How Many Major Titles Does The Average Tennis Hall of Famer Have?

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How Many Major Titles Does The Average Tennis Hall of Famer Have?

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By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

What do you need to do qualify to become a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame?

There are categories for players and contributors and wheelchair players are also inducted, although comparing wheelchair players records to able-bodied players is not quite the same. For all the processes and rules, the Hall of Fame posts the details on their website there https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/eligibility-voting-process

For players, I’ve always felt that if you win two major singles titles, you have an excellent chance for getting in, with some variables as far as how many singles or doubles titles you won, if you won the Davis Cup/Billie Jean King Cup for your nation, or an Olympic medal or some other intangibles.

The Hall of Fame has had some moving goal posts in its history as it used to an American-only tennis Hall of Fame, so you do see several members who didn’t win many or any big titles. Also, players from the pre-Open Era may have only had a player career that would allow them only three or four years of competing for major titles before they turned professional.

But let’s look at what the average Hall of Famer, among players who have been inducted with careers exclusively in the Open Era (post 1968)

AVERAGE HALL OF FAMER (Singles player)

5 major singles titles, 45 singles titles

AVERAGE HALL OF FAME (doubles player)

16 major doubles title (and 4.8 mixed doubles titles), 74.8 doubles titles

The exclusively “Open Era” players who have won only one major singles title are as follows….

Michael Chang (1989 French Open)

Francoise Durr

Goran Ivanisevic (2001 Wimbledon)

Conchita Martinez (1994 Wimbledon)

Yannick Noah (1983 French Open)

Jana Novotna (1998 Wimbledon)

Manuel Orantes (1975 French Open)

Andy Roddick (2003 U.S. Open)

Gabriela Sabatini (1990 U.S. Open)

Michael Stich (1991 Wimbledon)

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