THE BEST STORIES OF THE GAME, FROM the BEST PLAYERS IN THE GAME, THROUGH THE DEFINING VALUES OF OUR GAME.
TennisWorthy celebrates the moments that pull at our heart strings and remind us why we fell in love with this game. The moments that gave us chills, that made us stand in our seats, that made our jaws drop – these are the moments that define our sport.
Rick Draney:
Innovation that Changed a Sport
When a car accident changed Rick Draney's life forever, he turned to tennis to maintain a sense of movement and activity. What he developed from a need ended up changing the fledgling sport of wheelchair tennis.
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Suzanne Lenglen, The Roaring 20's Legend
Hall of Famer Suzanne Lenglen won the French Championships and Wimbledon six times each, and she did so with a flapper attitude that defined the Roaring 20s. Here’s a special Women’s History Month look at the original tennis rebel – a force on court who didn’t let anyone tell her to play like a lady. Continue Reading...
Mary Pierce and the Comeback
Mary Pierce turned 30 years old on January 15, 2005. By then, she had already claimed 16 singles titles, two of them at Grand Slam tournaments. Her place in tennis lore was cemented. But little did the world know, Pierce’s 2005 season would be one of the most inspiring stories of perseverance in tennis history. Learn more about Mary's inspiring comeback year
Li Na and Her Fight for Her Game
When Li Na set out on her tennis journey, she didn’t plan to be a trailblazer. She just wanted to play. But in China, a country with little tradition at the highest level of the game, she broke through barriers that might have disheartened someone with less determination. Read her story...
Ambition & the Hall of Fame’s Two-Sport Athlete
Class of 2019 Hall of Famer Yevgeny Kafelnikov could be considered a modern Renaissance Man. His athleticism and ambition made him a tennis legend, but those qualities took him down other competitive avenues, including creating a noteworthy golf resume. Learn more...
DR. ROBERT JOHNSON, BREAKING COLOR BARRIERS FROM HIS BACKYARD
Unassuming at a glance, the modest home at 1422 Pierce Street in Lynchburg, Virginia, has a big history. It is where Althea Gibson and Arthur Ashe trained to break color barriers. It is where African-American youths learned the values of the civil rights movement. And it all revolved around a tennis court and the way people carried themselves on it. Discover the story of Hall of Famer Dr. Robert Walter "Whirlwind" Johnson
TennisWorthy at the Hall of Fame Podium
Talent is a prerequisite for the International Tennis Hall of Fame, but talent alone can only get a player so far. The TennisWorthy series recognizes the core values that the sport embodies – values like perseverance, courage, focus, integrity, sacrifice, and discipline, among others. No player’s path to success is ever the same, but when paved with those core values, the road can lead to Newport. When that moment comes, it’s rare to hear an inductee talk about their stats and results. Instead, when reflecting on their careers, most have greater themes to share. Hear what TennisWorthy is, in the words of those who have lived it...
Dedication Took Rod Laver Where No One Has Ever Gone
Fifty years ago this year, Hall of Famer Rod Laver did something that no one had ever accomplished before or since, when he won his second calendar-year Grand Slam. The feat continues to inspire awe and motivation among today’s greats. Of course, Rod’s journey to four trophies didn’t rely solely on his talent – it required a dream, dedication, perseverance, and even a good amount of creativity to get to the top. Here’s the story of how a boy with a dream became a man known as the greatest of all time. Continue Reading...
HOW IVAN LENDL REINVENTED HIMSELF
Ivan Lendl was one of the best tennis players in the world in the early 1980s. He briefly reached the world number one ranking in 1983 and enjoyed a 44-match winning streak in 1981 and ‘82. He won his first major, the French Open, in 1984, but still felt that he wasn’t reaching his full potential on the court. To reach the very top, it was necessary for him to reinvent himself. Those changes needed to come from within. And Lendl knew it. Read his amazing story...
GABRIELA SABATINI SHOWS THE COURAGE TO CHANGE
Imagine being ranked No. 3 in your given field. Your talent has earned you millions of dollars, you are famous around the world and lauded for your skill, wherever you go. And yet, despite all that success, within you is a nagging doubt, a sense that you could achieve even more. But to do so you would have to walk away from the techniques that got your there. What would you do? Would you have the courage to change? Gabriela Sabatini did. It would change the direction of her career and ultimately lead her to become a Hall of Famer. This is Gabby’s TennisWorthy story. Read her story...
HOW YANNICK NOAH TURNED A LONELY SPORT INTO A COMMUNITY
It’s one thing to excel on your own. But a different kind of approach is needed to harness the disparate talents of others and bring out their collective best. In tennis, most players are independent and guarded. To excel on those rare occasions when they join forces, they need a push from someone they trust. Hall of Famer Yannick Noah has shown he has what it takes, both solo and as a leader. Read the incredible story...
Courage in Action: Althea Gibson Shatters The Race Barrier
By Joel Drucker
It was Saturday night on July 6, 1957. This was the evening of the Wimbledon Ball, a grand celebration of The Championships. As was the tradition, the men’s singles winner, in this case Australian Lew Hoad, danced with the ladies’ champion. But in this instance, tradition twined with revolution: the emergence of the first African-American to ever win a Grand Slam title. Her name, Althea Gibson.
