Former World No.1 doubles player Leander Paes and ex-player, broadcaster, and promoter Vijay Amritraj are the first Asian men inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The Hall, which has been in operation since 1955 and is situated in Newport, Rhode Island, announced its Class of 2024 on Wednesday. Paes, an 18-time Grand Slam doubles and mixed doubles champion, has been picked in the Player Category, while Amritraj has been chosen in the Contributor Category. Richard Evans, a British journalist and historian, was also chosen In the Contributor Category.
The Contributor Category honors true pioneers, visionary leaders, or individuals/groups who have made a significant contribution to the sport. On July 20, 2024, the official induction ceremony will take place in Newport. Paes, Amritraj, and Evans will join an elite group of 264 inductees from 27 countries, with India set to become the 28th nation represented in the Hall of Fame. Li Na, a Chinese woman who won two Grand Slam singles titles, is the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s first Asian inductee in 2019.
Paes is one of just three players in tennis history to have won a career Grand Slam in both doubles and mixed doubles, with eight Grand Slam championships in doubles and ten in mixed doubles. On tour, he won 55 doubles titles and spent 462 weeks in the ATP doubles top 10, including 37 weeks at No.1 spot. It has been my life’s honor to play for my country for over three decades in a sport that has given and taught me everything. This acknowledgment is indeed the ultimate accolade for every tennis player. Induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame belongs not just to me, but to our billion-plus Indians, Paes expressed with a lot of joy.
Receiving this honor culminates a professional journey of a lifetime, standing on the shoulders of greats and sets the tone for other youngsters in Asia and around the world, Paes said. Paes competed in a record seven consecutive Olympic Games, the most in tennis history, and is India’s lone Olympic medalist in tennis, winning bronze in singles in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta.
Amritraj was one of India’s top players during the Open Era, anchoring the country’s Davis Cup side to its only two Finals appearances in 1974 and 1987. In 1974, he was instrumental in India’s boycott of the Final against South Africa to protest apartheid. He has been the face of tennis broadcasting in Asia and the Middle East since his retirement.
