Vijay Amritraj, Leander Paes and Richard Evans were inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., on Saturday.
Amritraj landed in the Hall of Fame as a contributor while Paes went in as a player. They are the first Indian — and Asian — men to be enshrined in Newport.
“I’d like to thank every single one of my countrymen who supported me, who stood by me through all the ups and downs, and we’ve been through a few,” Paes said. “But you all were the inspiration, you all were the support. You were even the strength to guide me through when I didn’t believe.”
The 70-year-old Amritraj never won a Grand Slam, but he did reach the quarterfinals of both Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in 1973. He won 15 singles titles and 13 doubles titles on the ATP Tour by the time his playing career was said and done, going on to become an actor and sports commentator.
“I am humbled and honored to join this incredible and exclusive group, which has brought glory to our sport,” Amritraj said. “Our sport has given me everything in life. It has taken me places I never thought I would go.”
Paes, 51, did most of his damage on the doubles stage, winning 54 tour-level titles to go along with one singles title. He also won a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics.
Evans, a native of Great Britain, has covered tennis as a journalist for over 60 years.
“It has been a long journey,” Evans said. “I wish I had time to tell you all the names of all the great tennis writers I’ve written with in press boxes around the world. … (Tennis) is a sport (that) needs to be promoted at every level and written about with as much talent and style and enthusiasm and passion as those of us who love the sport could muster.”
–Field Level Media
