Three-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 Lindsay Davenport will be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame on July 12 this year. Besides Davenport other notable personalities, who will be also inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame are British tennis writer John Barrett, US-coachin guru Nick Bollettieri and wheelchair champion Chantal Vandierendonck. Davenport currently works as a TV-commentator during the Grand Slam Tournaments and was quoted regarding the honor, “Growing up playing tennis, the Hall of Fame wasn’t even in my dreams. That was thinking a little too big for me to think you’ll get such an honor. It’s a little overwhelming and I can’t even imagine how I’ll be at the ceremony. I never loved the limelight. I’ve been blessed to have been married five years, to have had a family and transitioned to a life after tennis that I’m happy in. I love my job and still get to enjoy the sport. And that’s the beauty of the sport. You can get into it in so many different ways and stay in it all your life if your want to.”
Nick Bollettieri is already a legend in his own right. The coaching guru has owned and operated the Bollettieri Academy in Bradenton, Florida since 1978, has coached several players, both male and female, up to now he claims ten No.1 players in the world – Agassi, Becker, Courier, Hingis, Jankovic, Rios, Seles, Sharapova and Venus and Serena Williams. In 1987, Nick expanded his vision when he joined forces with IMG to turn the Tennis Academy into a multi-sport training facility, now known as IMG Academies. Located on over 400 acres, the IMG Academies complex trains over 13,000 junior, collegiate, adult & professional athletes annually, including families and corporate groups, from over 75 countries annually. Davenport held the world No. 1 title for 98 weeks, winning three Grand Slam titles in the process (1998 US Open, 1999 Wimbledon and 2000 Australian Open) along with a Gold Medal at the 1996 Olympic games. She has also claimed 3 Grand Slam titles in doubles competition. Lindsay Davenport and Nick Bollettieri will be joined by five-time Paralympic medalist Chantal Vandierendonck, executive Jane Brown Grimes, and British tennis broadcaster and author John Barrett in the Inauguration Class of 2014.
The International Tennis Hall of Fame
It was on the grass courts of the Newport Casino that the first U.S. National Lawn Tennis Championships were held in 1881. That first tournament, won by Bostonian Dick Sears, evolved into one of the four premier tournaments in the world, known today as the US Open. Since then, numerous tournaments have been played on these courts, bringing the great names in tennis to these hallowed grounds. Tennis still lives and breathes in Newport, especially, as each summer the Newport Casino hosts the only remaining grass court professional tournament on the US-continent—one of the many features that distinguish the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Museum from other sports museums.
The concept of founding a “shrine to the ideals of the game” here at the Newport Casino, originated in 1954 with James Van Alen, a tennis innovator who would later invent the tennis tie-breaker and Van Alen Simplified Scoring System (or VASSS). For almost twenty years, from 1955 through 1974, when it was known as the National Lawn Tennis Hall of Fame, only Americans were considered for Hall of Fame status. However, in recognition of the international nature of the sport, in 1975 eligibility was extended to include candidates worldwide. In 1976, three-time Wimbledon champion Fred Perry of Great Britain was the first international player to be inducted into the newly re-named International Tennis Hall of Fame, which paved the way for official recognition by the International Tennis Federation in 1986.Individuals are elected with a ‘yes’ vote of 75 percent or higher in one of three categories: as a Recent Player, a Master Player or as a Contributor to the sport. ‘Recent Players’ are those who have been active at the highest international level within the last 20 years, and retired for at least 5. A voting panel of tennis media around the world looks at the player’s competitive record, with consideration given to integrity, sportsmanship, and character. A Master Player is evaluated for the same performance criteria, but that player must have been retired from the sport for at least 20 years. The Contributor category recognizes administrators, coaches, officials and members of the media, whose exceptional contributions have furthered the growth, reputation and character of the sport. In both the Master Player and the Contributor categories, voting is done by the International Masters Panel, which consists of existing Hall of Famers and other individuals who have great knowledge of the sport and its history.
The Inauguration CIass 2014 will join the over 200 Hall of Famers from all over the world and live up to the legacy of tennis’s greatest champions which will continue to be recognized and honored each year. (Simone Kemler)
