Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick has been nominated for the highest honor in the sport of tennis: induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The American is on the ballot in the Recent Player Category for induction in the Hall of Fame Class of 2017.

“I’m incredibly honored to be considered for the Hall of Fame,” said Roddick, the 2003 US Open champion. “I put my all into our sport for many years, and I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to compete with some of the best athletes tennis has ever known, many of whom were idols I looked up to all my life. It is a huge honor for me to have my name be considered to be alongside theirs in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. I’d like to extend my thanks to the nominating committee for including me on the ballot.”

Roddick, 34, held the World No. 1 ATP Ranking for 13 weeks, and he was year-end No. 1 in 2003. Roddick finished the season in the Top 10 for nine straight years (2002 – 2010), and was inside the world Top 5 for 187 weeks during the course of his career.

In 2003, Roddick defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero to win the US Open title, closing out the match on three straight aces. He returned to the finals in 2006, and he was also a three-time finalist at Wimbledon. Roddick won 32 singles titles, including five ATP World Tour Masters 1000 tournaments.

Roddick was a dedicated team member of the United States Davis Cup team for 10 years. In 2007, he was instrumental in leading the U.S. to defeat Russia for their 32nd Davis Cup victory.

Known for his incredibly fast and powerful serve, Roddick set multiple records for fastest serve recorded at specific tournaments over the years. His personal best was a 155 mph ace at the 2004 Davis Cup, which was the fastest serve in tennis history at the time.

Roddick is the founder of the Andy Roddick Foundation, a non-profit that is dedicated to offering enrichment programs for kids outside of the classroom to provide growth opportunities literacy, STEM, art, and sports. Since retiring from the ATP World Tour, Roddick has stayed active in the sport, competing in WorldTeam Tennis and PowerShares Series events. He has also worked in broadcast for Fox Sports and the BBC.

Former WTA No. 1 Kim Clijsters has also been nominated in the Recent Player Category alongside Roddick. Monique Kalkman, a Paralympic gold medalist and notable Dutch wheelchair tennis player of the 1990s has been nominated in the Recent Player Category for Wheelchair Tennis. In recognition of their commitment to the development of the sport, two individuals are nominated in the Contributor Category. Vic Braden, a renowned tennis instructor who was among the first to apply sports science to his instructional tactics, has been nominated posthumously. Steve Flink, a distinguished tennis historian, broadcaster, and journalist has also been nominated.

“Kim Clijsters and Andy Roddick are two incredibly dynamic athletes who certainly left their mark on tennis history. They were both relentlessly committed to the sport, and as a result they reached the top of the game. Monique Kalkman was an inspiration to many and her success in the Paralympics and significant tournaments places her at the pinnacle of wheelchair tennis,” said Stan Smith, International Tennis Hall of Fame President and 1987 Hall of Famer, who also serves as Chairman of the Enshrinee Nominating Committee. “In addition to the athletes who excel at the top levels of the sport, growth and engagement in tennis worldwide also hinges on dedicated industry leaders who are so passionate about the game, such as Vic Braden in his teaching and Steve Flink in his work as a journalist and historian. Congratulations to all the nominees on this great recognition of their careers.”

Located in Newport, Rhode Island, the International Tennis Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization committed to preserving and promoting the history of tennis and celebrating its greatest champions. Induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame recognizes the sum of one’s achievements at the highest possible level.

Voting for the Hall of Fame Class of 2017 will take place this fall, and the inductees will be announced in the first quarter of 2017. 

After dealing with injuries for the majority of 2016, Jerzy Janowicz is finally healthy and ready to start climbing up the Emirates ATP Rankings.

The former Top 15 player was limited to just one match in the first half of the season due to a knee injury. Janowicz had struggled with knee issues in recent years and underwent a procedure last year to treat a patella tendon rupture in his left knee.

After an extensive period of rest and rehab, Janowicz returned to the ATP Challenger Tour in July at the $75,000 event in Segovia, Spain. He’s primarily been playing Challengers since then as he looks to gain match play and rebuild confidence in his game.

“My rehab was long because I got injured during last year’s US Open and then tried to play through it at the end of the season, which was quite stupid on my side,” he said. “The doctors said it wouldn’t be easy to come back and there was a chance I might not be able to, but I was still hoping to get better. Now, I’m just trying to get back in shape again.”

Janowicz is taking positive steps towards that at this week’s $125,000+H Challenger event in Genova, Italy. Showing that his knee can withstand plenty of time on court, he prevailed in a long three-set match over Lorenzo Sonego of Italy and then defeated No. 2 seed Horacio Zeballos of Argentina in a second-round clash on Thursday.

But perhaps his most encouraging result was actually a loss. At this year’s US Open, Janowicz hung tough with World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and even took a set off the defending champion before falling in a competitive match in Arthur Ashe Stadium.

“It’s never easy to play against Djokovic. It doesn’t matter where or when or what shape I’m in,” said Janowicz. “I was just trying to play my best tennis. I was actually a little bit unlucky because I had quite a few chances to take the first set.”

Janowicz will have another stern challenge ahead of him when he plays second seed Horacio Zeballos of Argentina on Thursday in a second-round clash in Genova. But regardless of how this week turns out for the Polish star, he is confident his game is moving in the right direction.

“Some moments I play good tennis and some moments I’m a little bit down on myself,” admitted Janowicz. “I have to get some matches, [but] this week is actually quite good… I’m getting some confidence out of it.”

While most of the world’s best juniors are competing this week in the US Open junior championships, 17 year old Casper Ruud of Norway is busy racking up wins at the $50,000 ATP Challenger Tour in Seville, Spain.

Competing in his first Challenger, Ruud came through qualifying and is now in the quarter-finals. On Wednesday, he scored his biggest win to date over No. 5 seed Andrej Martin of Slovakia, 6-3, 6-3.

Ruud, who won four matches in four days this week, joins Canadian phenom Denis Shapovalov as the only 17-year-olds to reach an ATP Challenger Tour quarter-final in 2016. The Norwegian has seen his position in the Emirates ATP Rankings skyrocket this year, from outside the Top 1000 to a projected career-high inside the Top 400 with his run in Seville.

“This is a really good tournament. I didn’t know what to expect because it was my first Challenger, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised,” said Ruud. “There have been people coming out to support us and watch the matches, so it’s been really nice. It’s been a great experience to play some Challengers instead of Futures.”

Ruud has primarily focused on pro events this year. Competing exclusively at the Futures level until his run in Seville, he’s won two singles titles this year and finished runner-up at three other events.

It’s been a natural progression for the rising Norwegian, who started the year ranked No. 1 in the ITF Junior Rankings. He decided to forgo the US Open junior events and instead continue to focus on moving up the Emirates ATP Rankings.

“I wanted to try and win a Grand Slam for the year, but didn’t play too well at Roland Garros or Wimbledon. It was a little bit far to travel for one tournament at the US Open and I’m also heading to China in the fall,” said Ruud. “I wanted to focus more on the men’s circuit, so it made sense to train in Spain and then come here to get some good matches and good experience.”

His training base in Spain is especially fitting because Rafael Nadal is the player that Ruud looks up to most.

“He’s my big idol ever since I was a little kid. He’s very intense and has an extreme style of play,” said Ruud. “I always try to look at good players like Kei Nishikori and Novak Djokovic, players who bring the game to another level. The level of tennis at the Top 10 is pretty unbelievable at the moment, so I’m trying to learn from that.”

At just 17, Ruud is already the top-ranked player in his country. Although Norway isn’t known as a tennis hotbed, his father, Christian, reached the Top 40 in the Emirates ATP Rankings in 1995. Casper is hopeful that he can reach the same heights as his dad and make tennis a prime sport in his country.

“Tennis isn’t that big in Norway, but I hope that it’ll blow up a little bit more there if I do well,” he said. “There are some enthusiastic fans there and they like to follow me around and send me messages, which are nice to receive. Hopefully I can try to do the same as my dad and make tennis a little more popular in Norway.”

In the fourth of a special series of interviews with Roger Federer at home in Switzerland, the 35 year old answers: What has changed more in the past 16 years – Roger Federer or the US Open?

Federer reminisces about his long hair and his tennis journey since first playing at Flushing Meadows in 2000.

His US Open journey is over for 2016, but Juan Martin del Potro leaves with a sense of belief that he belongs back among the ATP World Tour elite after a confidence-boosting run to the quarter-finals. The 2009 champion had to rely on a wild card just to make the main draw and it took a two-time Grand Slam champion, Stan Wawrinka, to end his hot streak.

Having spent much of the past seven years sidelined with wrist operations, including the past two US Opens, the 27-year-old Argentine arrived in New York City at No. 142 in the ATP Emirates Rankings. His run to the last eight included upsets of three seeded players, without the loss of a set.

Third seed Wawrinka would gain revenge for a Centre Court loss at Wimbledon. The 31-year-old Swiss stepped up to seal a 7-6(5), 4-6, 6-3, 6-2 victory on Arthur Ashes Stadium in the early hours of Thursday morning, but the result was enough to convince del Potro he was well on the comeback trail.

With Wawrinka closing on victory a boisterous New York crowd broke into chorus, urging the Argentine on. “I can lose the match, but I will never forget this,” del Potro said. “It’s bigger than winning any match.

“I’m so proud to get that from the crowd, because I have been putting in a big effort to play tennis again. They made me so happy tonight, and I don’t mind the score.”

It was del Potro’s first Grand Slam quarter-final since Wimbledon 2013 and his run catapults him back into the Top 65 in the ATP Emirates Rankings. Timing his thunderous forehand to full effect once more, del Potro admits match fitness after such extended breaks from the game is still a work in progress.

“I think my tennis is starting to respond as I want, but physically I’m still down,” he said. “I’m not in the same level as these guys. I need to just stay healthy and wait for the pre-season to get 100 per cent for next year.

“I’m already Top 100, so that’s good. Never will I ask for wild cards anymore. And everything here is positive for me. I’m so glad for that.”