis players has been stepped up recently. Sam Ramsamy, leader of SANROC, singled out South African tennis players as targets of a new campaign to isolate South Africa. Ramsamy said his group had worked out a “secret strategy” to do this.
The strategy may be secret, but it certainly appears to be little more than a combination of increased vigilance and louder protests.
The Australian Open in January was an example of the intensified pressure.
Officials permitted the Australian Anti-Apartheid Movement to hang banners on center court and distribute leaflets. South African players in the tournament were picketed. Trade unions threatened to disrupt the event. At least one South African, Van Rensburg, had to be escorted to and from his matches by a security guard.
There was even some speculation that this year’s Australian Open might have been the last for South African tennis players. The Australian government has a policy of barring teams representing South Africa, but admitting individuals. There is a good chance that the policy may be changed to exclude all South African athletes.
“We must get them to tournaments; the way to improve at tennis is you must have competition,” Moore said. “If you don’t have competition, you will stagnate. A good example of that is Russia. In 1974, Russia decided they would no longer send their players on the international tennis tour because of South Africa’s participation in international tennis events.
“They stopped sending players. They continued to play (in the Soviet Union). They had money, they had facilities, they had trainers. And they produced nobody. They played in the Davis Cup only and they routinely lost in the first round. It was self-imposed isolation for 10 years. Then they changed their minds around 1984-85 and they decided to get back into international tennis. From that time forward, they have produced players.”
full article here
That was the before . The after began last January, when the International Olympic Committee ruled that any tennis player who played in South Africa would not be eligible to compete in the Olympics. Tennis became a medal sport in 1988.
The ruling has forced many of the world’s tennis players to make a difficult decision. South African tennis tournaments have not only tradition and hospitality but also very competitive purses. Also, in the past, the South African Grand Prix tournaments were important to players because they award points that go toward determining who will play in the men’s year-ending Masters tournament, in which only the top eight singles players in the world compete.
American Brad Gilbert came under fire in 1987 for playing in a tournament at Johannesburg two weeks before the Masters, to earn enough points to qualify for the latter event. American Tim Mayotte was battling Gilbert for the eighth and final spot but chose not to play in South Africa. And because of previous commitments, Mayotte could not play in another tournament the next week, the last week to earn points, thereby failing to qualify for the Masters.
These very different decisions were subjected to intense scrutiny.
Mayotte chose not to play in South Africa because he had already drawn the ire of anti-apartheid groups when he played there several years previously. For that, Mayotte had been placed on a United Nations blacklist, but he was not alone. Some of tennis’ brightest stars have at some point been on it, including Chris Evert and Boris Becker.
Gilbert argued that his decision to play in South Africa had nothing to do with politics, but everything to do with his job.
“I’m a tennis player and not a politician,” he said in an interview in New York in 1987. “I don’t think sports and politics should be mixed. I went to Johannesburg because I needed points to qualify for the Masters. I’d have gone to the moon to get here. If I hadn’t gone to Johannesburg, I’d be sitting on the sidelines now.”
South African tennis did not have a good year in 1989. First, the revamped Assn. of Tennis Professionals, the men’s pro tour now run by the players, scheduled two stops in South Africa for the following year. Then the ATP canceled the tournaments for “moral and practical reasons,” according to ATP President Vijay Amritraj.
The ATP’s player council was widely criticized for scheduling the events and in August held a five-hour discussion on the subject. Leading the group arguing to remove the tournaments from the 1990 schedule was former Wimbledon champion Arthur Ashe.
After the decision to pull out, Amritraj said: “For the last six or eight months, we had this question asked of us everywhere, all around the world. It overshadowed everything we had done with the tour. These two events were canceled for the good of the tour. The Olympics are a major factor, so is the United Nations boycott, and the fact that South Africa is not a respected member of the world sports community.”
Meanwhile, satellite events in South Africa, lesser tournaments for which players receive points in the ATP rankings, continue.
About a month after the ATP decision, the International Tennis Federation suspended South Africa as an associate member until the country dismantles apartheid.
skipping further down....
South Africa was a founding member of the ITF in 1913 and has been in Davis Cup competition since its inception. Yet since apartheid was installed in South Africa in 1948, there has continually been some form of protest in the tennis community. The only time South Africa won the Davis Cup was in 1974, by default, the only default in the finals in the Cup’s 90-year history.
India refused to play South Africa in protest against apartheid. Four years later, South Africa voluntarily withdrew from Davis Cup competition.
American Davis Cup stalwart John McEnroe has been a consistently strong critic of apartheid, having once turned down $1 million to play an exhibition in South Africa.
McEnroe also told Ashe, a former U.S. Davis Cup captain, that he would never play on a Davis Cup team with Curren or Kriek, both former South Africans who have U.S. citizenship.
Some countries are stepping up the pressure, too. Israel played India in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in 1987. In order to gain visas for India, Israeli players Amos Mansdorf and Shlomo Glickstein signed statements denouncing apartheid and pledging not to play in South Africa.
A few months later, Mansdorf competed in the South African Open and said he didn’t feel in any way bound by the pledge.
The campaign against South African tennis players has been stepped up recently. Sam Ramsamy, leader of SANROC, singled out South African tennis players as targets of a new campaign to isolate South Africa. Ramsamy said his group had worked out a “secret strategy” to do this.
The strategy may be secret, but it certainly appears to be little more than a combination of increased vigilance and louder protests.
The Australian Open in January was an example of the intensified pressure.
Officials permitted the Australian Anti-Apartheid Movement to hang banners on center court and distribute leaflets. South African players in the tournament were picketed. Trade unions threatened to disrupt the event. At least one South African, Van Rensburg, had to be escorted to and from his matches by a security guard.
There was even some speculation that this year’s Australian Open might have been the last for South African tennis players. The Australian government has a policy of barring teams representing South Africa, but admitting individuals. There is a good chance that the policy may be changed to exclude all South African athletes.
“We must get them to tournaments; the way to improve at tennis is you must have competition,” Moore said. “If you don’t have competition, you will stagnate. A good example of that is Russia. In 1974, Russia decided they would no longer send their players on the international tennis tour because of South Africa’s participation in international tennis events.
“They stopped sending players. They continued to play (in the Soviet Union). They had money, they had facilities, they had trainers. And they produced nobody. They played in the Davis Cup only and they routinely lost in the first round. It was self-imposed isolation for 10 years. Then they changed their minds around 1984-85 and they decided to get back into international tennis. From that time forward, they have produced players.”
full article here
