The Tennis Hall of Fame celebrates tennis and empowers youth globally
The International Tennis Hall of Fame held their Legends Ball at Cipriani to celebrate tennis and honor several of the best players in the sport, including many Hall of Famers. It was an incredible night that celebrated the power of tennis and its ability to uniquely incorporate and celebrate men and women across ages and around the world.
International Tennis Hall of Fame Museum in Newport, RI
The ITHF is a non-profit that preserves the history of tennis through its Museum in Long Island, brings together athletes and supporters alike to spread awareness of the sport, and uses tennis to shape the lives of youth all over the world. While I personally had not heard of ITHF before the event, I was captivated by the passion, sincerity, warmth and commitment of those involved in the organization, and inspired by the power that tennis has had, and continues to have, on so many lives.
“In order to excel at something you need to be around the very best in the world at that thing; I learned this from tennis through ITHF at an early age.”
At the event, I sat next to a donor who shared how ITHF transformed his life. He explained how, as a youth, he visited the ITHF museum in Rhode Island where he was mesmerized by the hand movements of one of the tennis greats; he realized that excellence requires training by the best, and this showed him that “in order to excel at something you need to be around the very best in the world at that thing”.
Tennis greats (from left to right): Stan Smith, Martina Navratilova, Mark Woodforde, Cliff Drysdale, Butch Buchholz, Donald Dell, Steve Flink, Rosie Casals, Mary Pierce, Kim Clijsters
This compelled him to move to Silicon Valley where he learned from the greatest minds in technology, which enabled him to become very successful in business and contributed to his inventions and companies. He was most excited by ITHF’s commitment to empowering youth by teaching them virtues and history using tennis greats, which he explained can often be more exciting and relatable than the traditional history lessons. I was truly inspired by how much ITHF impacted his life, and inspired by his commitment to paying it forward with ITHF to enable the sport to have a similar impact in other’s lives.
“The Hall of Fame’s work is an effort to bring these stories of courage, perseverance, progress, to life.”
A new online ITHF exhibit that features the stories and achievements of Black tennis players and tennis contributors around the world
Todd Martin, the ITHF CEO, gave an engaging introduction during the event, sharing how the organizations use of digital content, museum exhibits, and events are used to reach their goals, explaining, “the Hall of Fame’s work is an effort to bring these stories of courage, perseverance, progress, to life”.
Kim Clijsters, ITHF Honorary President, achieved world No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles and won 6 major titles, and Stan Smith, ITHF President for a decade, winner of over 90 titles in singles and doubles, including the ‘71 US Open and ‘72 Wimbledon singles titles, and 5 doubles championships for the US
“ITHF continues to help inspire future generations to pursue greatness and excellence on and off the court.”
Jean-Yves, CEO of BNP Paribas
The event was sponsored by BNP Paribas, and Jean-Yves Fillion, CEO of BNP Paribas, explained how tennis reflects the firm’s values, where people of diverse backgrounds all around the world are given an opportunity to succeed, and why he was proud to support an organization that was investing in our future and providing access to the sport to promote opportunities in local communities globally.
Bill Whitaker, Master of Ceremony and 60 Minutes Correspondent
“Cool trips are the least of tennis virtues; it’s about the brain and brawn of men and women...I want to thank tennis. Like so many people in this room this sport has given me so much more than I can ever repay. This is a sport that will always thrive; game, set, and match. ”
The Master of Ceremony for the event was Bill Whitaker, a 60 Minutes Correspondent with a great sense of humor and huge appreciation for the organization. During the event, Jon Wetheim, a full-time journalist with Sports Illustrated since 1996 who has reported with the Tennis Channel since 2012 and served as a correspondent for CBS’s 60 minutes since 2017, was recognized with the Gene Scott Award for his honest and thoughtful reporting about the sport. Mr. Wetheim gave a hilarious yet compelling speech about how tennis has transformed his life. He shared how he ended up deciding to cover tennis early in his career as a sports journalist simply because of the exciting trips he would get to take to Australia, but soon learned that “cool trips are the least of tennis virtues; it’s about the brain and brawn of men and women”.
Mr. Wetheim was commended for his fearlessness in reporting and dedication to honest reporting regardless of the consequences. Similarly, Richard and Demi Weitz, a father-daughter duo who created RWQuarantunes, were presented with the Joseph F. Cullman Award for their significant contributions to philanthropy. The pair began their virtual concerts from their kitchen, featuring the music industry’s biggest celebrities, during the height of pandemic lockdowns, ultimately raising over $35m in charity donations.
Richard and Demi Weitz, RWQuarantunes Creators and Joseph F. Cullman Award Recipients
Overall, it was really an incredible evening. First and foremost, there were such extraordinary people in the room; not just because of their accomplishments in the sport, but for their warmth and kindness, and value they placed on virtues, friendship, diversity and impact; ITHF truly uses tennis as a foundation to celebrate the uniqueness of tennis, and to enable it to have an impact on the lives of youth all over the world.