Wimbledon Re-Lived: 1973 - The Boycott

The Tennis Podcast

In this Wimbledon edition of Tennis Re-Lived we tell the story of the 1973 boycott year, when more than 80 men withdrew from the tournament to protest the suspension of Yugoslavia’s number one player Nikola Pilic, opening the door for Jan Kodes to win the title.

Journalist Richard Evans talks us through the political background which led to the boycott, Cliff Drysdale, who was ATP President at the time, explains why the players felt they had to unite, and Billie Jean King reveals why the women weren’t involved.

Turning our attention to the actual tennis, what must it have been like to be one of the 50 lucky losers in the draw? In what way did Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors become unexpected stars of the event? And how did Kodes end up lifting the trophy?

Finally, we consider the current political climate in tennis and ponder whether a boycott could be on the cards once again as the PTPA grows.

The Tennis Podcast is presented by Catherine Whitaker and David Law, and features Matt Roberts. It is produced weekly year-round, and daily during the Grand Slam tournaments. It is crowdfunded by listeners each December.

Some resources:

When SW19 turned to the picket line, by Frank Keating - https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2003/jun/23/tennis.wimbledon200311

The Rankings that changed Tennis, by James Buddell - https://www.atptour.com/en/news/heritage-1973-atp-rankings-celebration-part-i

Boycott or not, Jan Kodes’ 1973 Wimbledon triumph was for real, by Steve Flink - https://www.tennis.com/news/articles/player-boycott-or-not-jan-kodes-1973-wimbledon-triumph-was-for-real

A BLOOMIN’ WINNER, by Joe Jares - https://vault.si.com/vault/1973/07/16/a-bloomin-winner

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