As distinguished members of the Class of 2024, Indian ATP greats Vijay Amritraj and Leander Paes and eminent journalist Richard Evans were the focus of attention at last weekend’s International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) induction celebrations. Among other highlights, one of the WTA’s greatest legends was accorded a rare bricks-and-mortar tribute, and it was announced that women’s tennis would return to the hallowed lawns of Newport, Rhode Island for the first time since the 1990s.
Built in the 19th century as the Newport Casino, the Hall of Fame courts hosted the inaugural U.S. Championships for men in 1881 and held that distinction until the outbreak of World War I.
Later, the historic venue was a popular stop on the groundbreaking Virginia Slims Circuit, the Original 9’s Kerry Melville Reid capturing the first edition in 1971. Arantxa Sánchez Vicario won the final staging of the tournament as a sanctioned WTA event in 1990 but the ATP has been a Newport mainstay since 1976, when Amritraj won the first of three titles there.
Now, the existing ATP 250 event is being reimagined as a joint WTA 125 and ATP Challenger 125. Scheduled to coincide with the second week of Wimbledon and with equal prize money on offer, the 2025 Hall of Fame Open shapes up as the only grass-court fixture on the Hologic WTA Tour outside Europe, and the second combined women’s and men’s event at the 125 level.
“As one of tennis’ most iconic venues, the International Tennis Hall of Fame is the perfect location to extend the grass season for our players,” said Melissa Pine, Vice President, WTA 125 Operations. “We are proud to work with the ITHF on this incredible opportunity for both organizations.”
On hand for the announcement along with ITHF CEO Dan Faber and ITHF President Patrick McEnroe was former World No.39 Jill Craybas, a Rhode Island native.
“I always feel honored and privileged to come back, so it's great to be here again,” Craybas said. “The fact that the women are coming back is something special to hear.”
This year’s induction weekend also saw the unveiling of the Chris Evert Learning Center as the new name for the Canfield House building, which is located on the ITHF’s charming grounds.
The facility is home to the ITHF’s National Junior Tennis & Learning chapter, which is known as TeamFAME and helps underserved youth learn skills to help them reach their goals. Its renaming honors former World No.1 Evert’s decades-long contributions to grassroots youth tennis and education through her own academy and charitable initiatives, as well as through her role as chair of the USTA Foundation’s board of directors.
“Chris Evert embodies all that it means to be a Hall of Famer, both in her impact on the court and her track record of giving back to the sport of tennis,” said the ITHF’s Faber. “Her dedication to developing tennis and education programming has positively impacted countless kids and their families across the country.”
“I am humbled to receive this recognition at a place that means a great deal to me," Evert said. "TeamFAME does incredible work in providing tennis and educational support to the Newport community. It is an honor to have my name associated with the inspiring programming that takes place here locally, with ripple effects globally.”
Besides Evert, the WTA contingent who made the trip to Newport included fellow Hall of Famers Kim Clijsters, who is the ITHF’s honorary president, as well as Martina Navratilova, Rosie Casals, Tracy Austin and Gigi Fernandez. Male Famers in attendance included Stan Jones, Andre Agassi, wheelchair tennis legend Rick Draney and journalist Steve Flink.
From next year, the annual induction ceremony will be held in August, capitalizing on buzz around the US Open while freeing up space to meet the operational needs of the expanded Hall of Fame Open.
