Justine Henin and Marat Safin, both former world number ones and grand slam champions in singles, and Helena Sukova, a former doubles world number 1 and 14 time grand slam champion, have all been nominated for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Justine Henin won seven grand slams in her career, which included four Roland Garros titles, and was forced to retire early, at the age of 29, due to an elbow injury. Her single handed backhand dazzled the world of tennis and aesthetically speaking she has gone down in history as one of the most pleasant players to watch.
“The Hall of Famers are individuals who I have admired from the time I was a young girl. throughout my career, and to this day. To be nominated for induction into this group and to have my career recognised in this way is a great honour, and I thank the committee for the nomination”, said Henin.
Marat Safin was another purely talented player who won his first grand slam at the tender age of 20 when he defeated Pete Sampras in the US Open final in 2000. Much like many artists, Safin was very up and down throughout his career, and only backed this success up with the 2005 Australian Open title, which included one of the best perfomances of the last twenty years when he defeated Roger Federer in an epic five setter. The Russian also won two Davis Cups and five Masters 1000 titles in a fantastic career which could, and perhaps should, have been much more successful.
“To be a part of a Hall of Fame is every athlete’s dream. It is a great honour to have my tennis career recognised in this way and I am proud to represent Russian tennis with this nomination for such a prestigious honour in our sports”, declared Safin.
Sukova, apart from the aforementioned grand slam success in the doubles category, also won two silver medals atthe Olympic Games for Czechoslovakia and won four Fed Cups in the 1980s.
“It is a great honour for me to be selected as a nominee for the Hall of Fame. Being recognised as part of tennis history is all I can ask, now that my playing days are over”, were Sukova’s words upon receiving her nomination.
Voting for the Hall of Fame ballot will take place over the next several months and the announcement will take place early next year. The Class of 2016 Induction ceremony will take place on the 16th of July of 2016 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, United States.
