Goran Ivanisevic and Conchita Martínez Selected for International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2020

Two great careers. But ironic (sad?) that Goran Ivanisevic, who is now on Team Djokovic and has a history of using gay slurs, would be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the same time as Conchita Martinez, who may not have been officially out while winning Wimbledon and ranking a career-high of No. 2 in the world, but was definitely "out adjacent" thanks to her relationship with No. 1 doubles player Gigi Fernandez, which was a source of pride for many a LGBTQ fan back in the day. 

The Associated Press wrote in 1995:

Tennis player Gigi Fernandez came out when she appeared on stage with Martina Navratilova during the gay rights March on Washington in 1993. Fernandez’s relationship with defending Wimbledon champion Conchita Martinez has been an open secret on the women’s tour among other players, writers and fans. So, too, have been the sexual orientations of at least half a dozen other players among the top 50, though none have talked about it. 

When asked if she’s a role model for other gay athletes to come out, Navratilova turned around and said, “I don’t see any line forming behind me.”

I'd like to say we've come a long way since then, baby. But with still zero out male players and currently just one notable woman -- Alison Van Uytvanck of the Netherlands, who is in a relationship with second-tier Belgian player Greet Minnen -- sometimes it feels more like two steps forward, one and a half back. Note that the Wikipedia page for Conchita, who is back to coaching Garbine Muguruza, still makes no mention of her personal life.

Some may recall that Ivanisevic "apologized" back in the day, which -- surprise -- only made things worse.

Mary Take a Bow

Fun to see Mary Pierce relaxed and happy, even if she became a church fart. (Did Roberto Alomar drive her into Jesus’ arms?) She and Li Na will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., this weekend -- congrats to both!

Michael Stich, Helena Sukova to Be Enshrined in International Tennis Hall of Fame

They're here!

We won't be in Newport, R.I., this year for the International Tennis Hall of Fame inductions. But I can say without hesitation that I'm truly happy for new inductees Helena Sukova and Michael Stich, who both had stellar careers and both appear to have lived exemplary lives off the court as well. (And how great do they both look?!)

After winning Wimbledon in 1991

🎾 Wimbledon champion (1991)
🎾 #USOpen (1994) and Roland Garros finalist (1996)
🎾 @ATPWorldTour Finals champion (1993)
🎾 @DavisCup champion (1993)
🎾 Career-high No. 2 ranking (1993)

Congrats to Michael Stich on his induction tomorrow into the @TennisHalloFame! pic.twitter.com/A13NOqxXAP

— US Open Tennis (@usopen) July 20, 2018

Sukova, whose mother reached the 1962 Wimbledon final, battled her way to four Grand Slam singles finals herself and won 14 major doubles titles. Still, she will probably be best remembered as the woman who as a teen spoiled Martina Navratilova's calendar Grand Slam in 1984, when she beat her idol 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 -- ending a 74-match winning streak --  before falling to Chris Evert in the final. Worth mentioning that if she'd been around in another era, she definitely would have won a singles major. She lost the 1989 Australian Open final to Steffi Graf after having beaten Navratilova 9-7 in the third in the quarters. She beat Chris Evert in straight sets in the semis of the 1986 U.S. Open before falling to Navratilova in the final. And she beat Navratilova in the round of 16 and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the semis en route to the 1993 U.S. Open final, where she again lost to Graf. 

UPDATE: It's official!

Postcard From Newport

Fun day seeing Andy Roddick and Kim Clijsters get inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Roddick's speech was part stand-up, part heart-tug and fully unforgettable. (Mother Blanche is a hero. But the more he praised his late father, the more apparent it became that he was a bit of a prick.) However, the bonus appearance by Chrissie Evert -- who inducted journalist Steve Flink -- was by far the highlight.

 Kim was lauded for being so nice -- when students arrive at the academy bearing her name she actually says "Hi" to them(!) -- but I couldn't help but wonder if that doesn't actually say more about how awful most of the other players are. #mariaserena.

With Gabby, Elsa and Damian

Saw a bunch of familiar faces wandering about, including James Blake, John Newcombe, Brad Gilbert, Jim Courier and Mardy Fish, who Damian is more than a little sweet on.

Class of 2017

Tennis Hall of Fame Nominees Announced

An interesting lineup this time around. On the rare occasion she was on, Mary Pierce struck me as being the best player of all time. And did anyone else have a HUGE crush on Sergi Bruguera back in the day? (Google him, he hasn't aged well!)

Reuters reports:

Amelie Mauresmo and Mary Pierce, both two-times grand slam singles champions, headlined the list of nominees up for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Also being nominated in the recent player category are two-times French Open champion Sergi Bruguera of Spain and Russia's Yevgeny Kafelnikov, winner of two grand slam singles titles, the Hall of Fame said in a statement on Thursday.

Davenport, Pierce and Martinez Lead 2014 Tennis Hall of Fame Inductees

Three big female names from the '90s headed to Newport, R.I.

The Associated Press reports:

Major champions Lindsay Davenport, Mary Pierce and Conchita Martinez are among the International Tennis Hall of Fame nominees for 2014. The Hall also announced Thursday that coach Nick Bollettieri, wheelchair player Chantal Vandierendonck, executive Jane Brown Grimes and author and broadcaster John Barrett are up for election next year. Davenport won singles titles at the U.S. Open in 1998, Wimbledon in 1999 and the Australian Open in 2000. She was ranked No. 1 for a total of 98 weeks, finishing at that spot in 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2005. Pierce was singles champion at the 1995 Australian Open and the 2000 French Open. Martinez is the only Spanish woman to win Wimbledon, beating Martina Navratilova in the 1994 final.

Davenport always drove me mad because she seemed like she was every bit as good as the Williams sisters, but then her negative attitude/body language would creep in -- sometimes while she was winning -- and she would roll over and die. It got so frustrating that I stopped rooting for her. (What was the point?) Pierce was just a complete nut case, so I chose to appreciate it when she was "on" -- a true thing of beauty -- even when Steffi Graf was her occasional victim!