International Tennis Hall of Fame

File:ITHF courtyard - straight on.png

The hall of fame and museum are located in the Newport Casino, which was commissioned in 1879 by James Gordon Bennett Jr. as part of an exclusive resort for wealthy Newport summer residents. It was designed by Charles McKim along with Stanford White, who did the interiors. It is an example of Victorian Shingle Style architecture.Cheryl Hackett, Newport Shingle Style (Frances Lincoln, ltd., 2010) pg. 11 In 1881, the Real Tennis Court (housing the National Tennis Club) and the Casino Theatre were constructed at the east end of the campus. The club was opened on July 1, 1880, after a six-month construction period and quickly became a fashionable venue for Newport summer residents.

The United States Lawn Tennis Association held its first championships at the Newport Casino in 1881. The event was held annually through 1914, by which time tennis had become the key attraction at the resort. The championship was suspended during World War I.

But by the 1950s, the retreat was struggling financially, as tourism preferences changed. It was at risk of being demolished for redevelopment of modern retail space, but the building was purchased and saved by Jimmy and Candy Van Alen, wealthy Newport summer residents. A sportsman himself, in 1954, Jimmy Van Alen established the National Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum in the Casino.{{cite web|title=General Information|publisher=International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum|url=http://www.tennisfame.com/about-us|access-date=October 23, 2011}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/07/05/obituaries/james-van-alen-88-innovator-who-changed-scoring-in-tennis.html|title=Obituaries: James Van Alen, 88, Innovator Who Changed Scoring in Tennis|agency=Associated Press|date=July 5, 1991|work=The New York Times|access-date=March 29, 2009}} The combination of tennis matches and the museum allowed the building to be saved.

File:ITHF Bellevue Entrance.jpg

Van Alen intended the facility to be "a shrine to the ideals of the game", and was elected president of the hall in 1957. The International Tennis Hall of Fame was officially sanctioned by the United States Tennis Association at its foundation in 1954. In 1975, with the induction of England's Fred Perry, the organization officially became the International Tennis Hall of Fame. It was recognized by the International Tennis Federation in 1986. The first Hall of Fame members were inducted in 1955; as of 2023, a total of 262 inductees from 27 countries have been recognized.{{Cite web |title=International Tennis Hall of Fame |url=https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/eligibility-voting-process/ |website=Eligibility Process for the International Tennis Hall of Fame}}

In 2015, Martina Hingis was appointed as the first Global Ambassador for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.[https://www.tennisfame.com/blog/2015/6/martina-hingis-named-global-ambassador-for-the-international-tennis-hall-of-fame/ Martina Hingis named Global Ambassador for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.] Retrieved on September 11, 2015. In 2016, Guga Kuerten was appointed a Global Ambassador,{{Cite web |date=2016-06-01 |title="Guga Kuerten Named Global Ambassador for International Tennis Hall of Fame" |url=https://www.tennisfame.com/blog/2016/6/guga-kuerten-named-global-ambassador-for-international-tennis-hall-of-fame |access-date=2023-06-02 |website=www.tennisfame.com}} and in 2017 Michael Chang was appointed a Global Ambassador.{{Cite web |date=2017-10-05 |title="Michael Chang Named Hall of Fame Global Ambassador" |url=https://www.tennisfame.com/blog/2017/10/michael-chang-named-hall-of-fame-global-ambassador |access-date=2023-06-02 |website=www.tennisfame.com}}

The current Board of Governors includes former professional tennis players Kim Clijsters (Honorary President), Patrick McEnroe (President), Gigi Fernández, Katrina Adams, and Vijay Amritraj.{{cite web |title=Leadership |url=https://www.tennisfame.com/about/leadership |access-date=2023-06-02 |website=www.tennisfame.com |publisher=International Tennis Hall of Fame}}

File:International Tennis Hall of Fame entrance.jpg]]

The museum chronicles the history of the sport from the 12th century through the modern day. The museum's permanent collection contains approximately 30,000 objects, including modern and historic tennis equipment, fine art, decorative arts, artifacts from Hall of Famers and other significant figures within the sport, trophies, textiles and clothing, ephemera, and furnishings. The museum's Information Research Center (IRC) houses 5,000 books, 3,000+ audio-visual materials, 1 million plus photographic images, and a comprehensive collection of magazines, programs, periodicals, blueprints and archival materials. The collection is displayed year-round in the museum's {{convert|13000|sqft|m2}} of exhibit space.{{cite web |title=Permanent Collections |url=http://www.tennisfame.com/museum-and-grounds/collections |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111108181157/http://www.tennisfame.com/museum-and-grounds/collections |archive-date=November 8, 2011 |access-date=October 23, 2011 |publisher=International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum}} The museum also offers several digital exhibits.{{Cite web |date=2018-05-01 |title=Digital Exhibits |url=https://www.tennisfame.com/digitalexhibits |access-date=August 16, 2022 |website=International Tennis Hall of Fame}}

The museum reopened in May 2015 following a nearly complete renovation of its exhibition spaces. The redesigned and reinterpreted galleries encompass more than 12,000 square feet of interactive exhibits, videos, and approximately 2,000 artifacts related to tennis' history and champions past and present. 

The museum was initially accredited by the American Alliance of Museums in 2013, and subsequently reaccredited in 2022.{{Cite web |date=2022-12-07 |title="ITHF Reaccreditated by the American Alliance of Museum" |url=https://www.tennisfame.com/AAM-accreditation |access-date=2023-06-02 |website=www.tennisfame.com}}

The museum became a Smithsonian Affiliate in 2017.{{Cite web |date=2017-05-18 |title="International Tennis Hall of Fame Earns Prestigious Smithsonian Institution Affiliation" |url=https://www.tennisfame.com/blog/2017/5/international-tennis-hall-of-fame-earns-prestigious-smithsonian-institution-affiliation |access-date=2023-06-02 |website=www.tennisfame.com}}

The museum is also a partner of the Google Arts & Culture initiative.{{Cite web |title=International Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, United States |url=https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/international-tennis-hall-of-fame |access-date=2023-06-02 |website=Google Arts & Culture }}

For a description of each award and a list of its recipients, see footnote{{cite web|title=Awards|publisher=International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum|url=http://www.tennisfame.com/news-events/awards|access-date=October 23, 2011}}

• Chairman's Award
• Davis Cup Award of Excellence
• Eugene L. Scott Award
• Fed Cup Award of Excellence
• Golden Achievement Award
• Joseph F. Cullman 3rd Award
• Samuel Hardy Award
• Tennis Educational Merit Award

The Hall of Fame hosts several tournaments, including the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in July. The Infosys Hall of Fame Open is a part of the US Open Series, as well as being part of the men's ATP World Tour, the tournament is the only grass court event in North America. Top male players come to Newport directly from Wimbledon to compete for the Van Alen Cup at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Past champions include Americans John Isner (4× Hall of Fame Open Champion) and Mardy Fish, two-time champion Fabrice Santoro of France, and Australia's Lleyton Hewitt. During the tournament, Tennis Hall of Famers are officially inducted in front of family, friends, fans, and fellow members of the Tennis Hall of Fame.

File:ITHF Arcade 1.jpg|International Tennis Hall of Fame

File:ITHF courtyard.jpg|International Tennis Hall of Fame

File:ITHF front lawn courts.jpg|Front Lawn courts with indoor tennis club and outdoor hard courts in background.

File:ITHF clocktower & Fred.png|International Tennis Hall of Fame (Fred Perry sculpture in foreground)

Being inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame is the ultimate honor in tennis. It represents the sum of one's achievements and contributions as being among the most important and transformative in tennis history. There is a seven-step process to be inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame. A player or contributor must be nominated to be inducted, and then the national enshrinement committee reviews their eligibility. Once it is decided if they are eligible, the committee reviews if the nominee will be considered by voters. After review, the voting begins; both group and fan voting takes place. A nominee must receive at least 75% from the Official Voting Group result or a combined total of 75% or more from the Official Voting Group result and any bonus percentage points they earn through the Fan Vote. Votes are tallied by an independent accounting firm. The class induction is announced in January, and the new class is inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in July at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

• For further details, see footnote[https://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers/eligibility-voting-process International Tennis Hall of Fame]
• For a list of inductees—alphabetically, by country, and by year of induction—see footnote{{cite web|title=Hall of Famers|publisher=International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum|url=http://www.tennisfame.com/hall-of-famers|access-date=October 23, 2011}}
• Note: Inductees are listed below in two categories (Player category and Contributor category).''

{{legend|#ffebcd|Men's player}}

{{legend|#afeeee|Women's player}}

*note - Bob Hewitt of South Africa was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1992, but he was suspended indefinitely in 2012 and expelled from the Hall in 2016 after being convicted of child sexual offences.{{cite web | url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/abuse-claims-cost-former-tennis-champion-bob-hewitt-his-place-in-sports-hall-of-fame/story-e6frg7mf-1226517947821?nk=fd423bd1236b2dab48220ecebc095756-1441951856 | title=The Australian: Abuse claims | access-date=September 10, 2015}}Schlink, Leo (April 7, 2016) [http://www.news.com.au/sport/tennis/aussieborn-tennis-star-bob-hewitt-expelled-from-the-international-tennis-hall-of-fame/news-story/84ab8bbfa7d92758a13b0321ada41323 Bob Hewitt expelled from Tennis Hall of Fame]. news.com.au

{{Portal|Tennis}}

• Tenniseum
• List of sports awards honoring women

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{commons category|International Tennis Hall of Fame}}

• {{Official website|http://www.tennisfame.com/}}
• [http://www.cnicholson.com/Clips/HOF.htm 11 Intriguing Items at the International Tennis Hall of Fame] article
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20071024043919/http://madeinatlantis.com/tennis/tennis_hall_fame.htm International Tennis Hall of Fame] article
• [https://www.tennisfame.com/digitalexhibits International Tennis Hall of Fame digital exhibits]
• [https://www.halloffameopen.com/ Hall of Fame Open] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402073730/http://www.halloffameopen.com/ |date=2018-04-02 }}

{{International Tennis Hall of Fame members}}

{{Newport, Rhode Island|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tennis Hall Of Fame, International}}

*

Hall of Fame

Category:History of tennis

Category:Tennis venues in Rhode Island

Category:Sports museums in Rhode Island

Category:Sports venues in Rhode Island

Category:Halls of fame in Rhode Island

Category:Sports halls of fame

Category:Museums in Newport, Rhode Island

Category:Landmarks in Rhode Island

Category:Buildings and structures in Newport, Rhode Island

Category:Sports awards honoring women

Category:Awards established in 1955

Category:Sports organizations established in 1954

Category:1954 establishments in Rhode Island

Category:Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums