The International Tennis Hall of Fame recently dedicated six new hard courts on the premises of where the Hall of Fame is located in Newport, R.I. Through the support of generous donors, four of the courts were named in honor of Hall of Famers Billie Jean King, Tony Trabert, Jack Kramer, and Mark McCormack. The remaining two courts were named for tennis tours — one was jointly named by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the ATP World Tour and one was named in honor of World Championship Tennis (WCT), the trailblazing men’s pro tour of the 1970s that paved the way for today’s global pro tours.
A lifelong Southern Californian who was instrumental in starting the ATP, Kramer passed away in 2009. Several of his family members traveled to Newport to be part of the dedication. Those attending were Jack’s sons Bob and David, along with his grandchildren — Bob’s son, Jack and David’s daughter, Joanna, according to a blog post on the International Tennis Hall of Fame website here.
The article stated: “The courts are utilized for junior and adult programming at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The new hard courts doubled the size of the Hall of Fame’s court availability. Previously, the facility had three indoor hard courts. Through the campaign, there are now three new indoor hard courts, as well as three outdoor hard courts, which have a seasonal bubble, enabling year-round use of six courts.”
A quote was included from ITHF CEO Todd Martin: “The new courts and facility have been very well received by local tennis players and guests. The court space offers us a new opportunity to significantly expand our tennis programming. Looking to the future, we are working to bring more tennis to the campus- be it youth programming, industry conventions, recreational play opportunities, or competitive tournaments. Our goal each day at the International Tennis Hall of Fame is to inspire today’s players and fans through our sport’s empowering history. To hear kids in a junior program run out to the courts saying they are playing on the Billie Jean King Court or the Tony Trabert Court is a great thing.”
Those attending were Jack’s sons Bob and David, along with his grandchildren – Bob’s son, Jack and David’s daughter, Joanna,
According to the Hall of Fame website: “The Jack Kramer Court honors a man who was both a great champion and a remarkable leader on the administration and promotion side of our sport. Kramer was a singles and doubles champion at the US Open and Wimbledon, winning 10 major titles overall. After his playing career, Kramer was a determined advocate for launching the Open Era of tennis and went on to be a co-founder of the ATP World Tour. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1968. Donations for the court in Kramer’s honor were made by Butch Buchholz, Donald Dell, The Gimelstob Family, and Charlie Pasarell.”
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