Which player won the inaugural ATP Finals singles title in 1970?

The player who won the inaugural ATP Finals singles title in 1970 was Stan Smith.

The event was then called the Masters Grand Prix, sponsored in its first edition as the Pepsi-Cola Masters. It was held from 9 to 15 December 1970 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium and used a round-robin format rather than a conventional knockout final. Smith finished ahead of a field that included Arthur Ashe, Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall, Jan Kodeš and Željko Franulović.

Smith’s victory began the lineage of the year-end championship that is now known as the ATP Finals. He also won the doubles competition with Arthur Ashe, making the tournament’s first edition especially successful for him. Smith earned $15,000 for the singles title and recorded his sixth title of 1970.

The event’s identity and qualification system have changed over time, so references may call the 1970 competition the Masters Grand Prix, the Masters or the predecessor of the ATP Finals. That naming difference does not change the canonical winner: Stan Smith.