This year’s International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) Induction Celebration will have a distinctive look and feel from past ceremonies. After the ATP’s decision to offload several 250 tournaments—the Hall of Fame Open among them—ITHF took the opportunity to retool its Induction Weekend, which had occurred on the second to last day of the tournament. What emerged was an inspired new vision for the organization, separating the tournament so that it fit in the month of July and placing the Induction activities as a headlining festival in August. The new concept allowed ITHF the opportunity to look at each event with fresh eyes and give each greater focus.
The conversations resulted in a Challenger tour/WTA 125 tournament that brought back women to compete on Newport’s historic grass courts last month.
“We were really happy to have women playing on the grass again for the first time in over 30 years,” said Julianna Barbieri, Senior Vice President, Content & Partnerships.
“And the fact that we had six courts of competition, we had so many more matches, there was so much more for the fans to see.”
A new vision for Induction Weekend
The Induction Ceremony became a blank canvas on which Hall of Fame leadership could supplement creatively. A fresh perspective has generated an Induction Ceremony that has transformed into a more community-driven and fan-focused celebration.
“It really is giving us the opportunity to give the induction the amount of gravitas and attention that it deserves,” said Barbieri.
There are still the elegant components that fit into the high-end Newport social scene, including the Fit for Fame and Courting Fashion (at Marble House) events. But the local community is also being treated to fan- driven Fame Fest all weekend, a first-time Celebrity Pro Classic on Friday, several podcasts with tennis legends and a fun concert to close out the celebration Saturday night. There really is something for everyone.
“There’s so many activities for fans and for the inductees, and we’re really able to give the event its due.”
Prior to the celebrations on the Tennis Hall grounds on Bellevue, there will be an engaging tennis court pop-up, “Tennis Wave,” right in the middle of downtown Newport on Thursday, August 21, at Bowen’s Wharf. Amidst the backdrop of harbor views, tennis fans will get a chance to test out the regulation court where ITHF pros will be providing complimentary lessons, tips and clinics all afternoon. As an additional bonus, inductees Bob and Mike Bryan will be stopping by for an hour to work with Team FAME—ITHF’s outreach program—for a special tennis clinic and Q&A. The free tennis pop-up is presented by 11th Hour Racing. Tennis icon Tracey Austin is also expected to drop in, probably before the Bryan Brothers, who are scheduled to appear around 3:00 p.m.
Fame Fest: a two-day fan village for all ages
Kicking off the festivities is a first-time Fame Fest on Friday. The grounds of the Hall of Fame will be transformed into a giant fan festival for Friday and Saturday. This carnival of tennis culture will feature food trucks, interactive games, photo booths, Q&A panels with Hall of Famers (!), a Stella bar where you can get your pint glass engraved and live podcast recordings with legends of the game. The Fan Fest goes from 12:00 – 6:00 p.m. on Friday and 12:00 – 8:00 p.m. on Saturday. General admission tickets are $39.99 and kids 12 and under are free.
Fans can watch podcasts live as Patrick McEnroe records “TennisWorthy,” Andy Roddick hosts “Served,” and Kim Clijsters leads “Love All,” right on the grounds of the Hall of Fame. The Full schedule can be found here.
“Fest has so many activities for kids. We created what we’re calling a Passport to Greatness. So any kid that comes in, they’ll be handed a passport, and they can go around and collect stamps of all the different activations.”
Celebrities descending upon Newport to play tennis
For the first time, ITHF is hosting a Celebrity Pro Classic, taking place on Stadium Court. “The Office’s” Angela Kinsey, Emmy-winning actress Uzo Aduba (“Orange is the New Black” and a Boston native) and comedian Hannah Berner will join Hall of Famers Kim Clijsters, Andy Roddick, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario, James Blake as well as inductees Bob and Mike Bryan.
“We have a really fun matchup of for the Celebrity Classic with Bob and Mike Bryan, James Blake and Andy Roddick playing the third match of the day, which will be kind of a reunion from the 2007 Davis Cup.”
Emcees and tennis commentators Blair Henley and Nick McCarvel will provide commentary.
“It’s Hall of Famers and celebrities on the court at the same time, and fast paced doubles matches. Everybody will be mic’d up. We have some celebrities in the chair who will be able to give out some penalty cards,” added Barbieri about some of the amusing moments to look forward to.
The big event with a bonus concert
The heart of the weekend is the celebratory moment when the game’s newest legends are enshrined, a ceremony always populated with several tennis legends. Following last year’s move, the Hall of Fame’s Horseshoe Court will host the induction of Maria Sharapova (who has never been to Newport before) and the Bryan Brothers Saturday evening. The celebration will be broadcast live on Tennis Channel.
“Each of the events is unique and in its own way.
“We have so many different activations and activities, and the concert is going to be fun,” said Barbieri about ITHF, with the property harkening back to it’s musical history when Bob Dylan and Joan Baez played on the property.
Even for many of the returning Hall of Famers, the Hall of Fame itself will be a new experience since many of them haven’t seen the museum renovations that took place this year yet.
“It’ll be really neat to see them walk through the Hall of Famers gallery and see their racquet,” which corresponds with each Hall of Famer’s profile in the gallery.
For the ceremony, once again ITHF has come up with something new, adding an action-filled concert from indie pop sensation Fitz and the Tantrums, taking place at Stadium Court at 8:00 p.m. Known for their infectious hits like “HandClap”, “Out of My League” and “The Walker”, the concert will provide the perfect way to let loose after the celebration.
“Everyone I have spoken to who has ever seen them play has said they are phenomenal.”
Don’t be surprised if the tennis legends stop by and rock out with the band. And if you just want to take in the concert, you don’t need an Induction Ceremony ticket to attend the concert. It’s a pretty cool way to close out the festival.
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