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Daniel Nestor Snubbed For Tennis Hall of Fame One Year After Slightly Less-Accomplished Leander Paes Gets Inducted

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by Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Great minds think alike and while Maria Sharapova and the Bryan Brothers are no-brainer inductees into the International Tennis Hall of Fame Class of 2025, I am in agreement with great tennis minds Chris Clarey, former New York Times tennis writer, Greg Sharko, the former ATP Tour stats and communications guru, and long-time tennis writer Sandra Harwitt that Canadian Daniel Nestor should have been included as well. All three posted on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, that Nestor should have also received the nod for induction in Newport, Rhode Island. Nestor, from Canada and who was also on the ballot, did not get enough votes to garner induction from the Hall of Fame nominating committee. (Who is on that anyway?)

The first thing that came to mind is that Nestor was a doubles specialist and this comes one year after another doubles specialist of the same era, Leander Paes, was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Let’s compare the stats of the two all-time greats and you can make your own decision.

DANIEL NESTOR

91 career doubles titles

8 major men’s doubles titles

4 major mixed doubles titles

1 Olympic Gold Medal

4 ATP Finals titles

28 Masters 1000 titles

World No. 1 for 108 weeks

LEANDER PAES

55 career doubles titles (40 percent less than Nestor)

8 major men’s double titles (same as Nestor)

10 major mixed doubles titles (six more than Nestor)

1 Olympic Bronze Medal (Nestor got a gold in doubles, Paes won Bronze in singles)

0 ATP Finals titles (Nestor won this 4 times)

13 Masters 1000 titles (15 less than Nestor won)

World No. 1 for 39 weeks (69 fewer weeks than Nestor)

What Will The Hall of Fame Open In Newport Look Like Going Forward?

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

So the Hall of Fame Open in Newport, R.I. is now no longer an ATP Tour level event.

The 48th and final edition of the event as an tour event on the ATP Tour calendar ended with U.S. Olympian Marcos Giron defeating Alex Michelsen 6-7, 6-3, 7-5 in a thrilling final in front of a sell-out crowd. Next year, as part of a restructuring of the ATP Tour’s summer schedule, the event will return, but as a combined men’s and women’s 125-level Challenger event. To compare with baseball, the event will more or less be the AAA baseball equivalent in tennis. For the most part, the transition from “minor league tennis” to the “the show” can be seamless as there are a good number of players playing Challengers who fans will see play in Grand Slam tournaments or ATP or WTA tournaments perhaps even just after playing a Challenger. Most Challengers feature players ranked No. 100 and lower, however it is not uncommon to have a handful of top 100 players playing in Challengers.

As charming and historic as the Hall of Fame Open has been through the years, it probably has had the worst player fields of any ATP 250–level event, mostly due to the fact that it is held the week after Wimbledon and on grass, when players are putting the grass season behind them and preparing for the U.S. Open on hard courts. In 2024, the Hall of Fame Open had only 10 of its 28 singles players ranked in the top 100, led by top seed and defending champion No. 25 Adrian Mannarino and No. 2 seed and eventual champion Marcos Giron, ranked No. 46. The lowest-ranked direct entry in the field was Benoit Paire at No. 227. In 2023, the lowest ranked direct entry was Michelsen, who actually had an incredible run to the final, when he got into the event with a ranking of No. 250.

Through the years, many of players with low-rankings have had inspiring runs in Newport, as documented in my book “On This Day In Tennis History” (for sale and download here: https://a.co/d/ceAgJ7G) In 1993, Greg Rusedski was ranked No. 151 when he won his first ATP title. Leander Paes, a member of the 2024 Hall of Fame class, was ranked No. 120 in the world when he won the title in Newport in 1998, Prakash Amritraj, the son of 2024 Hall of Fame class member Vijay Amritraj, was ranked No. 305 in the world in 2008 when he was the singles runner-up in Newport. In 1991, Bryan Shelton, the father of current top U.S. pro Ben Shelton, was ranked No. 147 when he won the title in Newport. In 2006, Mark Philippoussis, ranked No. 214 in the world, also won the title in Newport, although he was once ranked in the top 10.

So what can fans expect player fields to look like for the joint men’s and women’s 125-level Challenger in 2025? For example, one can look at this week’s Chicago 75 Challenger (slightly lower than a 125 event) where the top seed is Terence Atmane of France, ranked No. 120. Benjamin Bonzi of France, ranked No. 136, is the No. 2 seed. Five players who competed in the main draw of Newport are in the field in Chicago, Li Tu, ranked No. 208, Marc Polmans, ranked No. 217, Alex Bolt, ranked No. 210, Coleman Wong, ranked No. 170 and Gabriel Diallo of Canada, ranked No. 165.This week’s 125 Challenger in Zug, Switzerland has No. 87 Botic Van De Zandschulp as the top seed and No. 146 Matteo Gigante as the No. 2 seed.

What about a potential women’s field? This week’s WTA 125-level Challenger is in Warsaw, Poland and the top seed is No. 109-ranked Rebecca Sramkova of the Slovak Republic and the No. 2 seed is No. 110-ranked Mai Hontama of Japan. The lone American entry in Warsaw is Alycia Parks, who is ranked No. 124. Since the “Newport Challenger” is obviously in the United States, the field will certainly feature more American players and one can expect a handful of up-and-coming young American players, seeking ATP and WTA ranking points to help them move up to the higher levels of tennis, to receive wild card entries into the tournament.

A combined men’s and women’s event in Newport starting in 2025 means twice the number of matches for fans. For the ATP Tour Hall of Fame Open, there were 25 total main draw singles matches and 15 main draw doubles matches. For the combined Newport Challenger, there will be 32-player singles draws and 16-team doubles draws. This means there will be 62 main draw singles matches and 30 main draw doubles matches for both genders combined. (Pray for little or no rain as there can’t be night play on grass!) The Hall of Fame announced that five match courts will be used for the event, which probably also means laying out two courts (or perhaps three courts) on the Stadium Court grass footprint, as was done in the past.

The total prize money for the 2024 Hall of Fame Open as an ATP event was $742,350 with the winner, Giron, earning $100,000, the runner-up Michelsen earning $58,000 and first round losers earning $7,000. Giron earned 250 ATP ranking points as the winner and Michelsen, as runner-up, earned 165 ranking points. The total prize money for the Newport Challenger, which will offer equal prize money for both men and women, will be about $160,000 per event (men and women), so it is about a 75 percent decrease in prize money (for the men, of course). Each singles winner will receive about $20,000 and the runner-up about $12,000 and first round losers will earn about $1,000. The winners will receive 125 ranking points and the runner-up will earn 64 ranking points.

While the prize money will be much smaller, there shouldn’t be too much of a drop off in level of play. However, it will be interesting to see the player fields based on the fact that many players may want to focus on getting ready for the hard court season. Also, the Newport Challenger will be held during the second week of Wimbledon, July 6-13 with the tournament’s opening day occurring on the middle Sunday of Wimbledon and players who are in the top 100 will be at Wimbledon, unsure of when they will be eliminated in singles, doubles or mixed doubles. However, for players who wish to play at Wimbledon in the future and want to get some experience playing more grass court tennis, the Newport Challenger provides that opportunity.

Tennis Hall of Fame To Host Combined Men’s, Women’s Challenger Starting In 2025 To Continue World-Class Tennis Legacy

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Professional tennis will return to the Newport, R.I. in 2025 as the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) announced a revamped Hall of Fame Open, including ATP Challenger 125 and WTA 125 level tournaments.

Scheduled for July 6-13, 2025, the Hall of Fame Open will become just the second combined men’s and women’s 125 level event in the United States. It will be the only grass court stop on the Hologic WTA Tour outside of Europe, and the first women’s professional tournament at the ITHF since the Virginia Slims of Newport concluded in 1990. Equal prize money will be awarded to both the men’s and women’s draws.

Late last year, it was announced that the long-time ATP Hall of Fame Open would not continue after 2024. Patrick McEnroe leaked the news of this announcement earlier this year, as you can read here: https://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/22902

Ideas of what could replace the Hall of Fame Open was speculated last year here: https://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/22539

“The International Tennis Hall of Fame is a global representation of the sport, and there is no better way to reflect that worldwide impact than to welcome women’s professional tennis back to Newport,” said Hall of Fame Open Tournament Director Brewer Rowe. “We are pleased to welcome the Hologic WTA Tour in concert with our ATP partners and are thrilled to provide fans with double the tennis starting next summer.”

“Elite tennis has been a part of Newport’s history since 1881. The 2025 Hall of Fame Open represents the next exciting chapter in the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s rich history of honoring the sport,” stated ITHF CEO Dan Faber. “Our distinctive venue and traditions will continue to deliver an exceptional experience for tennis fans in New England.”

Both the ATP Challenger and WTA 125 draws will consist of 32 singles players and 16 doubles teams. The WTA event will feature an 8-player qualifying draw, with a 24-player qualifying draw for the Challenger Tour event . Matches will be played on five courts simultaneously for at least four days of action.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Celebration will remain in Newport and moved to August, with more event details to be announced. 

What Is Next For Newport After The Hall of Fame Championships “Retirement”?

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

After 2024, the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, the only grass court pro tennis tournament outside of Europe, will be no longer.

The ATP Tour announced on November 8, 2023 that the long-time annual tournament held on the historic grounds of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. will be “retired” in a new-look ATP Tour schedule. Basically, with the events in Canada and Cincinnati going from one-week events to two week events, tournament weeks needed to be sacrificed. Newport, held the week after Wimbledon, and the Atlanta Open, played the week after Newport, were the sacrificial lambs.

In announcing their tournament’s upcoming swan-song in 2024, the International Tennis Hall of Fame labeled its email blast press release “New era of professional tennis to begin in 2025 for International Tennis Hall of Fame.” The Hall of Fame’s press release stated in its first sentence, “The International Tennis Hall of Fame will be introducing new professional tennis events in Newport in 2025” and then stated. “The ITHF is also in the process of reimagining professional tennis in Newport with the expectation that beginning in 2025 a new era of pro tennis on the historic courts will begin.”

Dan Faber, the new Hall of Fame CEO, said in the press release, “World-class tennis has been part of the fabric of Newport for nearly 150 years and will continue to have an ongoing presence at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The ITHF is actively exploring the opportunities to host new professional tennis events in Newport. In addition, we will continue to strengthen our digital programming, museum and visitor experience, worldwide presence, and presentation of the Ultimate Honor in Tennis – induction into the Hall of Fame.”

Newport is undoubtedly one of the most historic and treasured venues for tennis. A major part of promoting tennis (or any type of event) is promoting its history and tradition. High-level tournaments have been held at the Newport Casino since 1881 when the first edition of the modern-day U.S. Open was held there. The site hosted the U.S. Championships until 1914 and continued to host annual events in the summer grass court events on the “Eastern Circuit” as well some Davis Cup matches among other special events.

So what event will replace the officially sanctioned ATP Tour event? The Hall of Fame could go “full circle” and have an exhibition event, which is exactly what the inaugural edition of the Hall of Fame Championships was in 1976, when Vijay Amritraj won the title. At the time, in only the eighth full year of pro tennis in the “Open Era,” the event was not an ATP sanctioned event but was labeled an exhibition event. It was actually then held in September after the U.S. Open and not in the current July date. To boot, the semifinal and final-round matches were best-of-five set matches with Amritraj beating Brian Teacher 6-3, 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 in a four-set final. (The ATP, retroactively, recognized this, among other events during this nebulous era of pro tennis, as an “official” event for the sake of player’s historical records.)

In 2025 and 2026, there will still be an open week after Wimbledon on the pro tennis calendar and, presumably, before the start of the Washington, D.C. combined ATP and WTA tournament, which could allow for some ATP and WTA pros to play some sort of Newport exhibition event – perhaps an eight or 16-player mini prize money tournament – that would not conflict with an ATP or WTA tournament that week in North America. This would be, presumably, the week where the traditional ATP clay-court events are held in Gstaad, Switzerland and Bastad, Sweden, as part of a mini clay-court circuit that also includes the 500-level event in Hamburg, Germany. This is also the week where the new Hopman Cup was played in Nice, France on clay in 2023. Could perhaps the Hopman Cup find a new home in Newport for this week after Wimbledon?

During the 2023 Hall of Fame Open, a “Ultimate Tennis Showdown” event was held in Carson, California, that was won by U.S. No. 1 Taylor Fritz over Wu Yibing in the final. Could this event slide into the Newport week? This event featured an experimental format (read more here https://www.uts.live/) which would be in the spirit of the Hall of Fame’s founder, Jimmy van Alen, who hosted several events at the Newport Casino with experimental formats, including tiebreaker matches (which were not implemented in official tennis until 1970) and matches where players had to serve from farther behind the baseline than normal.

Some have speculated that perhaps the Hall of Fame Championships could continue as a WTA event. The Newport Casino did host a women’s Virginia Slims event from 1971 to 1998 as you can read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Slims_of_Newport It could also continue as an ATP Challenger event, one rung below the ATP Tour level. If one analyzed some of the draws of past ATP editions of the Hall of Fame Championships have you would see that the fields were not unlike some Challenger level events, minus one or two higher-ranked players who likely accepted guarantees to play the event. In 2023, Alex Michelsen, with a ranking of No. 250, gained a main draw entry into the tournament, which is about as low as a ranking as one can remember receiving a direct entry into an ATP event and is more on par with a Challenger event. Despite the relatively weak field by ranking, the tournament in 2023 featured sold out crowds most of the week, which is indicative how popular this event was in Rhode Island and the New England area, regardless of the ranking quality of the field. A Challenger-level event would feature a similar-level field, minus a few top 40 or so ranked players.

More speculation has included a “senior” tennis event to replace the Hall of Fame Championships. The Newport Casino, in recent years, have hosted a separate senior event on the former Outback Champions Series tour, run by Jim Courier’s company InsideOut Sports & Entertainment. In 2008, it received added attention when John McEnroe was defaulted from his match, as documented here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1RMnT_-AjRo. This was first held separately from the Hall of Fame Open as a stand-alone multiple-day event in August, but later was held in conjunction with the event as a four-player one-day event that was held before the Sunday singles final. However, this tour, most recently branded as the PowerShares Series, is on pause and not currently hosting any tournaments.

While the Hall of Fame decides on what type of event will replace its ATP tournament, the organization does look forward to many years of blockbuster Hall of Fame inductees, including likely first-ballot inductees such as Maria Sharapova and Bob and Mike Bryan in 2025, Roger Federer in 2027 (with perhaps Serena Williams, who has yet to officially announce her retirement technically, joining him) and then Rafael Nadal, Andy Murray and Stan Wawrinka to follow when they finally officially hang up their sneakers.

John McEnroe en route to being defaulted at the 2008 InsideOut Sports & Entertainment run Outback Champions Series “senior” tennis event played in August of 2008 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.

Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors Say “It’s A Joke” That Vitas Gerulaitis Is Not In International Tennis Hall of Fame

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors, the two most iconic men’s tennis players of the 1970s, reunited at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells in March and both discussed tennis in the past and present on the Connors podcast “Advantage Connors.”

Late in the podcast, the two discussed the life and legacy of their mutual friend Vitas Gerulaitis, who tragically died in 1994 due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Brett Connors, the co-host of the “Advantage Connors” podcast and the son of Jimmy Connors, chimed into the conversation saying “And we always say it’s a joke that he’s not in the Hall of Fame.”

Borg, surprised, interrupted Brett Connors, asking “He’s not in Hall of Fame? Why?”

“That’s a joke,” said Jimmy.

“It’s a joke. We always say,” said Brett.

Brett then pointed out that in addition to the Gerulaitis playing record, his work as an enormously popular television commentator and his charity and promotional work for tennis should qualify him for induction in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“Even if you combine (his tennis-playing career) with his announcing and his tennis and what he did for the sport, I mean, give me a break,” said Brett.

“That’s a joke Jimmy,” countered Borg. “He’s not in Hall of Fame? Come on.”

Answered Connors, “No, I mean, look, some of those that are in the Hall of Fame maybe shouldn’t be there.”

“And he’s not,” said Borg.

Said Connors, “Listen, maybe if he doesn’t get in, do you all think maybe we should drop out?”

“I’m happy to drop out. I’ll join,” laughed Borg.

So, for starters, let’s look at the Gerulaitis record and how it compares with some of the similarly qualified Hall of Fame inductees.

Gerulaitis “only” won one major singles title, the Australian Open in 1977. In those years, the Australian Open was watered down and fields seldom featured top 10 players. This December version of the 1977 Australian (it was also held at the start of the year and was won by Roscoe Tanner) featured only one top 10 player (which was Gerulaitis) and only four players in the top 20 (Gerulaitis, Tanner, Ken Rosewall and Tony Roche). Many will argue that this Grand Slam tournament title should not really count in consideration for the Hall of Fame due to its weak field. This is a fair point. During this era of tennis, events such as the Italian Open and the WCT Finals and the year-end “Masters” titles were considered bigger titles than the Australian Open. So, with that information, consider that Gerulaitis won the Italian Open twice, in 1977 and in 1979 and he also won the WCT Finals in 1978. So could you combine the Gerulaitis win at the 1977 Australian Open with his two titles in Rome and his WCT Finals win into what can be considered as one worthy, non-diluted major tournament victory?

Gerulaitis also was runner-up at two major championships, at the 1979 U.S. Open (losing to John McEnroe) and the 1980 French Open (losing to Bjorn Borg). Gerulaitis and Borg also played one of the great Wimbledon semifinals of all-time in 1977, with Borg edging Gerulaitis 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, 3-6, 8-6. Gerulaitis also was the runner-up at the Masters (again considered bigger than the Australian Open at the time) in 1979 and 1981. In doubles, Gerulaitis won one major doubles title at Wimbledon in 1975 with Sandy Mayer.

Other criteria to consider a player for the Hall of Fame are highest ATP ranking, number of singles and doubles titles and if a player was part of a winning Davis Cup team. Gerulaitis reached a career high ranking of No. 3 and won 26 singles titles and 9 doubles titles and helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 1979.

Is this a resume that is Hall of Fame worthy? It’s close…

However, let’s compare his record alone to others in the Hall of Fame. As Connors eluded to with his “look, some of those that are in the Hall of Fame maybe shouldn’t be there” comment from the podcast. In the early days of the Hall of Fame, election was a bit more liberal and it was also kind of considered an American Tennis Hall of Fame and players like Frank Shields, Dennis Ralston, were inducted, despite not winning a major singles title. But let’s compare him to other recent male inductees, and let’s also not compare Vitas to players who have been inducted simply based on their doubles attributes.

The player in the Hall of Fame whose credentials are closest to those of Gerulaitis is Yannick Noah. Like Vitas, Noah won only one major singles titles, the 1983 French Open (which was a much celebrated win as the first by a French man since 1946). Like Vitas, Noah won one major doubles title (the French Open in 1984). Like Vitas, Noah reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 3 (but was No. 1 in doubles). Similar to Vitas, Noah won 23 singles titles and 16 doubles titles (against 26 singles titles and 9 doubles titles for Vitas.) Noah only reached one other major semifinal other than his run to the French title in 1983 and that was in Australia in 1990 (against two other major runner-up showings from Vitas and five other semifinal finishes (1981, 1978 U.S. Opens, 1979 French Open, 1978, 1977 Wimbledon). Both were immensely popular players, who transcended tennis into pop culture.

Another recent inductee whose resume compares to Gerulaitis is that of Michael Stich. The German won the Wimbledon singles title in 1991 for his lone major singles titles (but, of course this is the ultimate of all major singles titles). Like Vitas, he also finishes as runner-up at two other majors (the 1996 French Open and the 1994 U.S. Open). Stich also was part of a winning Davis Cup team, reached one notch better than Vitas in the world rankings at No. 2, and won the year-end ATP Finals in 1993, which is comparable to the WCT Finals win for Vitas and his two runner-up showings at the Masters. Stich won 18 singles titles (eight fewer than Vitas) and 10 doubles titles (one more than Vitas) and a Wimbledon doubles title, also like Vitas.

On the women’s side, another comparable inductee is Gabriela Sabatini, who like Gerulaitis was enormously popular during her career. She won one major title in singles, 1990 U.S. Open and had two runners-up finishes at the 1988 U.S. Open and Wimbledon in 1991. She won 27 singles titles and 14 doubles titles (including a major at Wimbledon) and reached a career high of No. 3.

It’s a very close call when comparing credentials.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame also has a contributor category and in this category, there is even stronger argument for the induction of Gerulaitis.

Recent contributor inductees include Andres Gimeno and Manuel Orantes, both of whom won one major, the 1972 French for Gimeno and the 1975 U.S. Open for Orantes. Also Sven Davidson, a name that is barely heard of and spoken of in today’s game, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007 with only one French singles title on his resume as well as two other French runner-up showings in the 1950s. Other comparable contributors with credentials and recognition on par with Gerulaitis include Charlie Pasarell and Butch Buchholz, fine players in their day but most recognized as the founders of the fantastic events in Indian Wells and Key Biscayne, respectively.

Cliff Drysdale was also a recent Hall of Fame inductee in this category. While Drysdale only reached one major final (the 1965 U.S. Championships), he was a significant player in tennis governance in the 1970s and is perhaps best known for his ESPN commentary for over 40 years. One could argue that Gerulaitis was equally as important as a TV commentator for tennis during his shortened years in the booth.

“He would be the voice of tennis,” said Brett Connors on the Advantage Connors podcast of Gerulaitis if he was still alive to be the charismatic commentator that he was in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It’s been over 30 years since Gerulaitis was the TV face and voice of the U.S. Open on USA Network. In a famous U.S. Open five-set quarterfinal against Andre Agassi, Connors was practically having a running conversation with Gerulaitis who was commentating the match from the TV booth. “What do you think of that Vitas?” Connors would say into the courtside microphones during the fifth-set dramatics against Agassi.

While many of these Hall of Fame contributors have faded into distant memories, Gerulaitis is still part of the almost every day conversation in media and even on recreational tennis courts around the world based on a post-match press conference from January 12, 1980. “Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row,” was his quote, perhaps the most famous quote in tennis history, after he ended a 16-match losing streak to Connors with a 7-5, 6-2 victory in the semifinals of the year-end Masters Championships at Madison Square Garden.

In June, the Hall of Fame sent out an email that laid out the process for nominees in the contributor category, which will considered every two years. For more information click here https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/eligibility-voting-process?utm_medium=email&_hsmi=263535707&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-939DXpRt7NfsLL5PcZDBuCx_pziTsOSY_TcMoa9l7NGI5EVXR5EZFYQT3YPqm5VwzFwbFuYowVpQlPjusbCVdHCDCQrUmVcRgO6g_zEXliNkQLBl4&utm_content=263535707&utm_source=hs_emailand

Vitas Gerulaitis may one day receive the recognition that many feel he certainly deserves. After all, no one shuts Vitas Gerulaitis out of the International Tennis Hall of Fame 33 years in a row, right?

The Month of July in Tennis!

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July is an action-packed month for tennis and sports lovers in general. The NASCAR Cup Series Race at Road America, the Tour de France cycling championship in France, and a host of tennis competitions are bound to provide nail-biting excitement that fans crave.

The tennis competitions in July 2022 will occur across several continents and on different surfaces —mostly clay. Depending on where you live, you can catch the action live or follow up on TV.

Tennis Events

  • Wimbledon

The Wimbledon Championship is one of the four-yearly grand slam competitions and the only one still played on a grass court. Its location is in London, England. Athletes from Russia and Belarus have been banned from participating due to the current political situation. The Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) have stripped the competition of ranking points. Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan won the women’s singles title and Novak Djokovic of Serbia won the men’s singles title.

  • Swedish Open

The Swedish Open, also known as the Nordea Open, is a yearly ATP 250 and WTA 125 tennis tournament held in Bastad, Sweden. It is held on a clay surface.. The competition began in 1948 and was initially called the International Swedish Hard Court Championships. Some of the past winners include notable names like Rafael Nadal, David Ferrer, and Bjorn Borg. The 2022 singles champion was Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina.

  • Infosys Hall of Fame Open

The Hall of Fame Open competition will be held on a grass surface in Newport, Rhode Island. It was be played alongside the Swedish Open this year. It is the only grass court tournament played outside Europe. The competition has been in existence since 1976. It is usually hosted a week after Wimbledon to allow top-ranked players to participate. Max Cressy of the United States won the title in 2022.

  • Croatia Open

Croatia Open is part of the ATP’s 250 series tours. It is the oldest tennis tournament in Croatia. The competition began as far back as 1990 when Croatia was still a part of Yugoslavia, and was formerly known as the Yugoslavia Open. The tournament is held annually and is exclusive to men. It will last from July 22nd to July 31st and it will be played on a clay surface in Umag, Croatia.

  • Hamburg European Open

Before 2021, this event was exclusive to men. The women’s competition was held separately and under several sponsorship names. However, in 2021, it became a part of the WTA 250 series. The competition was formerly known as the German Open Tennis Championships when it was founded in 1892 and was exclusive to German and Austrian players until 1896. It will be held on a clay surface from July 16th to July 24th in Hamburg, Germany.

German Open in Hambug

David Ferrer, John Isner Back In Winner’s Circle – Mondays with Bob Greene

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Mondays with Bob Greene


STARS

David Ferrer beat Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-4 6-4 to win the SkiStar Swedish Open in Båstad, Sweden

Andrey Rublev beat Paolo Lorenzi 6-4 6-2 to win the Plava Laguna Croatia Open in Umag, Croatia

John Isner beat Matthew Ebden 6-3 7-6 (4) to win the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open in Newport, Rhode Island, USA

Irina-Camelia Begu beat Julia Goerges 6-3 7-5 to win the BRD Bucharest Open in Bucharest, Romania

Kiki Bertens beat Anett Kontaveit 6-4 3-6 6-1 to win the Ladies Championship Gstaad b iXion Services in Gstaad, Switzerland

Egor Gerasimov beat Mikhail Kukushkin 7-6 (9) 4-6 6-4 to win the Presidents Cup men’s singles in Astana, Kazakhstan

Zhang Shuai beat Ysaline Bonaventure 6-3 6-4 to win the Presidents Cup women’s singles in Astana, Kazakhstan

 

DAVIS CUP

Group III

Africa Zone at Cairo, Egypt: Egypt and Zimbabwe promoted to Group II play in 2018

Asia/Oceania Zone at Colombo, Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka and Lebanon promoted to Group II play in 2018; Turkmenistan and United Ara Emirates drop to Group IV play in 2018

 

FED CUP

Group II

Americas Zone at Panama City, Panama: Puerto Rico and Guatemala promoted to Group I play in 2018

Asiana/Oceania Zone at Dushanbe, Tajikistan: Hong Kong, China promoted to Group I play in 2018

 

SAYING

“I’m not the best of all time. I’m not going to win Wimbledon. I’m not the best of my generation. I’m not the most well-behaved. I’m not the most polished. I’m also never going to take this honor for granted. I may not be a lot of things, but from this day forward I’ll never be anything less than a Hall of Famer.” – Andy Roddick, being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, USA.

“Everyone who has stood on this stage before and will stand after has a passion for the sport of tennis.” – Kim Clijsters, during her acceptance speech when she was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“I am going week by week, match by match, and I still have the motivation. I know it will be very difficult to get back to the Top 10, but if I stay competitive like this week, I will play next year for sure. I still enjoy playing tennis, but it’s different as I am 35 years old.” – David Ferrer, after winning the Swedish Open, his first title in two years.

“It’s hard to win a tournament. It’s no small feat to come out here and be the last man standing. I’m very happy about that. It’s been two years since I won a tournament, so I had that weighing on my mind.” – John Isner, after winning the Hall of Fame Open for the third time.

“I think when you watch me it’s not that I’m the most relaxed player on the court. He’s trying to not make it such a stressful life. Like in the finals, of course you want to win it, but you also have to enjoy it. He’s really trying to teach me that. Enjoy the hard work, enjoy to play matches, enjoy to play matches on the big stages.” – Kiki Bertens, on her coach Raemon Sluiter.

“I didn’t feel like I played perfect tennis this week, but I was just fighting each match … and I felt like I played really well on the key points in almost every match. To get these key points gives a bit of confidence and I think that’s a positive thing I’ll take out of this week.” – Anett Kontaveit, who lost to Kiki Bertens in the Gstaad final.

“In the end, it didn’t go my way. That’s life, that’s tennis. That’s how it goes sometimes.” – Ivo Karlovic, after being upset in the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships semifinals by Peter Gojowczyk 7-6 (5) 6-7 (1) 7-6 (40.

“She deserved to win today. She was the better player. It’s not always about the score, it’s about the way you’re playing and creating your points. She was creating very well and very smartly today.” – Julia Goerges, talking about Irina-Camelia Begu after losing to the Romanian in the BRD Bucharest Open final.

“Don’t play tennis. Do something you love and enjoy, because it’s a grind, and it’s a tough, tough, tough life. My position, I’m trapped. I have to do it. Tennis chose me. It’s something I never fell in love with. You know, I like it.” – Bernard Tomic, in a television interview when asked to give advice to aspiring tennis players.

“Seeing them hold the trophy, their emotions, how happy they were. From being so focused, being so composed, to that outburst of winning, that was really inspiring and gave me an almost addiction. I loved seeing that. I loved seeing those changes, to be able to relax when you were done. That’s what I really admired.” – Kim Clijsters, saying how she was inspired by Steffi Graf and Monica Seles.

“Steve Flink is being inducted today for a lifetime of making tennis the center of his world.” – Chris Evert, presenting the journalist for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

“I’m so fortunate to have tennis in my life. It’s been magic for me.” – Monique Kalkman-van den Bosch, an inductee into the Tennis Hall of Fame discussing fighting cancer at the age of 14 and how her friends pushed her around on a court in her wheelchair so she could feel she was still involved with the sport.

“I have a simple way of putting it. If you have a problem with Kim Clijsters, I blame you.” – Andy Roddick, about his fellow inductee into the Tennis Hall of Fame.

 

SWEDISH OPEN WINNER

David Ferrer is a winner again – finally. The 35-year-old Spaniard won his first ATP World Tour title in two years when he finally overcame Alexandr Dolgopolov on his seventh match point. “I was a little nervous up 5-1 and Alexandr played without pressure,” Ferrer said. “I tried to be focused on every point, but when I had all those match points I was thinking too much.” Once ranked as high as third in the world, Ferrer has fallen to 46th in the Emirates ATP Rankings. This was his 27th ATP World Tour title, the most of any man in the Open Era without winning a Grand Slam tournament. His last title was in Vienna in 2015. Ferrer becomes the fourth player aged 35 and over to have won on the men’s tour this year, joining Roger Federer, Feliciana Lopez and Victor Estrella Burgos. Ferrer twice served for the title and was broken each time. He finally won when he broke Dolgopolov for the third time in the set, joining Mats Wilander and Bjorn Borg as three-time Swedish Open champions. Another Swede, Magnus Gustafsson, was a four-time winner at Båstad.

 

SWEEP

Kiki Bertens returned to clay courts with a vengeance. The Dutch player won her second singles title of the season, defeating Annett Kontaveit, then teamed with Johanna Larsson to grab the doubles crown at Gstaad. After a very successful season on clay, winning at Nürnberg, Bertens failed to win a match at four grass tournaments. “It’s not like I played bad,” Bertens said. “It’s just sometimes you’re a little bit unlucky. … It was nice going back to clay again.” Bertens won the first three games of the match before Kontaveit took the next three. Then began an exchange of service breaks until Bertens finally held and took the opening set. Kontaveit gathered the only service break in the second set to level the match. In the decider, the two each held serve once before Bertens reeled off the final five games for the title. After a short break, Bertens and Larsson won their second doubles title of 2017. “This was our seventh title together and it was Johanna’s 10th, which is really amazing,” Bertens said. “It’s just a lot of fun.”

 

SUPER HOMESTAND

Irina-Camelia Begu knows how to throw a party. The hometown favorite won her fourth career WTA title at the BRD Bucharest Open, then added the doubles crown. “It is amazing,” Begu said. “I never thought that I could win two trophies in one week, especially in Romania, in Bucharest, my hometown. It’s unbelievable. I am a little bit tired after so many hours spent on court. It’s tough. It was really hot this week here so, yes, I am tired, but happy in the same time. It was an amazing week for me.” The loser, Germany’s Julia Goerges, had the untenable task of beating three straight Romanians in the Bucharest tournament. She ousted Alexandra Dugheru and Ana Bogdan, but then ran into Begu. “Irina played a very solid match and she didn’t give me much time to create my shots,” Goerges said. “She took control over the first set, but I always thought I had a chance to come back. … She was pushing me a lot and I have to give credit to her.” After capturing the singles title, Begu and compatriot Raluca Olaru won the doubles, defeating Elise Mertens and Demi Schuurs 6-3 6-3.

 

SWEET COMEBACK

Although he lost at Umag before the Plava Lagun Croatia Open main draw began, Andrey Rublev wound up the week as the biggest winner. The 19-year-old Russian had been knocked out of qualifying by Hungary’s Attila Balazs before he was given a spot in the main draw when Borna Coric withdrew with an injury. Rublev made the second chance pay off, downing Paolo Lorenzi for his first ATP World Tour title. It wasn’t easy. He had to beat third-seeded Fabio Fognini in the quarter finals before facing the fourth-seeded Lorenzi. Rublev controlled the final from the start, taking a 4-1 lead to start the match. The young Russian won the last five games to prevail in 76 minutes. Rublev is the seventh lucky loser to win an ATP World Tour title, the first to do so since Rajeev Ram captured Newport, Rhode Island, USA, in 2009.

 

STAR POWER

Two Grand Slam tournament champions – Kim Clijsters and Andy Roddick – are the latest entries into the International Tennis Hall of Fame along with six-time Paralympic medalist Monique Kalkman-van den Bosch, instructor and innovator Vic Braden and journalist and historian Steve Flink. “It (stunk) being in your vacuum at times,” Roddick said of Roger Federer, who beat the American in four Grand Slam tournament finals. “I still consider myself lucky. I got to guard Jordan. I went the distance with Ali. I pitched to Babe Ruth. I feel like I know what it must have been like to watch Picasso. I saw it all.” Roddick won one major – the 2003 US Open – while Clijsters captured four Grand Slam titles, three after giving birth to her first child. Braden, who died in 2014, was inducted posthumously.

 

SET FOR FUTURE

The idea of a World Cup of Tennis Finals has run into a roadblock. Last month the International Tennis Federation said it wanted to combine the 2018 Davis Cup and Fed Cup finals into one event played at one site, a proposal that would raise the profile of the two national team competitions. But now the governing body said it would not put the motion to a vote at its annual general meeting next month in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. That meeting will vote on other changes, including reducing the men’s matches to best-of-three sets and possibly skipping the final match of the series if it is already decided, what now is called a “dead rubber.” “We promised change and are already delivering change with a significant series of reforms,” ITF President David Haggerty said in a statement. “Taking another year to build consensus around the World Cup of Tennis Finals will allow us to finalize an even stronger recommendation” to its voting members. Haggerty also announced that Katrina Adams and Bernard Giudicelli have been appointed co-chairs of a newly created World Cup of Tennis Finals task force.

 

STORMIN’ TO VICTORY

John Isner’s third Hall of Fame Open title was his easiest. The big-serving Isner became only the second man to win an ATP title without facing a break point since records began in 1991. Tommy Haas did it in Memphis, Tennessee, USA, in 2007. The top-seeded Isner beat Australian Matthew Ebden for his 11th career title but first since 2015. “I could never imagine playing four matches and not facing a break point, but I’ll certainly take it,” Isner said. “I served well all week, played extremely well all week. This is a very good tournament for my serve and I knew it was going to be hard for my opponents to break me.” Isner pounded out 17 aces on the Newport, Rhode Island, USA, grass court and won 90 percent of his first-serve points. “It doesn’t matter the surface,” Isner said. “If I just take the tournament with the right mindset, I’m going to be a very tough out.”

 

SAYS STAY HOME

Bernard Tomic says he has no love for the game that has earned him millions and believes fans should stay at home rather than pay to see him play if they are opposed to his on-court antics. “Throughout my career I’ve given 100 percent,” Tomic said in an Australian television interview. “I’ve given also 30 percent. But if you balance it out, I think all my career’s been around 50 percent. … I haven’t really tried, and (still) achieved all this. So, it’s just amazing what I’ve done.” Tomic, who was ranked as high as 17th in the world but has now dropped to 73rd, was fined USD $15,000 when he said he was “bored” during his first-round loss at Wimbledon earlier this month.

 

SWITCH IN COACHES

Alexander Zverev has a new coach. The youngest player in the ATP Top 50 has started working with former world number one Juan Carlos Ferrero. Ranked 11th in the world, Zverev’s first tournament with Ferrero will be the Citi Open in Washington, DC, USA. Ferrero won the French Open in 2003 and also was a finalist at the US Open.

 

SUCH A LONG DAY

Because of “highly inappropriate and racially insensitive” comments he made about Serena Williams’s unborn child, Romanian Fed Cup captain Ilie Nastase has been banned from all International Tennis Federation (ITF) team competitions until December 31, 2010. Nastase was also found guilty of making “advances of a sexual nature” towards British team captain Anne Keothavong and “abusive and threatening comments” to members of Britain’s Fed Cup team, match officials and a member of the press. Because of the latter, the former tennis star was also fined USD $10,000 and denied access to all official ITF team competitions and tennis circuits until December 31, 2018. Grand Slam tournaments, which lie outside the ITF’s jurisdiction, are not included in the ban. However, this year the former top-ranked player was barred from the French Open and not invited to the Royal Box at Wimbledon. Both Nastase and the Romanian Tennis Federation have 21 days to appeal the decision.

 

SAYING VOWS

Surrounded by family and friends, Agnieszka Radwanska wed her long-time boyfriend Dawid Celt in a ceremony in Krakow, Poland. Celt has been involved in tennis, where he has also been the hitting partner for the world’s 10th-ranked player. Among those attending the ceremony were WTA players Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki, former Polish number one Marta Domachowska and former ATP Wimbledon semifinalist Jerzy Janowicz.

Andrea Hlavackova, a two-time Grand Slam doubles champion, was married in the Czech Republic. Hlavackova, who teamed with fellow Czech Lucie Hradecka to win the French Open doubles in 2011 and the US Open doubles in 2013, married former tennis communications professional Fabrizio Sestini. She retired from the WTA tour last fall, but has been working as a commentator. Sestini currently works in tournament and players relations for the WTA.

 

SET FOR CITI OPEN

Three top players, Simona Halep, Milos Raonic and Grigor Dimitrov, have accepted wild card entries into the Citi Open, a hard-court event in Washington, DC, USA, which begins July 31. Ranked second in the world, Halep has missed two chances to take over the top spot in the women’s rankings. Raonic, who won the Washington tournament in 2014, means the Citi Open will feature its past four men’s champions. Also in the field are Juan Martin del Potro, a three-time winner whose most recent crown came in 2013, eighth-ranked Kei Nishikori, who won Washington in 2015; and 13th-ranked Gael Monfils, the defending champion. Also accepting a wild card into the women’s event is Sloane Stephens, who won her first WTA title at Washington in 2015.

 

SEEKING ANSWERS

Three matches at this year’s Wimbledon are being investigated for possibly match-fixing. The Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) said two qualifying matches at Roehampton and one from the main Wimbledon draw have come under scrutiny because of bizarre betting patterns. While the TIU checks on irregularities such as strange betting tendencies, it insists the alerts do not mean a match has been fixed. One match from last month’s French Open also will be investigated. There have been 49 other alerts received by the TIU since April, with those matches being played on Challenger, Futures and ITF women’s tours. There were 73 alerts during the same period a year ago.

 

SETS VIEWERSHIP RECORD

When Britain’s Johanna Konta took on Romania’s Simona Halep in a quarterfinal match at Wimbledon, it was a winner for BBC television. A record 7.4 million fans watched Konta’s 6-7 (2) 7-6 (5) 6-4 victory as she became the first British woman to reach the semifinals in nearly 40 years. That was one million more fans that tuned in to see the men’s final.

 

SHE’S A MOM

Patty Schnyder has returned to the WTA tour, but she’s not alone. The Swiss left-hander was playing a second-round match against Antonia Lottner of Germany when she noticed her daughter was in the stands with her arms uncovered. Worried that she might get sunburned, Schnyder stopped play long enough to make sure her daughter’s arms were covered. The veteran lost the match 7-6 (0) 2-6 6-3.

 

STEROIDS

A Brazilian doubles player, Americo Lanzoni, has been banned from playing for three years and nine months for using an anabolic steroid. The International Tennis Federation (ITF) said Lanzoni tested positive for norandrosterone at a Challenger tournament in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in April last year. Lanzoni will be 31 when the ban expires in March 2020. His highest doubles ranking was 1,552nd, while he never held a singles ranking.

 

SUPER SUITS

Sports Illustrated has once again named Roger Federer and Serena Williams to its “Fashionable 60” list. “His timeless style extends to his looks on and off the court, but he really excels in classic pieces, such as blazers ad slim suits,” SI wrote. “Lately, he’s been taking risks with these staples, adding in different fabrics, textures and designs, including a Gucci tuxedo with an embroidered crystal king cobra at the 2017 Met Gala. The list was compiled by a panel consisting of Sports Illustrated editors, sports and fashion experts, taking into consideration such factors as their attire, endorsements, designer collaborations and social media presence. Russell Westbrook of the NBA Oklahoma City Thunder headed the list with last year’s winner, Victor Cruz, finishing second. Williams was third, Federer fourth and another NBA star, LeBron James, fifth. Last year, Federer was named “Most Stylish Man” by GQ Magazine.

 

SHOUTING SLOGANS

A spectator briefly disrupted Saturday play at the Swedish Open when he walked onto the court and shouted a Nazi slogan. The man, wearing a black T-shirt and tan slacks, calmly walked onto the court during the Fernando Verdasco-David Ferrer match, raised his right arm with fist clenched, and shouted “Hell Seger,” a Swedish translation of the Nazi slogan, “Sieg Heil.” The umpire stopped play and the man was led away by security guards before play resumed.

 

SAD DAY

Peter Doohan, who upset Boris Becker at Wimbledon in 1987, has died. He was 56. Nine weeks ago, the Australian was diagnosed with an aggressive form of motor neurone disease. Doohan’s second-round victory over Becker at the time was considered one of the biggest upsets in Wimbledon’s history. It was the earliest defeat by a defending champion in 20 years. “I think I’m a better player than he is, but he was like magic, guessing everything I would do,” Becker said at the time. Doohan won one ATP singles title and five doubles titles, reaching a career-best singles ranking of 43 and a doubles ranking of 15 before he retired in 1996. While at the University of Arkansas, Doohan won an NCAA doubles title and was named All-American.

 

SHARED PERFORMANCES

Astana (men): Toshihide Matsui and Vishnu Vardhan beat Evgeny Karlovskiy and Evgeny Tyurney 7-6 (3) 6-7 (5) 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Astana (women): Natela Dzalamidze and Veronika Kudermetova eat Ysaline Bonaventure and Naomi Broady 6-2 6-0

Båstad: Julian Knowle and Philipp Petzschner beat Sander Arends and Matwe Middelkoop 6-2 3-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Bucharest: Irina-Camelia Begu and Raluca Olaru beat Elise Mertens and Demi Schuurs 6-3 6-3

Gstaad: Kiki Bertens and Johanna Larsson beat Viktorija Golubic and Nina Stojanovic 7-6 (4) 4-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Newport: Aisam-Ul-Haq Qureshi and Rajeev Ram beat Matt Reid an John-Patrick Smith 6-4 4-6 10-7 (match tiebreak)

Umag: Guillermo Duran and Andres Molteni beat Marin Draganja and Tomislav Draganja 6-3 6-7 (4) 10-6 (match tiebreak)

 

SURFING

Hamburg: https://german-open-hamburg.de/en

Atlanta: www.bbtatlantaopen.com/

Granby: www.challengerbanquenationale.com/

Nanchang: www.jxopen.net/

Båstad: www.ericssonopen.org/

Washington: www.citiopentennis.com/

Los Cabos: www.abiertoloscabos.com/es/

Kitzbühel: www.generaliopen.com/

Biella: http://ifaggiclub.it/

Stanford: www.bankofthewestclassic.com/

 

TOURNAMENTS THIS WEEK

MEN

$1,629,375 German Tennis Championships, Hamburg, Germany, hard

$720,410 BB&T Atlanta Open, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, hard

$616,605 J. Safra Sarasin Swiss Open, Gstaad, Switzerland, clay

$100,000 Challenger Banque Nationale de Granby, Granby, Canada, hard

 

WOMEN

$226,750 Ericsson Open, Båstad, Sweden, clay

$226,750 JiangXi Open, Nanchang, China, hard

 

TOURNAMENTS NEXT WEEK

MEN

$2,002,460 Citi Open, Washington, DC, USA, hard

$729,995 Abierto Mexicano de Tenis Mifel presentado por Cinemex, Los Cabos, Mexico, hard

$630,247 Generali Open, Kitzbühel, Austria, clay

$125,000 International Challenger Chengdu, Chengdu, China, clay

$123,644 Thindown Challenger Biella, Biella, Italy, clay

 

WOMEN

$710,900 Bank of the West Classic, Stanford, California, USA, hard

$226,750 Citi Open, Washington, DC, USA, hard

 

David Ferrer
David Ferrer

Mardy Fish Wins First Career PowerShares Series Title In Newport

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Mardy Fish won his first career title on the PowerShares Series Sunday, spoiling Andy Roddick’s day after his International Tennis Hall of Fame induction with a 7-5 victory in the one-set championship match.

Playing in his first career final on the North American tennis circuit for champion tennis players over the age of 30, Fish broke Roddick at 5-5 on the grass courts at the Newport Casino with crafty backhand slices that neutralized the forehand of the 2003 U.S. Open champion. The move caused uncharacteristic unforced errors from Roddick, Fish’s good friend and former U.S. Davis Cup and Olympic teammate.

“It was a blast,” said Fish of his first PowerShares Series title. “What a special weekend it has been for all the Hall of Fame inductees, especially my buddy.”

Fish, playing for the second year on the PowerShares Series, won one of his six ATP World Tour singles titles in Newport in 2010 while also winning the Newport doubles title in 2008 with John Isner, who won the Newport ATP title shortly after Fish’s PowerShares Series win over Roddick.

To advance into the final earlier in the day, Fish beat Jim Courier 6-3 in the first semifinal, while Roddick defeated James Blake 6-2 in the second semifinal.

Fish earned 400 PowerShares ranking points with the tournament win to move into a third-place tie with John McEnroe in the PowerShares Series rankings. Roddick leads the PowerShares Series rankings with 1300 points, picking up 200 points for the runner-up showing. Mark Philippoussis, who won in Newport last year, sits in second place with 700 points. Roddick won events earlier this year in Chicago in May and Birmingham in April.

Each PowerShares Series event features two one-set semifinal matches and a one-set championship match and, for the third year, players make their own line calls with assistance of electronic line-calling.

The remaining PowerShares Series for this season schedule with player fields are listed below and ticket, schedule and player information can be found at www.PowerSharesSeries.com;

August 20 – Winston-Salem, N.C. – Andy Roddick, James Blake, Michael Chang, Mardy Fish

August 24-25 – New Haven, Conn. – John McEnroe, James Blake, Michael Chang, Mark Philippoussis

TBD – Lincoln, Neb. – TBD

TBD – Los Angeles, Calif. – TBD

In 2016, Mark Philippoussis won the PowerShares Series points title with 1600 points and tournament titles in Memphis, Tulsa, Newport, Winston-Salem and New Haven. Roddick finished in second place, also earning 1600 points but losing the head-to-head tiebreaker with Philippoussis 5-2, while winning titles in Charleston, St. Louis, Los Angeles and Orlando. James Blake finished in third place with 1100 points and tournament titles in Chicago, Portland and Brooklyn.

In 2015, Andy Roddick won the PowerShares Series points title in his second year of competing on the series with 1,600 points. Roddick won a record eight events Los Angeles, Lincoln, Chicago, Austin, Little Rock, Dallas, Richmond and Minneapolis. Blake finished second in the points rankings with 1,200 points, winning events in Boston and Cincinnati. Mark Philippoussis finished in third with 1,100 points, winning titles in Salt Lake City and Vancouver. The year before in 2014, McEnroe won the points title for the first time in the nine-year history of Champions Series tennis by winning events in Kansas City, Indianapolis, Nashville and Charlotte.

ABOUT INSIDEOUT SPORTS + ENTERTAINMENT

InsideOut Sports + Entertainment is a Los Angeles based producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world No. 1 and Hall of Fame tennis player Jim Courier and former SFX and Clear Channel executive Jon Venison. In 2005, InsideOut launched its signature property, the Champions Series, a collection of tournaments featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including “Legendary Night” exhibitions, The World Series of Beach Volleyball and numerous corporate outings. Since inception, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment has raised over $4 million for charity. In 2014, InsideOut Sports + Entertainment merged with Horizon Media, the largest privately held media services agency in the world.  For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutSE.com orwww.powersharesseries.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

ABOUT HORIZON MEDIA

Horizon Media, Inc. is the largest and fastest growing privately held media services agency in the world. The company was founded in 1989, is headquartered in New York and has offices in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Chicago. Horizon Media was chosen as 2011 Independent Media Agency of the Year by Mediapost, 2010 U.S. Media Agency of the Year by Adweek, Brandweek, and Mediaweek as well as by Ad Age and as one of the world’s ten most innovative marketing and advertising companies by Fast Company in 2011. In 2012, Bill Koenigsberg, President, CEO and Founder, was honored by Advertising Age as Industry Executive of the Year. Most recently, in 2014, Bill Koenigsberg was named 4As Chair of the Board and is the first person from a media agency to hold this prestigious position in the 100 year history of the 4As, the marketing industry’s leading trade association. The company’s mission is “To create the most meaningful brand connections within the lives of people everywhere.” By delivering on this mission through a holistic approach to brand marketing, Horizon Media has become one of the largest and fastest-growing media agencies in the industry, with estimated billings of over $5.3 billion and over 1,200 employees. The company is also a founding member of Columbus Media International, a multi-national partnership of independent media agencies. For more information, please visit horizonmedia.com.

ABOUT INVESCO POWERSHARES

Invesco PowerShares Capital Management LLC is leading the Intelligent ETF Revolution® through its lineup of more than 140 domestic and international exchange-traded funds, which seek to outperform traditional benchmark indexes while providing advisors and investors access to an innovative array of focused investment opportunities. With franchise assets of nearly $100 billion as of October 2, 2015, PowerShares ETFs trade on both US stock exchanges. For more information, please visit us at invescopowershares.com or follow us on Twitter @PowerShares.

ABOUT POWERSHARES QQQ

PowerShares QQQ™, an exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on the NASDAQ-100 Index®, is one of the largest and most traded ETFs in the world. Under most circumstances, QQQ will consist of all of the stocks in the index which includes 100 of the largest domestic and international nonfinancial companies listed on the NASDAQ Stock Market based on market capitalization.

 

Mardy Fish After Winning In Newport on the PowerShares Series
Mardy Fish After Winning In Newport on the PowerShares Series

International Tennis Hall of Fame Changes Induction Policies

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The International Tennis Hall of Fame has made changes to the policies that govern Hall of Fame induction, effective for the Class of 2018. The modifications include the addition of automatic ballot inclusion in the first year of eligibility for players who have attained extraordinary levels of achievement, the elimination of the Master Player Category, and transitioning from annual induction to induction every four years for the Contributor and Wheelchair Tennis Categories. In addition, beginning with the Class of 2019, the Hall of Fame has plans to introduce a Fan Voting component to the process. Fan Voting will be in addition to a vote by existing Voting Groups, which are comprised of members of tennis media, experts on the sport and its history, and Hall of Famers.

“Induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame is an extraordinary honor reserved for our sport’s most accomplished athletes and transcendent leaders. The policies and procedures that were governing our induction process have served the organization well for many years. That said, it was time for a thorough review to ensure that the policies continue to appropriately direct the induction process and serve the sport of tennis in the best possible way,” stated Todd Martin, CEO.

Changes will include the following:

Development of One Player Category

  • The Recent Player and Master Player Categories will be eliminated, and a new Player Category will be established. Previously, the Recent Player Category was for nominees who had been retired at least five years, but no more than 20 years; while the Master Player Category was for those retired more than 20 years. The Master Player Category primarily served a purpose of honoring those who played prior to the Hall of Fame’s existence, or prior to the Hall of Fame serving the international game.
  • For this year only, the Enshrinee Nominating Committee will review the careers of nominees who would have been eligible under the previously known Master Player Category for possible inclusion on the Class of 2018 ballot in the Player Category. After the Class of 2018, players who have been retired more than 20 years will be ineligible for Hall of Fame induction in the Player Category.

 

Automatic Ballot Inclusion & Length of Time on Ballot

  • Players can now be placed on the ballot either by automatic inclusion based on their records, or by nomination and subsequent review by the Enshrinee Nominating Committee. (Previously, everyone’s career was reviewed by the Enshrinee Nominating Committee.)
  • Criteria for automatic ballot inclusion on first eligible ballot will be:
    • Singles: Must have won 3 major singles titles and have been world No. 1 for a minimum of 13 weeks; Or, have won 5 major singles titles
    • Doubles: Must have won 12 major doubles titles and have been world No. 1 for a minimum of 52 weeks; Or, have won 15 major doubles titles
  • Players who do not meet the criteria for automatic ballot inclusion will have their career history assessed by the Enshrinee Nominating Committee (as has been done previously), who will determine if they should be placed on the ballot for voting by the Voting Groups.
  • Any player candidate who is not voted in will remain on the ballot for a period of 3 years. This is a change in that, previously, candidates were reviewed and selected annually. If they are not voted in during those 3 years, they will be removed from the ballot for a period of 2 years, after which they will be eligible to be considered for ballot inclusion again.

Induction Every Four Years for Contributors and Wheelchair Tennis Players

  • The Wheelchair Tennis Category will move to a 4-year rotation and the ballot will be capped at two individuals. The next possible year of induction for the Wheelchair Tennis Category will be 2019. After 2019, it will be every four years.
  • The Contributor Category will move to a 4-year rotation and the ballot will be capped at two individuals. The next possible year of induction for the Contributor Category will be 2021, and it will be every four years following that.

Eligibility Criteria

  • While the amendments are significant, the Hall of Fame will also retain some core tenets of former policies, such as players being eligible for induction five years after retirement.
  • Additionally, the key elements of eligibility criteria for the Player Category and the Wheelchair Tennis Category will remain: a distinguished record of competitive achievement at the highest international level, with consideration given to integrity, sportsmanship, and character.
  • For the Contributor Category, the key elements of eligibility criteria have been modified and will now be defined as: an individual who is a true pioneer, visionary leader, or who has made a transcendent difference within the sport of tennis. Additionally, Contributor candidates must be age 65 or have been retired from their work in tennis for 5 years.

 

“The leadership of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, along with the 23 volunteers from the global tennis community who serve on the ITHF Enshrinee Nominating Committee carefully reviewed the policies and procedures that govern the induction process. We are confident that these amendments will ensure that the sport continues to have its most accomplished individuals inducted into the Hall of Fame,” said Martin.

Since its inception in 1954, 252 individuals hailing from 23 nations have been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The Induction Ceremony for the International Tennis Hall of Fame Class of 2017 will take place on July 22, 2017 in Newport, R.I. Former world No. 1’s Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters will be inducted, along with Wheelchair Tennis great Monique Kalkman, renowned tennis journalist and historian Steve Flink, and groundbreaking tennis instructor Vic Braden, who is being honored posthumously.

About the International Tennis Hall of Fame

Established in 1954, the International Tennis Hall of Fame is a non-profit institution that preserves and promotes the history of tennis and celebrates its champions, thereby serving as a vital partner in the growth of tennis globally. The Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, USA, on a seven-acre property that features an extensive museum that showcases the history of the sport and honors the 252 Hall of Famers; 13 grass tennis courts and an indoor tennis facility; and a rare Court Tennis facility. Annually in July, the venue hosts Rolex Hall of Fame Enshrinement Weekend, as well as the Dell Technologies Hall of Fame Open for the Van Alen Cup, an ATP World Tour event. The Hall of Fame is supported by Global Partners including: Rolex, Alex and Ani, Chubb, Fidelity Investments, BNP Paribas, Dell Technologies. For information on the International Tennis Hall of Fame and its programs, visit tennisfame.com.

International Tennis Hall of Fame
International Tennis Hall of Fame

Bollettieri, Kafelnikov Highlight Those Overlooked by Tennis Hall of Fame

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By Randy Walker

The International Tennis Hall of Fame’s “Class of 2012” will be inducted Saturday in ceremonies in Newport, Rhode Island. Highlighting the class are former world No. 1 and teen phenom Jennifer Capriati and three-time French Open champion Gustavo Kuerten and will also include 1975 US Open champion Manuel Orantes, administrator Mike Davies and wheelchair tennis standout Randy Snow.

While much will be written and spoken of these five inductees over the next few days, there are other deserving candidates who are being overlooked by the Hall of Fame’s selection committee, some who will likely have no one lobbying for their inclusion.

Daphne Akhurst is so regarded by Tennis Australia and the Australian Open that her name graces the Australian Open women’s singles trophy, won this year by Victoria Azarenka. As famed tennis historian and journalist Bud Collins describes in his book THE BUD COLLINS HISTORY OF TENNIS (available here: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0942257707?tag=tennisgrancom-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0942257707&adid=1HSRFS3QCB6NKV4HTHXQ&&ref-refURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.tennisgrandstand.com%2F) Akhurst was “her country’s first prolific champ” winning five Australian singles titles from 1925 to 1931 and collecting 14 total majors, all at her national tournament, including five women’s doubles titles and four mixed doubles trophies. She also made the semifinals of the Australian in 1924 and at Wimbledon in 1928. She also was a quarterfinalist at the French in 1928 and at Wimbledon in 1925. She also was the first Australian woman to make the world’s Top 5 (No. 3 in 1928). She was born on April 22, 1903 and died January 9, 1933, while in childbirth.

Akhurst’s countrywoman, Thelma Long, who won 19 major titles (2 Australian singles, 12 Australian doubles, 4 Australian mixed, 1 French mixed titles) and is the most prolific winner of women’s major titles not currently in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She’s won more major titles than the entire Class of 2012 combined! (As did Akhurst!)

Much more discussed, debated and whispered about throughout the tennis community are the two most well-known people who have been “overlooked” – Nick Bollettieri and Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

One of the ironies with Bollettieri is that his brand name is probably more recognizable around the world than the Tennis Hall of Fame itself. Said Kuerten when he was announced as a 2012 inductee, “I have to confess, in my first years playing tennis, I didn’t even know that the Hall of Fame existed.” During Kuerten’s teenage, formative tennis years, Bollettieri and his Bollettieri Academy was one of the most discussed topics in the sport as he jettisoned Andre Agassi to the upper echelon of the game in a global sonic boom across the sport in 1988, when “Guga” was 12 years old. The Bollettieri Academy was such a hot commodity that it was purchased by the sports marketing mega-firm, the International Management Group (IMG). The “tennis academy” system that Bollettieri made famous became a part of the everyday tennis vernacular and in pop culture. If you asked a New York City cab driver how you would turn a kid into a tennis pro, they’d say “Send them to a tennis academy.” Chances are, that cab driver would probably name Bollettieri specifically.

Nick Bollettieri
Nick Bollettieri

As for Kafelnikov, when presented with the “tale of the tape” comparing his career with Kuerten’s below, it’s pretty plain to see that Kafelnikov’s achievements and record exceed that of Kuerten. Kafelnikov won approximately 40 percent more career singles matches and prize money, six more singles titles (25 more titles in singles and doubles combined), double the major titles (singles and doubles combined) and double the number of semifinal or better finishes at Grand Slam tournaments than that of Kuerten.

SINGLES RECORD

Kafelnikov                             609–306

Kuerten                                358–195

SINGLES TITLES

Kafelnikov                             26

Kuerten                                20

WEEKS RANKED No. 1

Kafelnikov                             6 weeks

Kuerten                                43 weeks

MAJOR SINGLES TITLES

Kafelnikov                             2 – 1996 French, 1999 Australian

Kuerten                                3 – 1997, 2000, 2001 French

MAJOR DOUBLES TITLES

Kafelnikov                             4 (1997 US Open, 1996, 1997, 2002 French Open)

Kuerten                                0

MAJOR RUNNER-UP SHOWINGS SINGLES

Kafelnikov                             1 (2000 Australian)

Kuerten                                0

MAJOR SEMIFINAL FINISHES SINGLES

Kafelnikov                             3 (1999, 2001 US Open, 1995 French)

Kuerten                                0

BEST OLYMPIC RESULT

Kafelnikov                             Gold Medalist, Singles, 2000

Kuerten                                Quarterfinalist, Singles, 2000

DAVIS CUP RECORD/BEST TEAM RESULT

Kafelnikov                             Champion, 2002

Kuerten                                Semifinals, 2000

DOUBLES TITLES

Kafelnikov                             27

Kuerten                                 8

PRIZE MONEY

Kafelnikov                             $23,883,797

Kuerten                                 $14,807,000

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Kuerten leads series 7-5

Most notable matches

2001 Tennis Masters Cup – Kafelnikov d. Kuerten 62 46 63 in round robin

2001 US Open quarterfinals – Kafelnikov d. Kuerten 64 60 63

2001 French Open quarterfinals – Kuerten d. Kafelnikov 61 36 76 64

2000 Tennis Masters Cup – Kuerten d. Kafelnikov 63 64 in round robin

2000 Sydney Olympics quarterfinals– Kafelnikov d. Kuerten 64 75

2000 French Open quarterfinals– Kuerten d. Kafelnikov 63 36 46 64 62

1997 French Open quarterfinals – Kuerten d. Kafelnikov 62 57 26 60 64

 

For more information on the International Tennis Hall of Fame –and to view the list of inductees – go to www.TennisFame.com

Andre Agassi Hall of Fame acceptance speech transcript

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People are still buzzing about Andre Agassi’s speech Saturday when inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. The International Tennis Hall of Fame has provided us with a transcript of the speech, pasted below, for your enjoyment. There are certainly more than a few lines to quote and memorize and live by in your everyday life. Enjoy!

Andre Agassi

“I’ve stood at this podium twice before. Once was to introduce my beautiful wife, Stephanie Graf. I was so much more comfortable that day because I felt the recipient to be far more worthy. The second time was in my father’s imagination (laughter), in his mind’s eye. From the day I was born, my father Mike saw this day in my future and described it to me many times.

So my feeling of déjà vu right now almost rivals my feeling of gratitude. Almost.

You know, not long ago I was giving a talk in my home town of Las Vegas, and after I spoke there was this answer and question period. The first hand up, first questions out of the box, was a man in the front row. You could see in this man’s face that he was really struggling with something. He took the microphone, stood up and asked, “How do you know when to stop telling your kids what to do?” The questioner was my father.

I was caught off guard that night. I didn’t know what to say. I don’t remember what I did say. But the answer has come to me now so clearly. Dad, when I was five, you told me to win Wimbledon; when I was seven, you told me to win all of the four Grand Slams; and more times that I can remember you told me to get into the Hall of Fame. And when I was 29, I don’t know if you remember this, you told me to marry Steffi Graf. Best order you ever gave me. So Dad, please don’t ever stop telling me what to do.

If we’re lucky in life, we get a handful of moments when we don’t have to wonder if we made a parent proud. We don’t have to ask them; we just know. I want to thank tennis for giving me one of those moments today. It’s one of the many things for which I need to thank this sport.

I look at Simone and the thousands of young people she represents at Agassi Prep, and I say under my breath, “thank you, tennis.” I look at my wife and my children who I live for, and I say, “thank you, tennis.” I look to the future, my efforts to build high performing charter schools in inner cities across the U.S., schools that will impact tens of thousands of Simones, and I say, “thank you, tennis, for making that possible.

I fell in love with tennis far too late in my life, but the reason that I have everything that I hold dear is because of how much tennis has loved me back. I’m thrilled, humbled, quite terrified to be honest to stand in front of you right now. I’ve felt vulnerable on the tennis court many times but not quite like today. I’ve grown up in front of you. You’ve seen my highs, my lows. We’ve laughed together, we’ve cried together. But what is so clear to me standing here today is that you have given me compassion, understanding, love, more than I expected, many times more than I deserved.

Tennis has not only given me much, it has taught me much. It’s no accident that tennis uses the language of life, service, advantage, break, fault, love; the lessons of tennis are the lessons of maturity. In tennis you prepare and you prepare, and then one day your preparation seems futile; nothing is working, and the other guy has got your number cold. So you improvise. In tennis you learn what I do instantly affects what you do and vice versa. Tennis makes you perceptive, proactive, reactive all at the same time. Tennis teaches you the subtlety of human interaction, the curse and blessing of cause and effect.

After you play tennis for a living, you never forget that we are all connected, and there’s nothing quite like a tiebreak that teaches you the concept of high risk, high reward. Tennis teaches you there’s no such thing as perfect. You want to be perfect, you hope to be perfect, then you’re out there and you’re far less than perfect. And you realize, I don’t really have to be perfect today, I just have to be better than one person. It’s true. All you club players remember that, okay?

Tennis is a lonely sport, probably the most lonely. You’re out there with no team, no coach and no place to hide. That’s why tennis players not only talk to themselves but answer. And yet all that loneliness eventually teaches you to stand alone. The high standards that tennis imposes on us, the self reliance it demands of us, that’s the reason why tennis has produced so many of life’s great game changers.

One of the landmarks of our sport, our National Tennis Center in New York, is home to the Arthur Ashe Stadium. What courage Arthur showed; how fair he was while being treated so unfairly. Once Arthur grabbed hold of a truth, he was unwilling, not capable, of letting go. Tennis gave us that man. He was and is a treasure, not just for America but for the whole world, for those who have yet to be born.

The tennis center itself is the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center named after one of my personal heroes. Think of the seismic transformation Billie caused in society. Our wives, daughters, mothers, have more than a hope for equality; they have a mandated claim on it because of Billie. She did so much more than just inspire women; she changed the way men and women think about men and women, the way we all think about equality. She woke us up. Tennis gave us Billie, and tennis today is giving me the chance to say, “thank you, Billie.”

Tennis gave me all my personal teachers that I owe a debt I can never repay. They lifted me up and carried me across many finish lines, sometimes literally. My dad Mike and my mom Betty; my big brother Phil; my friend, protector and trainer Gil Reyes; my coaches, Nick Bollettieri, Darren Cahill, Brad Gilbert; and the person who means more to me than words can express, the woman who still takes my breath away every day, Stephanie Graf.

Each one of them deserves a separate Hall of Fame speech, but of course there isn’t time. So I’ve written a letter to each one of them, intimate letters, love letters, but they’re not private. I want the world to know how I feel, so I’m putting them on my foundation’s website where I hope they’ll serve as a permanent public tribute to those who made this day a reality. They’re the ones who made possible the highlights. They’re the reasons I am blessed with magical memories that help me sleep, sometimes keep me awake.

Because of my father I have the memory of the ’92 Wimbledon and the ’96 Olympics and some thrilling Davis Cups. Because of Gil I have the memory of the ’99 French Open, his ear to ear smile in the fifth set when we both thought my tank was empty but there was a few drops of fuel left. Because of Stephanie and my children, Jaden and Jaz, there was that day of my retirement in 2006 when I got to walk away from the sport on my own terms. They were there for me that day ready to embrace the future, whatever that might be. These are my people, and these memories are seared in my mind forever.

One of the most influential people in my life I met only one time. It was the most vulnerable time, a time that I needed direction and inspiration, and just then, there I was, shaking hands with Nelson Mandela. He took my hand, complimented my game, and in the same breath told me the reason why we have been put here on earth. I can still close my eyes and hear his words of wisdom from that evening. He said, “We must be careful in our decisions, careful in our words, and we must be careful in our relationships. Andre, we must live our life carefully.” Once you hear those words from Nelson Mandela, you can never un hear them.

I didn’t always live carefully. I didn’t always pay tennis the respect it deserved. I thought it was my career that was creating my angst, that tennis was the cause of my internal tension and disconnect. I didn’t know myself, and I didn’t recognize that my troubles were of my own making and that I and only I could solve them.

Only after being broken, another tennis term, did I realize I wasn’t being careful. But you know, rock bottom is an interesting place. I moved in and spent some time there. It’s actually not a bad place. It’s a place where you get to ask, who do I want to be; am I ready to take ownership of my life. For me, ownership meant growing up, focusing every day on being just one day better. Ownership meant not only embracing tennis but celebrating it. Ownership meant going back to the Challenger circuit, feeling honored to be my own ballboy, feeling privileged to flip my own scorecard. Ownership meant feeling grateful for being and having the chance to start over. Climbing out of that hole that I had dug for myself, that’s when I started choosing to believe that each of us have a plan for our life, a purpose to fulfill, a body of work to create, a reason to be.

I committed to taking care of myself and taking care of my tennis. Going from a ranking of 141 in the world back to No. 1 was not an accomplishment; it was the reflection of an accomplishment. It was the symptom of good choices; it was the result of being careful.

The highlights I experienced taught me what is possible. The hard times reinforce the consequences of me not being true to my character, of not living up to my expectations.These things have coalesced inside of me into a kind of code, a personal mission statement I believe we have a responsibility to each other, a responsibility to create more than we consume, a responsibility to build things that will outlast us, a responsibility to find our own limits and push through them.

Even when life’s challenges weigh us down, make us unrecognizable to ourselves, we can always begin again. There’s always time to thrive. It’s not too late to be inspired. It’s not too late to change. It’s not too late.

This honor today leaves me deeply humbled but also makes me think of others who don’t get their due: Teachers, nurses, caregivers, struggling parents, all the people who do the right thing who win their own private Grand Slams. They know already. They know already what took me decades to figure out: That we are here to do good quietly, to shine in secret, to give when there’s no crowd applauding, to give of ourselves to someone who can offer us nothing.

Tennis gave me the chance to meet so many of these people, to travel the world and visit places where the human spirit shines brightest because life is darkest. Tennis taught me that the needs of this world are great but they are no match, nor will they ever be a match, for the human spirit.

So thank you, tennis, for my life. Thank you, tennis, for my wife. And thank you, tennis, for enabling me to find my life’s work.

In closing, to my son Jaden, my daughter Jaz, and every young person listening to my voice, the world that we’re leaving you is not the world we wish for you. You need to make that world, to go places we’ve never been, to succeed in ways we’ve never dreamed. Mandela said to me, “There is difficulty in all human journeys, but there is no ability in just being a journeyer.” From him I learned every journey is epic, every journey is important, every journey begins today.

At the beginning of my journey, my friend Gil said to me, “Andre, you have dreams and I have strong shoulders, so stand on my shoulders and reach.” To my children, to all of our children, stand on our shoulders, reach higher than we could, reach for your dreams, because today standing here receiving this honor, I am living proof that no dream, no journey is impossible.

Thank you.