The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and northeast of New Yor ...

, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

. The complex, the former

Newport Casino The Newport Casino is an athletic complex and recreation center located at 180-200 Bellevue Avenue, Newport, Rhode Island in the Bellevue Avenue/Casino Historic District. Built in 1879–1881 by '' New York Herald'' publisher James Gordo ...

, includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indoor tennis facility, a

court tennis Real tennis – one of several games sometimes called "the sport of kings" – is the original racquet sport from which the modern game of tennis (also called "lawn tennis") is derived. It is also known as court tennis in the United Sta ...

facility, and a theatre. The International Tennis Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization with the goal to preserve, celebrate, and inspire the sport of tennis around the world.

History

The hall of fame and museum are located in the

, which was commissioned in 1879 by

James Gordon Bennett Jr. James Gordon Bennett Jr. (May 10, 1841May 14, 1918) was publisher of the ''New York Herald'', founded by his father, James Gordon Bennett Sr. (1795–1872), who emigrated from Scotland. He was generally known as Gordon Bennett to distinguish him ...

as part of an exclusive resort for wealthy Newport summer residents. It was designed by Charles McKim along with

Stanford White Stanford White (November 9, 1853 – June 25, 1906) was an American architect. He was also a partner in the architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, one of the most significant Beaux-Arts firms. He designed many houses for the rich, in addition ...

, 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 The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis ...

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 James Henry Van Alen II (September 19, 1902 – July 3, 1991) was an American tennis official and former player. Van Alen was a poet, musician, publisher, civic leader, and raconteur. He was best known for his influence of tennis, especially for ...

established the 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 The United States Tennis Association (USTA) is the national governing body for tennis in the United States. A not-for-profit organization with more than 700,000 members, it invests 100% of its proceeds to promote and develop the growth of tennis, ...

at its foundation in 1954. It was recognized by the

International Tennis Federation The International Tennis Federation (ITF) is the governing body of world tennis, wheelchair tennis, and beach tennis. It was founded in 1913 as the International Lawn Tennis Federation by twelve national tennis associations. As of 2016, there ...

in 1986. The first Hall of Fame members were inducted in 1955; as of 2017, a total of 252 inductees from 23 countries have been recognized. In 2015,

Martina Hingis Martina Hingis (, sk, Martina Hingisová; 30 September 1980) is a Swiss former professional tennis player. Hingis is the first Swiss player, male or female, to win a major title and attain a world No. 1 ranking. She spent a total of 209 weeks a ...

was appointed as the first Global Ambassador for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.Martina Hingis named Global Ambassador for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Retrieved on September 11, 2015. The current Board of Governors includes former professional tennis players

Todd Martin Todd Martin (born July 8, 1970) is an American retired tennis player. He reached the men's singles final at the 1994 Australian Open and the 1999 US Open and achieved a career-high singles ranking of world No. 4. Playing career Martin was born ...

, Stan Smith and

Katrina Adams Katrina M. Adams (born August 5, 1968) is an American tennis executive and former professional tennis player from Chicago. She was president and CEO of the United States Tennis Association and chair of the US Open, as well as the chair of the I ...

TeamFAME

TeamFame is the International Tennis Hall of Fame's NJTL Chapter. 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 th
International Tennis Hall of Fame

Collections

International Tennis Hall of Fame entrance

The museum houses a large collection of artifacts and memorabilia – including videos, photographs, audio recordings, tennis equipment and apparel, trophies, and art – highlighting the history of tennis from its origins up through the modern era. The collection is displayed year-round in the museum's of exhibit space. The museum also offers several digital exhibits.

Awards

2021 Newport Casino, 180-200 Bellevue Avenue, Newport

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 The Infosys Hall of Fame Open is an international tennis tournament that has been held every year in July since 1976 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, the original location of the U.S. National Championships. Th ...

in July. The

is a part of the US Open Series, as well as being part of the men's

ATP World Tour The ATP Tour is a worldwide top-tier tennis tour for men organized by the Association of Tennis Professionals. The second-tier tour is the ATP Challenger Tour and the third-tier is the ITF Men's World Tennis Tour. The equivalent women's organi ...

, the tournament is the only

grass court A grass court is one of the four different types of tennis court on which the sport of tennis, originally known as "lawn tennis", is played. Grass courts are made of grasses in different compositions depending on the tournament. Although grass c ...

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 John Robert Isner (born April 26, 1985) is an American professional tennis player. He has been ranked as high as world No. 8 in singles and No. 14 in doubles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP). Considered one of the best servers ...

(4x Hall of Fame Open Champion) and

Mardy Fish Mardy Simpson Fish (born December 9, 1981) is an American former professional tennis player. He was a hardcourt specialist. He is one of several American tennis players who rose to prominence in the early 2000s.Fish won six tournaments on the mai ...

, two-time champion

Fabrice Santoro Fabrice Vetea Santoro (born 9 December 1972) is a French retired tennis player. Successful in both singles and doubles, he had an unusually long professional career, with many of his accomplishments coming toward the end of his career, and he is ...

of France, and Australia's

Lleyton Hewitt Lleyton Glynn Hewitt (born 24 February 1981) is an Australian former world No. 1 tennis player. He is the most recent Australian man to win a major singles title, with two at the 2001 US Open and 2002 Wimbledon Championships. In November 200 ...

. 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.''Schlink, Leo (April 7, 2016
Bob Hewitt expelled from Tennis Hall of Fame
news.com.au

Contributor category

Global Ambassador category

Nationalities

References

External links

*
11 Intriguing Items at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
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International Tennis Hall of Fame digital exhibits

Hall of Fame Open
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