Roddick To Be Inducted Into Tennis Hall Of Fame
Roddick To Be Inducted Into Tennis Hall Of Fame
Former World No. 1 Andy Roddick has been elected to receive the highest honour in tennis – induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Of the honour, Roddick stated, “It’s really special. I love this sport and I love being part of it. I’m moved to know that my presence in the sport will be forever part of tennis history, and I am just incredibly honoured to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. I look forward to the induction ceremony in Newport in July.”
The American, in addition to being a former World No. 1, is also a US Open champion and a five-time ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titlist. Roddick held the No. 1 Emirates ATP Ranking for 13 weeks, and he was year-end No. 1 in 2003.
He finished the season in the Top 10 of the Emirates ATP Rankings for nine straight years (2002 – 2010). Roddick held rankings inside the Top 5 for 187 weeks during the course of his career.
In 2003, he defeated Juan Carlos Ferrero to win the US Open title, closing out the match on three straight aces. He returned to the final in 2006, and he was also a three-time finalist at Wimbledon. Roddick won 32 singles tour-level titles.
The Nebraska native 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.
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 in 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.
Joining Roddick in the Hall of Fame Class of 2017 will be Kim Clijsters, a former WTA World No. 1, and Monique Kalkman-van den Bosch, a four-time Paralympic medalist in wheelchair tennis.
Additionally, two individuals will be inducted in the Contributor Category. Steve Flink, a distinguished tennis historian and journalist, has been elected for induction. Vic Braden, a ground-breaking tennis instructor who was among the first to apply sports science to his instructional tactics, will be inducted posthumously.