Fifty years since the first WTA rankings: Revisiting the original Top 10

Fifty years ago this Monday -- Nov. 3, 1975 -- the WTA unveiled its first official player rankings, a Top 10 that reflected a sport in full bloom.

Representing six countries, the players ranged in age from an 18-year-old Martina Navratilova to 33-year-old Margaret Court. The intrigue of generational transition only added to the excitement of promoters, media and fans around the world.

Tennis was booming, thanks in no small part to the popularity of 20-year-old Chris Evert, the first WTA No. 1. When computerized rankings were introduced, the young Floridian was one of eight Grand Slam singles champions in the Top 10 and, in time, nine of the 10 would become Hall of Famers.

The new ranking system replaced somewhat subjective lists produced by esteemed tennis journalists and national associations. Although the mathematical formulas would evolve over the years, computerization brought certainty and legitimacy to tournament entries and seedings, as well as player endorsement contracts.

Two years after the formation of the WTA, the tennis calendar was still fragmented in 1975, with swings organized by various entities. The Australian Open was held over the Christmas holidays, followed by a 10-tournament Virginia Slims Circuit indoors in the United States, culminating in the Virginia Slims Championships (today’s WTA Finals) at Los Angeles in the first week of April.

Some 135 players appeared on the first rankings. Here’s a look at the season highlights of the illustrious leaders of the pack.

1. Chris Evert (United States): 14,936 points

Evert’s second year as a Grand Slam champion was a statement of consistency. She defended her Roland Garros crown (the first of 14 major finals she’d play against Navratilova), reached the Wimbledon semifinals before falling to King, and captured the first of her six US Open titles. She also won the Virginia Slims Championships for the third time and the Italian Open for the second time, contributing to a haul of 16 titles from 22 tournaments played across the season. Her season record was a fearsome 94-6.

2. Virginia Wade (Great Britain): 11,063 points

A strong start to the season brought back-to-back Virginia Slims titles at Dallas and Philadelphia, where Wade defeated Navratilova and Evert, respectively, in the finals. Wade then advanced to the semifinals at the Virginia Slims Championships. At the Slams, she lost to Goolagong in the quarterfinals at Wimbledon and the semis at the US Open. The 30-year-old’s other highlights included a three-set defeat of King in the final at Eastbourne and a hat trick of European indoor trophies in Stockholm, Paris and London.

3. Martina Navratilova (Czechoslovakia): 10,780 points

At 18, Navratilova reached her first Grand Slam final at the Australian Open, falling to Goolagong on New Year’s Day. Four finals followed on the Virginia Slims Circuit, titles coming at Washington, D.C. and Boston. At the ensuing Virginia Slims Championships, Evert had her number in the title bout. After falling to Evert again in the final at Paris, Navratilova reached the quarters at Wimbledon for the first time and the semis at the US Open for the first time. After her loss to Evert at Forest Hills, she began her defection from Czechoslovakia.

4. Billie Jean King (United States): 9,765 points

For the first time in history, all four Wimbledon semifinalists were former champions in SW19, but it was King who prevailed over Goolagong, 6-1 6-0, for the last of her 12 Grand Slam singles titles. The WTA founder then announced her retirement from singles to concentrate on off-court ventures, although this proved to be temporary. Notable results from the handful of events she played during the first half of the season included a title at the Virginia Slims of Sarasota and finals at San Francisco, Austin and Eastbourne.

5. Evonne Goolagong Cawley (Australia): 9,354 points

Goolagong kicked off her season in style on home soil, winning in Sydney and defeating Navratilova for her third Australian Open title. She proceeded to reach two finals on the Virginia Slims Circuit, winning at Detroit over her compatriot, Court, and falling to Navratilova at Boston. A semifinalist at the Virginia Slims Championships, she finished runner-up at both Wimbledon and the US Open, bested by King and Evert, respectively. She married Englishman Roger Cawley during Eastbourne.

6. Margaret Court (Australia): 8,875 points

After sitting out most of 1974 to have her second child, Court returned to action in 1975 with mixed results -- losing to Goolagong in the Sydney final and to Navratilova in the Australian Open quarterfinals. She went on to reach three of the 10 Virginia Slims finals that season, avenging her Australian Open loss to Navratilova in Chicago but finishing runner-up to Evert in both Akron and Houston. Goolagong again proved the stronger in the semis at Wimbledon and Navratilova prevailed when they met in the last eight in New York.

7. Olga Morozova (USSR): 7,114 points

Morozova’s 1975 campaign fell short of her 1974 breakthrough, a season highlighted by back-to-back Grand Slam finals at Roland Garros and Wimbledon, where Evert defeated her each time. Still, in 1975 the Russian trailblazer consolidated those results with semifinals in Paris and quarterfinals at Wimbledon. A string of deep runs on the Virginia Slims Circuit helped keep her in the mix, and she advanced to the semis at Eastbourne.

8. Nancy Richey (United States): 6,176 points

An Original 9 pioneer, Richey won her first title in three years at Phoenix, overcoming Navratilova in the semis and Wade in the final. Although she made early exits at Wimbledon and the US Open, the 33-year-old Texan was consistent enough to secure a Top 10 finish -- notably reaching the semifinals of the US Clay Courts at Indianapolis, an event she won a record six years in a row in the 1960s. Unfortunately, leg cramps forced her to retire in the third set against Evert.

9. Francoise Dürr (France): 6,146 points

At 32-years old, the unorthodox Frenchwoman was a finalist at the Swedish Open in Stockholm, where she held two match points against Wade before the Briton won 10 of the last 12 points. Wade also had Dürr’s measure in the semifinals at Phoenix, while other notable results included a semifinal run at Atlanta, where she fell to Evert, and last eight effort at Denver. In doubles, she reached the final at Wimbledon with Betty Stöve.

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