Meet the Class of 2021

A legendary Australian tennis great, a trailblazing group of women, and a visionary tennis coach comprise the International Tennis Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

"Lleyton Hewitt always competed hard until the last ball was hit, and this is very apparent in the Hall of Fame resume he built,” commented International Tennis Hall of Fame President Stan Smith. “The Original 9 were true trailblazers in tennis history. It took a lot of courage to do what they did, and we have today’s incredible WTA Tour to thank for it, as well as opportunities for women in so many other sports. It’s also a pleasure to celebrate Dennis Van der Meer, who was a tremendous coach, teacher, and real visionary for the future of the sport.”

Read on to learn more about this inspiring class of inductees, and to hear from the incoming Hall of Famers in their own words. 

"To know that Dennis will go into the International Hall of Fame this July gives me great joy. Dennis would be so honored and happy to be inducted with his great friends in the Original Nine. I know he cherished that time in his life and was so proud of what they accomplished."
- Pat Van der Meer, wife of the late Dennis Van der Meer

Dennis Van der Meer, legendary coach and “teacher of teachers," was a successful junior player who turned his attention to teaching at age 19 and then spent more than 65 years dedicated to working in the sport. As a young teaching pro, Van der Meer quickly recognized a need to develop a universal manner of teaching tennis in order to grow the sport. He sourced input from the finest tennis educators and assembled manuals and videos on teaching techniques. Van der Meer then set out to standardize group teaching methods and to develop a teaching certification. He was the founder of both the Van Der Meer Tennis University and the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR), a leading tennis industry organization that works to educate, certify, and serve tennis teachers and coaches. PTR became the first international tennis teaching organization and it now has more than 16,000 certified members in more than 125 nations. Additionally, Van der Meer served as a coach to top pros, including Billie Jean King for a time.

Van der Meer will be inducted posthumously, as he passed away in July 2019.

The Original 9 - Americans Peaches Bartkowicz, Rosie Casals, Julie Heldman, Billie Jean King, Kristy Pigeon, Nancy Richey, Valerie Ziegenfuss, and Australians Judy Tegart Dalton AM and Kerry Melville Reid - took action 50 years ago when they refused to accept the growing disparity in prize money and playing opportunities between women and men in the sport.

On September 23, 1970 the Original 9 signed what would become iconic $1 contracts under the leadership of tennis promoter and World Tennis Magazine publisher Gladys Heldman in order to compete on their own terms.

By creating their own non-sanctioned event, they were faced with expulsion by the sport’s governing bodies, which would mean they would be stripped of their rankings and eligibility to compete at the Grand Slams or on national teams. The Original 9 risked their livelihood for equality in the sport, but they were prepared to do so because they envisioned a better future for female athletes.

Eight of the nine women competed in the tournament, and Rosie Casals won the title. The event was such a success that it led to the creation of the Virginia Slims Circuit the following year, featuring nearly two dozen tournaments. The Original 9 and their colleagues took active roles in promoting and growing the circuit, ultimately paving the way for today’s thriving WTA Tour, where women’s tennis flourishes as the world’s leading global sport for women.

Billie Jean King

“This is one of the biggest honors we've ever had. We're all so excited because of what we went through together. The nine of us were willing to give up our careers for the rest of our lives and never play again for this opportunity to start something. Now, to be honored together for having an impact on tennis history and being part of the International Tennis Hall of Fame together is just terrific.

“I’d also like to add my congratulations to rest of the Class of 2021. My friend and coach Dennis Van der Meer was a brilliant tennis mind and instrumental in our sport’s growth. Lleyton Hewitt always gave 100% on the court and he is a true Hall of Famer.

Billie Jean King on the impact of the Original 9

“It’s extremely rewarding to see the impact the Original 9 made 50 years ago can still be felt around the world today. There were three things we were really focused on achieving. Number one, that any girl born in this world, would have a place to play and compete. Number two, that women would be appreciated for our accomplishments, not just our looks. And number three, that women would finally be able to make a living playing professional tennis.

Today, every time a woman gets a check for competing in a Grand Slam or the WTA Tour or gets to play in a pro tournament, you can trace it back to that day, to September 23rd, 1970, when we signed the $1 contract with Gladys Heldman. That was the birth of women's professional tennis, the way you know it today as the leading professional sport for women.”

Rosie Casals

“It’s very exciting to be able to go into the Hall of Fame with the Original 9. All of us have been friends for a long time, competitors for a long time. That makes it extra special to be able to share this moment with them.

“The Original 9 were courageous and brave at a time where we could have given in. As a result, I think people paid attention to women in sports. From that came title IX. From that came one of the most exclusive and the biggest largest prize money ever for women's tennis and Virginia Slims. The impact we made was that, yes, we can, we can do this. We can earn a living. We can have a career in sports and eventually go to college and pursue academics as well as a sport. That did not exist prior to 1972 and prior to the Original 9 doing what they did to put women's tennis on the map. History speaks for itself when you look at the WTA Tour is now and where it's come from. We've come a long way, baby.”

Kristy Pigeon

“I'm profoundly honored that the International Tennis Hall of Fame has elected to induct us. I guess you could say we were women's tennis suffragettes in a way. We made huge changes that are being realized now. When you look at the prize money that the women are making, and the fact that little girls playing tennis are popular and recognized, and not going through what I went through, like being teased when I went jogging. And, that it’s really cool to be an athlete and that strong is beautiful and not a negative quality in a woman, for example. I think there's still a lot more work to be done, but I think we set the course.”

Julie Heldman

“Being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame is the highest honor in tennis. I'm thrilled and excited and proud that the women who stood up for the future of women's tennis are being recognized at this time.”

Judy Tegart Dalton

“For us to be given this honor is really something special and I think it's great recognition for what we did. It means a lot. One of the main things is that we achieved was recognition for women's tennis, but also for women's sport as a whole really. I think that for all of us, we worked so hard and when we took such a chance, but we didn't realize how significant it would be 50 years on.”

Kerry Melville Reid

“I think it's so great that the Hall of Fame agreed to put us in the Hall as a group. It means a lot. It was a long time ago, 50 years ago that we broke away from the men and started the women's tour. We had a goal and we just worked really hard. Those early tournaments, we barely had time to practice even. We were doing so much PR, clinics, and everything else to try and promote the tournament. It took a lot of dedication, to do that. But I think we did a good job for women's tennis and women in general as it turned out.”

Valerie Ziegenfuss

“We were believers. We believed in ourselves, our product, in Gladys Heldman. We believed in Virginia Slims as a sponsor. We believed in Billie Jean as our leader. Looking down the road we wanted to further ourselves as a product. We believed that we could get more prize money, and that people would come and watch women's tennis. At the time, somebody had to do it. And it was us. It means the world for us to be recognized by being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.”