The stars of men’s and women’s tennis continue to impress on the ATP and WTA Tours.
In 2025, Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz have led the way on the ATP Tour, sharing the first two Grand Slams of the year.
Over on the women’s side, Madison Keys won the Australian Open in January, before her fellow American Coco Gauff won in Paris.
For the most part, men and women compete on their separate tours, barring exhibition events and mixed doubles competitions.
However, back in 1975, one young American woman chose to test herself on the ATP Tour, a move that was criticised by many.
18-year-old Abbie Maynard competed on the ATP Tour in 1975
50 years ago, 18-year-old Abbie Maynard submitted her entry to the Fairfield County International ATP Tour event.
According to the New York Times, her coach and tournament director, John Nogrady Jr, accepted her entry.
“I’m allowed to fill the draw with two top local players, and Abbi [Maynard] is one of the best around Ridgefield. She’s beaten many men and is keen to play,” he said.
“If you’re asking me how I expect her to do against Jimmy Connors, Jan Kodes, or Ilie Nastase, you know the answer to that. But how do you think Billie Jean King or Chris Evert or any of the women’s tour players would do against them? Not much better.
“Abbi has worked hard at her game and has the potential to be very good. She wants to play, and I’m letting her in.”
ATP Tour director Bill Riordan was far from impressed upon hearing the news, as he weighed in with his thoughts.
“Frankly, I consider this a cheap shot to publicize the women’s movement,” he said.
Maynard herself saw her participation as a chance to make history and encourage other women to compete on the men’s tour.
“The important thing is that maybe I’ll be breaking down some barriers to women. They should be allowed to enter any kind of tournament,” she said.
The 18-year-old was drawn against Romania’s Ion Tiriac in her opening match, a former French Open quarterfinalist.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, Tiriac dominated Maynard 6-0, 6-0 to book his place in the second round at Fairfield.
No woman has competed on the ATP Tour since, as Maynard’s efforts in Fairfield didn’t exactly convince her rivals to follow her lead.
Maynard’s tennis career didn’t take off, but she will always be remembered as the first woman to play a professional match on the ATP Tour.
The legendary career of Ion Tiriac
Tiriac’s win over Maynard was one of many career highlights, as the Romanian star enjoyed a life before, during, and after tennis that few can rival.
Born in Transylvania, Tiriac, nicknamed ‘Count Dracula’, first enjoyed success in ice hockey as a defenceman, winning the Romanian league title with CCA Bucuresti in 1961.
He was called up for the Romanian ice hockey team at the 1964 Winter Olympic Games, finishing 12th out of 16 teams.
Shortly after, Tiriac switched his focus to tennis, where he became a top ten player in singles, picking up wins over Arthur Ashe and Stan Smith.
He enjoyed even more success in doubles, when he and Ilie Nastase won the 1970 French Open title.
Nastase and Tiriac were also integral members of the Romanian Davis Cup team, which reached the final on three occasions between 1969 and 1972.
- 1969 Davis Cup F: Romania 0-5 USA
- 1971 Davis Cup F: Romania 2-3 USA
- 1972 Davis Cup F: Romania 2-3 USA
Upon his retirement in 1979, Tiriac worked as a coach, advisor and agent for several big names on the ATP Tour.
Tiriac worked with Nastase, Manuel Orantes, Adriano Panatta, Guillermo Vilas, Goran Ivanisevic, Marat Safin, and Boris Becker during the 1980s and 1990s.
He may, however, be best known for his work as tournament director of the Madrid Open, where he introduced a never-before-seen surface in 2012.
The 2012 Madrid Open was played on blue clay, a striking surface which wasn’t well received by those competing.
Several top players were injured on the surface, which was described as ‘slippery’ and ‘difficult to manoeuvre’.
Roger Federer won the men’s title in Madrid 13 years ago, while Serena Williams won the women’s, taking down Tomas Berdych and Victoria Azarenka in the respective finals.
The surface was abandoned for the 2012 tournament, as Tiriac reverted to the standard red clay from that point on.
Blue clay had been a failure, but it likely didn’t bother Tiriac, as he continued on as a successful businessman and was ranked by Forbes as the third-richest Romanian in 2022.
Tiriac took his rightful place in the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2013, having enjoyed a career and life that won’t soon be forgotten.
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