|
Induction Ceremony Scheduled for Sunday, July 11 in Newport, RI
NEWPORT, RI, January 15, 2004 –-
Tony Trabert, President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, announced today
that Germany’s Steffi Graf, Sweden’s Stefan Edberg, and the USA’s Dorothy “Dodo” Cheney will be
officially inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July.
“Newport is the place to be this July,” stated Trabert. “Not only will we honor the great tennis
careers of three great champions in Steffi, Stefan and Dodo, but we will also welcome back Hall of
Famers from around the world to celebrate the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s 50th Anniversary.”
Steffi Graf and Stefan Edberg have been elected to the Hall of Fame in the Recent Player category,
while Dodo Cheney has been elected in the Master Player category. A panel of international tennis
media elected Graf and Edberg, each requiring at least a 75% favorable vote for induction. The
International Masters Panel, which consists of Hall of Fame inductees and other individuals who
are highly knowledgeable of the sport and its history, elected Dodo Cheney, also requiring an
affirmative vote of at least 75%.
The Hall of Fame will hold the official induction ceremony for the Class of 2004 on Sunday, July
11th. Including Graf, Edberg and Cheney, the International Tennis Hall of Fame has inducted 186
people representing 18 countries since its establishment in 1954.
Steffi Graf won an incredible 107 career WTA singles titles and 11 career doubles
titles. She captured an astounding 22 Grand Slam singles titles: 4 Australian Open Championships
(1988, ’89, ’90, ’94); 6 French Open Titles (1987, ’88, ’93, ’95, ’96, ’99); 7 Wimbledon
Championships (1988, ’89, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’95, ’96); and 5 US Open Championships (1988, ’89, ’93,
’95, ’96). Moreover, Graf made nine additional Grand Slam final appearances: 1993 Australian;
1989, ’90, ’92 French; 1987, ’99 Wimbledon; and 1987, ’90, ‘94 US Open. Overall she reached 31
Grand Slam singles finals. At the conclusion of the 1995 US Open, she became the only player –
male or female – to win each of the four major singles titles at least 4 times.
In 1988, Graf achieved the ‘Grand Slam’ – winning the Big Four in the same calendar year.
Furthermore, Graf achieved the ‘Golden Grand Slam’ by winning the Singles Gold Medal at the 1988
Olympic Games in Seoul. Graf again held all four titles consecutively – 1993 French, Wimbledon,
US Open and the 1994 Australian.
Graf, 34, is a former World No. 1 ranked player, spending a massive total of 377 (non-consecutive)
weeks at No. 1, reigning for a record 186 consecutive weeks (August 17, 1987- March 10, 1991) –
more than any man or woman.
Graf was ranked in the World Top 10 from 1985 through 1996, and again in 1998-‘99. She holds the
record for the longest consecutive stretch in the World’s Top 2 – 10 years, 3 months, 1 week –
March 2, 1987 through June 8, 1997. Her career win-loss record is an impressive 902-115. She was
honored as the WTA Player of the Year eight times (1987-’90, ’93-’96) and was named the ITF World
Champion a record seven times (1987-’90, ’93, ’95, ’96).
|
|
Graf was a member of the German Fed Cup team for 7 years (1986-’87, ’89, ‘91-’93, ’96). She has
Germany’s record of most final wins (3-0), leading Germany to victory in 1987 and 1992. Graf
completed her Fed Cup career playing in 20 ties, with an overall win-loss record of 28-4 (20-2 in
singles and 8-2 in doubles). Graf was also a member of the German Olympic team in 1984 (Gold -
tennis was a demonstration sport), 1988 (Gold), ’92 (Silver) and ‘96.
On August 13, 1999, Graf was the No. 3 world-ranked player, and the highest ranked player ever to
announce retirement from the sport (since computer rankings began in November 1975). Off the
court, Graf founded The Steffi Graf Youth Tennis Center in Leipzig, Germany (1991). She is also
the Founder and active Chairperson of Children for Tomorrow, a non-profit foundation with the goal
of implementing and developing projects to support children who have been traumatized by war or
other crises.
Stefan Edberg won 41 career singles titles and 18 career doubles titles. He captured 6 Grand
Slam singles titles – 2 Australian Open Championships (1985, ’87 – the last man to win on
Australian grass), 2 Wimbledon Championships (1988, ’90) and 2 US Open Championships (1991, ’92).
Edberg also won the 1996 Australian Open Doubles title (with Petr Korda), and captured the 1987
Australian and US Open Doubles Championships (both with Anders Jarryd). Edberg, with Jarryd,
were named the ATP Doubles Team of the Year in 1987.
Edberg, who turns 38 on January 19, is a former World No. 1 ranked player, having removed Ivan
Lendl from the top spot on August 13, 1990. During his career he spent a total of 72
(non-consecutive) weeks at No. 1, and finished the 1990 and 1991 seasons as the No. 1 player in
the world. Edberg was ranked in the year-end Top 10 for ten straight years (1985-1994) finishing
in the Top 5 from 1985-93. He received ATP Player of the Year honors in 1991, and again in 1992.
Edberg is a 5-time recipient of the ATP’s Sportsmanship Award (1988-90, ’92, ’95), more than any
player in ATP history. In 1996, the ATP again honored Edberg, this time by renaming this award
the Edberg Sportsmanship Award.
Sweden has won the Davis Cup seven times, and Edberg played on four of the 7 winning Cup teams
(1984, ’85, ’87, ’94). He is tied with countryman Ove Bengtson for most years played on the
Swedish Davis Cup team with 13, playing from 1984 through 1996. Edberg also holds Sweden’s record
for most Davis Cup final appearances, playing in seven. He finished his Davis Cup career playing
in 35 ties with an overall total win-loss record of 47-23 (35-15 in singles and 12-8 in doubles).
Edberg also participated in the 1984 Olympics (tennis was a demonstration sport), where he was the
Singles Gold Medal winner. In 1988, he won Bronze in both singles and doubles competition in Seoul. |
|
Dorothy “Dodo” Cheney, born September 1, 1916, was the first American woman to win the
Australian National Championships in 1938. She was a member of the winning Wightman Cup teams,
1937-39, until WWII cut her amateur career short. In Grand Slam events, she also reached the
mixed doubles final at both the French and Wimbledon in 1946. Cheney, competing in tennis events
for 8 decades, currently holds the record for the most United States Tennis Association (USTA)
National Senior titles – over 300 – and has won over 20 Senior Grand Slam titles, another USTA
record. She has been, and continues to be, victorious on every playing surface and has a winning
streak that may never be equaled. For Cheney, age is no factor, as she has triumphed in every age
group she has ever played in: from the US Women’s 35s through the US Women’s 80s she has won
titles in singles, doubles and mixed.
In 2002 at age 85, Cheney and her daughter Christine Putnam won the USTA National Grass Court
Super-Senior Mother Daughter Championships held at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
This marked her 311th career win.
Cheney is the daughter of 1956 Hall of Famer May Sutton Bundy, winner of 1904 U. S. Championships
and Wimbledon in 1905 and 1907, and Tom Bundy, a U.S. doubles champion (1912, 1913, 1914).
Entering 2004 with a new tournament title
sponsor , the Campbell 's Hall of Fame
Tennis Championships played for the Van Alen Cup will be held July 5-11, 2004 . The Campbell 's Hall
of Fame Tennis Championships will bring 32 of the top men in professional tennis to the legendary grass courts of the Newport Casino. The 50 th Anniversary Celebration presented by Campbell 's promises to be one of the true golden moments of tennis, as Hall of Famers from around the world will travel to Newport for an incredible Hall of Fame reunion weekend July 9-11. Part of the 50 th Anniversary Celebration will include a once-in-a-lifetime “Parade of Hall of Famers” welcoming back tennis champions Chris Evert, John McEnroe, Rod Laver and more than 40 others to participate in a lively ceremony on Saturday, July 10 th .
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the
history and heritage of tennis and its champions. For information regarding the Campbell's Hall of
Fame Tennis Championships, The International Tennis Hall of Fame's 50th
Anniversary Celebration or the Class of 2004 Induction Ceremony presented by Campbell's, please
call the Hall of Fame at 401-849-3990 or visit www.tennisfame.com
online.
Photos of the International Tennis Hall of Fame's Class of 2004 inductees are available upon
request.
For more information contact:
Kat Anderson
Marketing & Public Relations Manager
International Tennis Hall of Fame
194 Bellevue Ave., Newport, RI 02840
p: 401-849-3990 f: 401-324-6017
email: kat@tennisfame.com
Visit us online at www.tennisfame.com
|