Leander Paes. | Photo Credit: EMMANUAL YOGINI
Olympic medallist and multiple Grand Slam champion Leander Paes, along with two-time Davis Cup finalist Vijay Amritraj, has made it into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Leander makes it in the player category and Vijay in the contributor category for his multi-faceted role in the game. They are the first two Indians to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony is scheduled to be held in Newport, Rhode Island, on July 20, 2024.
Leander has won eight Grand Slam doubles titles and 10 mixed doubles titles. He is only one of three men in tennis history to complete a career Grand Slam in both doubles and mixed doubles.
Leander had spent a total of 462 weeks in the top 10 of world doubles, including 37 weeks as No. 1. He also competed in a record seven Olympics on the trot from Barcelona (1992) to Rio de Janeiro (2016).
Apart from his immense contribution as a player and administrator in promoting the game in the country, Vijay has also fascinated the tennis fraternity around the world as a television commentator, especially during Wimbledon. He has also served as the Messenger of Peace for United Nations in 2001.
Since 2006, Vijay Amritraj Foundation has provided education and basic needs for women and children in the Indian community.
The third person to be inducted would be Richard Evans, a tennis journalist who has reported on more than 200 Grand Slams and other tournaments. He has written 23 books.
