Photo Credit International Tennis Hall Of Fame
Former doubles world No. 1 Leander Paes, broadcaster and promoter Vijay Amritraj, and renowned journalist and writer Richard Evans have been elected to receive the Ultimate Honor in Tennis – induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Amritraj and Paes become the first two Indians to receive tennis’ Ultimate Honor, and the first Asian men to be elected in their respective categories.
Paes, an 18-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and mixed doubles, has been selected in the Player Category. Amritraj and the United Kingdom’s Evans are inductees in the Contributor Category, which is considered for election every two years.
The Contributor Category recognizes true pioneers, visionary leaders, or individuals/groups who have made a transcendent impact on the sport.
The Class of 2024 will be officially inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, July 20, 2024 in Newport, Rhode Island.
Paes, Amritraj and Evans will join an elite group of 264 inductees from 27 nations – with India set to become the 28th nation represented in the Hall of Fame.
During his three-decade career, Leander Paes topped the world rankings in doubles and won 18 Grand Slam titles.
With eight doubles Grand Slam titles and 10 in mixed doubles, he is one of only three men in tennis history to capture a career Grand Slam in both disciplines.
Paes is tied with his former partner, Hall of Famer Martina Navratilova, for the most mixed doubles major titles in the Open Era.
Additionally, he and Hall of Famer Martina Hingis are one of only two mixed doubles teams in the Open Era to complete a career Grand Slam together. In a testament to his longevity at the sport’s height, Paes spent a total of 462 weeks inside the ATP doubles top 10, including 37 weeks at No. 1, and won 55 doubles titles on tour.
Paes proudly represented India in international competition for 30 years, winning a Davis Cup record 45 doubles rubbers during his career.
He competed in a record seven consecutive Olympic Games, the most in tennis history, and is India’s only Olympic medalist in tennis, capturing bronze in singles at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
Earlier this year, fans around the globe cast their ballots and elected Paes as the winner of the Hall of Fame’s annual Fan Vote for induction.
Since becoming a globally recognized name as an athlete in the 1970s and 1980s, Amritraj has used his profile to spread the sport of tennis throughout India and the Asian continent.
Amritraj’s trailblazing success on the ATP Tour popularized the sport and inspired a generation of new players.
Amritraj was one of India’s greatest players in the Open Era, anchoring India’s Davis Cup squad to its only two Finals appearances in 1974 and 1987; in 1974, he played a key role in India’s boycott of the Final against South Africa to demonstrate against Apartheid.
For over six decades, Evans has been a preeminent voice on tennis as a journalist and historian.
Since Wimbledon in 1960, he has reported on over 200 Grand Slams and numerous other tournaments.
His observations on the sport and its players during watershed growth have resulted in 23 books authored over the course of his career.
Including anthologies on Open tennis, the Davis Cup, biographies on some of tennis’ most legendary names, and more,
Evans’ books stand the test of time as invaluable, insightful, and comprehensive resources. Evans is one of the founding members of the International Tennis Writers’ Association and served as its president from 2001-04.
Evans was a key player in the ATP Tour’s growth in the early Open Era.
In 1973, following the Wimbledon boycott, he became the organization’s first press officer.
From 1974-77, Evans served as ATP European Director in Paris, tasked with the job of persuading traditional amateur Tournament Directors throughout Europe to professionalize their events and treat players as professionals.
In 1977, he was voted onto the ATP Board of Directors for two years.
During this time, Evans was instrumental in conceptualizing and proposing the creation of ATP University for players embarking on professional careers and helped implement the program in 1980.
Indian tennis great Leander Paes is one of six nominees in the Player Category for the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s ballot for the Class of 2024.
In addition to Paes, Cara Black, Ana Ivanović, Carlos Moyá, Daniel Nestor and Flavia Pennetta return to the ballot in the Player Category.
The ballot will also include two nominees in the Contributor Category, Vijay Amritraj and renown journalist Richard Evans.
The Player Category recognizes ATP and WTA players who have achieved a distinguished record of competitive achievement at the highest international level.
The Class of 2024 Player Category nominees are:
• Cara Black of Zimbabwe, former doubles world No. 1 and a 10-time Grand Slam champion in doubles and mixed doubles
• Ana Ivanović of Serbia, former world No. 1 and 2008 French Open champion
• Carlos Moyá of Spain, winner of the 1998 French Open and former world No. 1
• Daniel Nestor of Canada, a former doubles world No. 1 and winner of 12 major titles in doubles and mixed doubles
• Leander Paes of India, winner of 18 Grand Slam titles in doubles and mixed doubles and a former doubles world No. 1.
He makes history as the first Asian man nominated for the Hall of Fame in the Player Category.
• Flavia Pennetta of Italy, former doubles world No. 1 and 2015 US Open singles champion
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