The 1968 season in mens tennis was a critical one in the advancement and growth of tennis. Previous to this season the mens tennis world was in an era that we know as the amateur era in mens tennis. The amateur era refers to the era in which only players that were not professionals were allowed to play in Grand Slam events.
The amateur era officially ended after the first Grand Slam event of the year. After the amateur era the beginning of the open era would begin. The term open era simply refers to the era in which professionals and amateurs can both play in Grand Slam events.
The first grand slam event of the year would be the Australian Open. This would be the last tournament of the amateur era and it would be won by William Bowrey. Bowrey had never won a Grand Slam event previous to this one and he would actually never win another Grand Slam event in his career. Despite the fact that he had a relatively insignificant career outside of this victory he will always be remembered as the last victor of the amateur era.
The beginning of the open era featured a couple of players that had not won Grand Slam tournaments in years. These players were able to bounce back in this year after not winning Grand Slam events for more than 6 years.
The first tournament of the open era was the French Open. The French Open would be won by Ken Rosewall. Rosewall made a remarkable comeback after not winning a Grand Slam event for 12 years. He had won 4 Grand Slam tournaments in 4 years, but then did not win for 12 years. His victory in the tournament turned around his career and he was able to win three more Grand Slam tournaments after that victory.
Rod Laver would be the winner of Wimbledon in 1968. Rod Laver was formerly a dominant player in Mens tennis. In 1962 he won every Grand Slam Event in the year. He did not win another event until 1968, but this victory set him on a dominant streak. This victory helped him bounce back and he went on to take all four Grand Slam Events in the 1969 season. This victory set him on path towards being the most dominant player of the beginning of the open era.
The last tournament of the year would be the US Open. The US Open would not be won by a former champion, like the last two majors. Instead Arthur Ashe was able to win the first Grand Slam of his career. He was a very relevant player at this time and this victory would be one of three Grand Slam victories over the course of his career.
In tennis today you will often hear that a player has the most wins in any given event since the beginning of the open era. 1968 is when all of that changed and the open era of which is spoken about commenced.