Post by tall_one on Jan 12, 2005 1:04:24 GMT
Courier, Noah, Novotna, Buchholz elected to hall
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) -- Major champions Jim Courier, Yannick Noah and Jana Novotna were elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, along with tour administrator Butch Buchholz.
The 2005 class was announced Tuesday by hall president Tony Trabert.
Courier, 34, won the French Open in 1991-92 and the Australian Open in 1992-93, spent a total of 58 weeks ranked No. 1, and helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 1992 and 1995.
Wearing a white ball cap, Courier pounded the ball from the baseline like a baseball slugger, using skills carried over from the sport that was his first love.
He joined Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Michael Chang in dominating a decade of the men's game, and was the first of that group to win two Grand Slam tournaments and the first to be ranked No. 1. Courier also was the first of that stellar group to retire, quitting tournament tennis in 2000.
Noah, 44, won the 1983 French Open, the first Frenchman to succeed at Roland Garros in 37 years. Ranked as high as No. 3, he finished with 23 titles in singles and 16 in doubles, including the 1984 French Open with Henri Leconte.
He captained France to the 1991 and 1996 Davis Cup titles, and led the country to its first Fed Cup championship in 1997.
Novotna, 36, was the Wimbledon singles champion in 1998 and the runner-up in 1993 and 1997.
She sobbed on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent during the trophy ceremony after losing the 1993 final at the All England Club to Steffi Graf. Novotna was one point from a 5-1 lead in the last set when she double-faulted, then lost five straight games and the match.
The serve-and-volleyer reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 2 in 1997, and got to No. 1 in doubles. Novotna won 12 Grand Slam titles in doubles and four in mixed doubles.
Buchholz, elected in the contributor category, was a founding member of the first men's players' association in 1963. He was the commissioner of World Team Tennis in the 1970s, and the ATP executive director and member of the men's pro council in the 1980s.
The four new members, raising the hall's total to 190, will be inducted July 9.
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) -- Major champions Jim Courier, Yannick Noah and Jana Novotna were elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, along with tour administrator Butch Buchholz.
The 2005 class was announced Tuesday by hall president Tony Trabert.
Courier, 34, won the French Open in 1991-92 and the Australian Open in 1992-93, spent a total of 58 weeks ranked No. 1, and helped the United States win the Davis Cup in 1992 and 1995.
Wearing a white ball cap, Courier pounded the ball from the baseline like a baseball slugger, using skills carried over from the sport that was his first love.
He joined Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Michael Chang in dominating a decade of the men's game, and was the first of that group to win two Grand Slam tournaments and the first to be ranked No. 1. Courier also was the first of that stellar group to retire, quitting tournament tennis in 2000.
Noah, 44, won the 1983 French Open, the first Frenchman to succeed at Roland Garros in 37 years. Ranked as high as No. 3, he finished with 23 titles in singles and 16 in doubles, including the 1984 French Open with Henri Leconte.
He captained France to the 1991 and 1996 Davis Cup titles, and led the country to its first Fed Cup championship in 1997.
Novotna, 36, was the Wimbledon singles champion in 1998 and the runner-up in 1993 and 1997.
She sobbed on the shoulder of the Duchess of Kent during the trophy ceremony after losing the 1993 final at the All England Club to Steffi Graf. Novotna was one point from a 5-1 lead in the last set when she double-faulted, then lost five straight games and the match.
The serve-and-volleyer reached a career-high singles ranking of No. 2 in 1997, and got to No. 1 in doubles. Novotna won 12 Grand Slam titles in doubles and four in mixed doubles.
Buchholz, elected in the contributor category, was a founding member of the first men's players' association in 1963. He was the commissioner of World Team Tennis in the 1970s, and the ATP executive director and member of the men's pro council in the 1980s.
The four new members, raising the hall's total to 190, will be inducted July 9.
