International Tennis Hall of Fame

International Tennis Hall of Fame
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, 13 grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility with three courts, three outdoor hard courts, one green clay court, a court tennis facility, and a theatre. The International Tennis Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization with the goal of preserving, celebrating, and inspiring the sport of tennis around the world.
History
The hall of fame and museum are located in the Newport Casino, which was commissioned in 1879 by James Gordon Bennett Jr. as part of an exclusive resort for wealthy Newport summer residents. It was designed by Charles McKim along with Stanford White, who did the interiors. It is an example of Victorian Shingle Style architecture. In 1881, the Real Tennis Court (housing the National Tennis Club) and the Casino Theatre were constructed at the east end of the campus. The club was opened on July 1, 1880, after a six-month construction period and quickly became a fashionable venue for Newport summer residents.
The United States Lawn Tennis Association held its first championships at the Newport Casino in 1881. The event was held annually through 1914, by which time tennis had become the key attraction at the resort. The championship was suspended during World War I.
But by the 1950s, the retreat was struggling financially, as tourism preferences changed. It was at risk of being demolished for redevelopment of modern retail space, but the building was purchased and saved by Jimmy and Candy Van Alen, wealthy Newport summer residents. A sportsman himself, in 1954, Jimmy Van Alen established the National Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum in the Casino. The combination of tennis matches and the museum allowed the building to be saved.
Van Alen intended the facility to be "a shrine to the ideals of the game", and was elected president of the hall in 1957. The International Tennis Hall of Fame was officially sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association at its foundation in 1954. In 1975, with the induction of England's Fred Perry, the organization officially became the International Tennis Hall of Fame. It was recognized by the International Tennis Federation in 1986. The first Hall of Fame members were inducted in 1955; as of 2023, a total of 262 inductees from 27 countries have been recognized.
In 2015, Martina Hingis was appointed as the first Global Ambassador for the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In 2016, Guga Kuerten was appointed a Global Ambassador, and in 2017 Michael Chang was appointed a Global Ambassador.
The current Board of Governors includes former professional tennis players Kim Clijsters (Honorary President), Patrick McEnroe (President), Gigi Fernández, Katrina Adams, and Vijay Amritraj.
TeamFAME
TeamFAME is the International Tennis Hall of Fame's National Junior Tennis & Learning (NJTL) Chapter that began in 2018 and is housed in the historic Canfield House building (now owned by the ITHF). TeamFAME: Future Aces Modeling Excellence, provides out-of-school activities to help the underserved community reach their goals, learn new skills, and change lives on and off the court. TeamFAME works to inspire future leaders through character, education, academic, enrichment, and healthy living. There are year long programs for kids, such as after school programs and summer tennis programs that run for 10 weeks in local neighborhoods. To learn more about TeamFAME visit the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Museum
The museum chronicles the history of the sport from the 12th century through the modern day. The museum's permanent collection contains approximately 30,000 objects, including modern and historic tennis equipment, fine art, decorative arts, artifacts from Hall of Famers and other significant figures within the sport, trophies, textiles and clothing, ephemera, and furnishings. The mseum's Information Research Center (IRC) houses 5,000 books, 3,000+ audio-visual materials, 1 million plus photographic images, and a comprehensive collection of magazines, programs, periodicals, blueprints and archival materials. The collection is displayed year-round in the museum's of exhibit space. The museum also offers several digital exhibits.
The museum reopened in May 2015 following a nearly complete renovation of its exhibition spaces. The redesigned and reinterpreted galleries encompass more than 12,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, videos, and approximately 2,000 artifacts related to tennis' history and champions past and present.
The museum was initially accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in 2013, and subsequently reaccredited in 2022.
The museum became a Smithsonian Affiliate in 2017.
The museum is also a partner of the Google Arts & Culture initiative.
Awards
For a description of each award and a list of its recipients, see footnote
Chairman's Award
Davis Cup Award of Excellence
Eugene L. Scott Award
Fed Cup Award of Excellence
Golden Achievement Award
Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Award
Samuel Hardy Award
Tennis Educational Merit Award
Infosys Hall of Fame Open
The Hall of Fame hosts several tournaments, including the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in July. The Infosys Hall of Fame Open is a part of the US Open Series, as well as being part of the men's ATP World Tour, the tournament is the only grass court event in North America. Top male players come to Newport directly from Wimbledon to compete for the Van Alen Cup at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Past champions include Americans John Isner (4× Hall of Fame Open Champion) and Mardy Fish, two-time champion Fabrice Santoro of France, and Australia's Lleyton Hewitt. During the tournament, Tennis Hall of Famers are officially inducted in front of family, friends, fans, and fellow members of the Tennis Hall of Fame.
Members
Being inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame is the ultimate honor in tennis. It represents the sum of one's achievements and contributions as being among the most important and transformative in tennis history. There is a seven-step process to be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame. A player or contributor must be nominated to be inducted, and then the national enshrinement committee reviews their eligibility. Once it is decided if they are eligible, the committee reviews if the nominee will be considered by voters. After review, the voting begins; both group and fan voting takes place. A nominee must receive at least 75% from the Official Voting Group result or a combined total of 75% or more from the Official Voting Group result and any bonus percentage points they earn through the Fan Vote. Votes are tallied by an independent accounting firm. The class induction is announced in January, and the new class is inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in July at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
For further details, see footnote
For a list of inductees—alphabetically, by country, and by year of induction—see footnote
Note: Inductees are listed below in two categories (Player category and Contributor category).''
Player category
*note - Bob Hewitt of South Africa was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1992, but he was suspended indefinitely in 2012 and expelled from the Hall in 2016 after being convicted of child sexual offences.
Contributor category
Global Ambassador category
Nationalities
See also
Tenniseum
List of sports awards honoring women
References
External links
11 Intriguing Items at the International Tennis Hall of Fame article
International Tennis Hall of Fame article
International Tennis Hall of Fame digital exhibits
Hall of Fame Open
Hall of Fame
History of tennis
Tennis venues in Rhode Island
Sports museums in Rhode Island
Sports venues in Rhode Island
Halls of fame in Rhode Island
Sports halls of fame
Museums in Newport, Rhode Island
Landmarks in Rhode Island
Buildings and structures in Newport, Rhode Island
Sports awards honoring women
Awards established in 1955
Sports organizations established in 1954
1954 establishments in Rhode Island