"WCT cost Lamar millions of dollars but he never reneged on a promise and was the nicest man I ever met".
Davies left WCT in 1981, and had nothing but praise for Hunt.
The WCT tour became a huge artistic, if not financial, success, with Ken Rosewall winning the first two WCT Dallas finals over Rod Laver in unforgettable matches.
He reminded them that tennis used to be all about angles and craftsmanship.Rod Laver was probably the greatest exponent of this, and it is no coincidence that the 1972 WCT final in Dallas between Mr Laver and fellow Australian Ken Rosewall is widely cited as one of the greatest matches of all time.
Between 1979 and 1984 McEnroe, a torrid-tempered left-hander of exquisite athleticism and racket control, won Wimbledon three times, the U.S. Open four times, the Masters three times, and the WCT Championship four times.
He won Wimbledon again in 1982, the U.S. Open four more times, and the WCT Championship in 1977 and 1980.
In 1967, however, two new professional groups were formed: the National Tennis League, organized by former U.S. Davis Cup captain George MacCall, and World Championship Tennis (WCT), founded by New Orleans promoter Dave Dixon and funded by Dallas oil and football tycoon Lamar Hunt.
When the owner of a hamburger chain phoned him up one day and asked for some free tickets for the WCT Dallas finals, Davies replied: "Sure, be glad to oblige.
Tapping almost every political faction in a divided sport, he became the chief executive of World Championship Tennis (WCT) and then headed up the Association of Tennis Professionals ATPP).
WCT and NTL players boycott various grand-slam events while the ILTF counter the control of promoters by creating a grand prix series.
1980s While the women's tour stabilises under the WTA, tensions remain in the men's game with WCT leaving the grand prix series.
