Jana Novotna Inducted to Tennis Hall of Fame

Press Release:

NEWPORT, RI – Tony Trabert, President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, today announced the names of the individuals who have been elected for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame this year.


“We experienced an incredible year last year in celebrating the Hall of Fame’s 50th anniversary,” stated Trabert. “That momentum continues as we celebrate the careers of four new champions of tennis this July. It is my great honor to announce that Jim Courier, Yannick Noah, Jana Novotna and Butch Buchholz will represent the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Induction Class of 2005.”



The International Tennis Hall of Fame’s induction weekend for the Class of 2005 is scheduled for July 8-10, with the official Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies for Jim Courier, Yannick Noah, Jana Novotna and Butch Buchholz taking place on Saturday, July 9th in Newport, Rhode Island, home to the legends of tennis. The annual Hall of Fame Weekend caps off a full week of professional tournament tennis, as the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships played for the Van Alen Cup, an ATP event, runs July 4th through July 10th.



American Jim Courier (http://www.tennisfame.com/enshrinees/courier.html), 34, turned pro in 1988, and during his 13-year career he captured 23 singles titles and 6 doubles titles. He won back-to-back Australian Open Singles Championships in 1992-93 and back-to-back Singles Championships at Roland Garros 1991-1992. He was also a finalist at Roland Garros and Wimbledon in 1993 and a US Open finalist in 1991. His career win-loss record in singles Grand Slam match play stands at 118-37. In 1992, he became only the 10th player to reach the World No. 1 ranking since the ranking system was implemented in 1973. Overall, Courier spent a total of 58 weeks (non-consecutive) at No. 1, finishing 1992 as the No. 1 player in the world. He spent four years in the World Top 10 (1991, 1992, 1993, 1995) and was named the ATP Player of the Year in 1992. In Davis Cup, Courier played seven years for the USA, helping the Americans to win the Cup in 1992 and 1995. He competed in 14 ties, posting an overall win-loss record of 17-10 (16-10 singles; 1-0 doubles). A consistent player on all surfaces, the right-handed Courier was known for brandishing brutal groundstrokes in defeating his opponents.



In 1983 Yannick Noah (http://www.tennisfame.com/enshrinees/noah.html)became France’s next tennis hero, as he descended upon Roland Garros serving and volleying his way to the singles crown. Dropping only one set during the fortnight, he became the first Frenchman in 37 years to capture the men’s singles title. During his 12-year career he captured 23 singles titles and 16 doubles titles, and had an overall singles Grand Slam event win-loss record of 85-35. He reached his career high singles ranking of No. 3 in 1986, and was ranked in the World Top 10 six times (1982-87). In doubles, Noah won the 1984 title at Roland Garros (w/Leconte); he also reached the 1985 US Open doubles final (w/Leconte) and the 1987 French doubles final (w/Guy Forget); in August of 1986 he earned the No. 1 doubles ranking, holding it for a total of 19 weeks (non-consecutive). Born May 18, 1960 in Sedan, France, Noah was a member of France’s Davis Cup team for eleven years, playing in 22 ties and posting an overall 39-22 win-loss record (26-15 singles; 13-7 doubles). In 1991, Noah captained France’s Davis Cup team to victory, as the French reclaimed the Cup after 59 years, and then won again in 1996. In 1997, Noah also captained France’s Fed Cup team to their first-ever Fed Cup victory.



Jana Novotna (http://www.tennisfame.com/enshrinees/novotna.html), 36, of the Czech Republic, captured the women’s singles championship at Wimbledon in 1998 after reaching the final in both 1993 and 1997. In addition, she won 12 major women’s doubles championships: 2 Australian (1990, 1995); 3 French (1990-91, 1998); 4 Wimbledon (1989-90, 1995, 1998) and 3 US (1994, 1997-98); along with 4 major mixed doubles championships: 2 Australian (1988-89) Wimbledon (1988) and US (1987). In a career spanning twelve years, Novotna captured 24 singles titles and 76 doubles titles, reaching a career high singles ranking of No. 2 in 1997. She was ranked in the World Top 10 seven times between 1991 and 1998. Her career win-loss record stands at 568-223 in singles and 697-152 in doubles. Her doubles career took her to No. 1 eleven times, earning five WTA Doubles Team of the Year honors (1989-90 w/Sukova; 1991 w/Fernandez; 1996 w/Sanchez-Vicario; 1998 w/Hingis) and an International Tennis Federation Doubles Team of the Year honor (1997 w/Davenport). She played Fed Cup for eleven years (1987-93, 1995-98), competing in 33 ties and posting an overall win-loss record of 33-12 (22-7 singles; 11-5 doubles), and was a member of the 1988 winning Cup team. A serve and volley player, Novotna won the doubles silver medal in the 1988 Olympics, and went on to capture the singles bronze and doubles silver medals in the 1996 Olympics.



Earl “Butch” Buchholz, Jr. (http://www.tennisfame.com/enshrinees/buchholz.html), born September 16, 1940 in St. Louis, Missouri, has been elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the Contributor category. Buchholz has played key roles in the evolution of both professional and amateur tennis since 1963 when he became a founding member of the first men’s players association. He has been a pioneer in developing both men’s and women’s tennis, using his expertise in fundraising, sponsorship and marketing to help create a wider audience for numerous events throughout the world. He has served tennis in many professional and administrative capacities including Commissioner of World Team Tennis (1977-78), ATP Executive Director (1981-82) and member of the men’s pro council (1981-83), as well as Tournament Director for numerous events, including the prestigious Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami, which Buchholz founded in 1985. He helped create Altenis, the management company which oversees tournaments in Latin America and secured the continuation of the Orange Bowl International Tennis Tournament, a prominent junior tournament. He was also instrumental in setting up an ATP International Series event played in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He teamed with Arthur Ashe in 1992 to form the “Good Life Mentoring Program” benefiting hundreds of elementary and middle school children in the greater Miami area. As a player, Buchholz was the world No. 5 ranked player in 1960, was ranked four times in the US Top 10, played as a touring pro 1961-67 (U.S. Pro Champ 1962) and played Davis Cup 1959-60.



“These individuals continue to give to our sport on every level,” Trabert continued. “Their individual talents made them great champions, while their love for the game has kept them involved in tennis, sharing their knowledge, experience and expertise with players, administrators and fans worldwide. We are proud to honor Jana, Jim, Yannick and Butch as they take their place among the legends of tennis.”



Courier, Noah and Novotna have been elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the Recent Player category while Buchholz has been elected in the Contributor category. A panel of international tennis media voted on the Recent Player inductees, requiring at least a 75% favorable vote for election. The International Masters Panel, which consists of Hall of Fame inductees and other individuals who are highly knowledgeable of the sport and its history, voted on the Contributor category. Again, an affirmative vote of at least 75% was required for election.



Established in 1954, the International Tennis Hall of Fame is a non-profit institution dedicated to preserving the history of tennis, inspiring and encouraging junior tennis development, enshrining tennis heroes and heroines, and providing a landmark for tennis enthusiasts worldwide. The International Tennis Hall of Fame was recognized as the sport’s official Hall of Fame in 1986 by the International Tennis Federation, the governing body of tennis. Over the past fifty years, the International Tennis Hall of Fame has inducted 186 people representing eighteen different countries. With today’s announcement of the Class of 2005, 190 people now represent the honorees of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.



For additional information regarding the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2005 Inductees, Hall of Fame Weekend 2005, the Campbell’s Hall of Fame Tennis Championships (http://www.tennisfame.com/Championship/) or the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum, please call 401-849-3990, or visit our website, www.tennisfame.com (http://www.tennisfame.com/).

:explode:

^By that I mean I can think of someone who should be in there before her :mad:, not a slur on her induction.

I'm not too sure what to think of this. Congrats to Jana. :) But I don't think a player with only 1 grand slam singles title and her reputation for folding under pressure should be inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame so soon after they retired. If this was 10 years after she retired then I could understand it better. I sure enjoyed watching Novotna play with her natural serve and volley game. :D Her style of tennis is greatly missed.

Oh I miss Rhode Island. :(.

Congrats Jana btw.

Courier, Novotna and Noah? Jeebus christopher. It just doesn't seem like it's their turn yet. At this rate, Maria Sharapova will be inducted next year.

I'm not too sure what to think of this. Congrats to Jana. :) But I don't think a player with only 1 grand slam singles title and her reputation for folding under pressure should be inducted in the International Tennis Hall of Fame so soon after they retired. If this was 10 years after she retired then I could understand it better. I sure enjoyed watching Novotna play with her natural serve and volley game. :D Her style of tennis is greatly missed.

She was my favourite ever, but I agree -- probably she should not be in it.
Doubles, her Olympic achievements and her incredible Wimbledon story might cause her induction.
It is even more missed since Tauziat retired.

The rules for the Recent Player category are quite clear...

- Active as competitors in the sport within the last 20 years prior to consideration.

- Not a significant factor on the ATP Tour or the WTA Tour within five years prior to election.

- A distinguished record of competitive achievement at the highest international level, with consideration given to integrity, sportsmanship and character.

Novotna certainly satisfies those requirements. Also, even though she has only one Grand Slam singles title, she has made many more finals, and also has an excellent doubles record.

If Pam Shriver, with no Slam singles titles and one Slam singles final, managed to get into the Hall of Fame in 2002, based mainly on her superb doubles play, then why not Novotna?

They let anyone in nowadays!




Achem.

If Pam Shriver, with no Slam singles titles and one Slam singles final, managed to get into the Hall of Fame in 2002, based mainly on her superb doubles play, then why not Novotna?
Because she's not best friends with Martina <who managed to get me in>

Not because you're spreading your legs for a washed-out so-called "actor"? :nerner:

Not because you're spreading your legs for a washed-out so-called "actor"? :nerner:
Not as easy as it sounds...
http://www.dongettyphoto.com/kenya/images/Reticulated-Giraffe.jpg

Crouching, Shriver was one half of the greatest doubles team in the history of women's tennis that's why she's in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She was a good singles player and an all time great doubles player and that's why she was inducted.

If Pam Shriver, with no Slam singles titles and one Slam singles final, managed to get into the Hall of Fame in 2002, based mainly on her superb doubles play, then why not Novotna?

Excellent example...why not indeed? :confused: I was very impressed with her doubles titles.:D She was a natural gifted player who had "tons of talent":worship: that except for her nerves would have accomplished much more!:sad:

Congrats to Novotna she is very deserving of this prestigious award.:hearts:


barmaid :wavey:

I wonder if Shriver would trade 100 doubles titles for Novotna's 1 Slam title? :)

I (like a few others here) would have rather seen Gabriela Sabatini get there first, and if we go back through history, there was a terrific coach by the name of Eleanor "Teach" Tennant (Alice Marble, Maureen Connolly, among many, many others) who is still not in the Hall of Fame. I guess the important thing to realize is that there is always next year...

I guess that means Sabatini and Conchita will also make it.

Congratulations to Novotna. Well deserved.

I bet the answer is no, Crouching.

That's great for Jana :yeah: :D

I'm surprised that it's come so first. But congratulations Jana. You deserve it. :hearts:

:worship: :yeah: :kiss: well done Jana! i'm so happy for her! :D

I guess they won't have too many choices for the next few potential female inductees into the Recent Player Category.... Graf and Seles won most of the Slam titles from that era, so we are left with the people with one or two or a few Slams... So that means Sabatini, Sanchez-Vicario, Majoli and Hingis who are retired or sorta retired. ASV isn't "a significant factor in the WTA tour" today even though she is sorta playing.

My guess is Majoli won't be inducted as her non-1997 RG record is not that great, but they might get a bit desperate one year! Then again, not every year has a female Recent Player inductee.

Among the active-but-getting old category, we have Martinez, Pierce, Davenport, Capriati and of course Seles (make up your mind sweetheart - are you playing or retiring?). If some of those retire this year, they should get in from 2010 onwards, after they've inducted Sabatini (eligible since 2001), Sanchez-Vicario (eligible in 2007) and Hingis (eligible in 2007).

Yeah Jana!!

I do miss her as she was my favorite in the 1990s -- although Mrs. WH probably does not miss the way I paced while watching her matches. I will never forget her Wimbledon triumph in 1998 after so much heartache.

No way can Iva Majoli be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Iva was a good player for a couple of years and shocked the world by beating Martina Hingis in the 1997 French Open final. :eek: But her career was alteast 2 levels below Novotna's so I can't see Majoli getting inducted in the future.

There's still Natasha and Gigi (they haven't been inducted yet, have they?). Don't forget the doubles greats.

Zvereva - OK, she has a case, as she had a good singles record to add to her doubles greatness.

In Gigi Fernandez's case, it's a little bit more dubious...

I guess that means Sabatini and Conchita will also make it.

Don't keep your hopes up - next year, it will have been ten years since Sabatini retired.

Novotna has barely been retired for six, yet, despite her arguably inferior record she's cruised in ahead of Gaby.

I'm beginning to wonder if it's ever going to happen, hence my original post in this thread.

Jana was a great player but the standards are lowering every year with the Hall of Fame. Yannick Noah only made it beyond a Grand Slam QF twice.

As for Gaby, Pam Shriver is now part of the Hall of Fame board I believe? Since Pam got in on her doubles achievements, her vote certainly would go with Novotna based on the doubles record. Look at their singles careers though and we all agree singles is the main factor in a player's career - Gaby was a genuine rival to peak Seles and Graf - (before an argument breaks out on when Graf was peak Graf, any Graf was great, period.) I think Gaby beat Steffi more than anyone. I know ASV beat her 8 times, Martina beat her 9 but I think Gaby managed 10 or 11 times. Jana was not as genuine a rival to the top players during that period. I think if Jana is in then Gaby should be in, if not then Pam's inculsion has set a precedent in doubles becoming a bigger factor than it used to.

Look at their singles careers though and we all agree singles is the main factor in a player's career - Gaby was a genuine rival to peak Seles and Graf - (before an argument breaks out on when Graf was peak Graf, any Graf was great, period.) I think Gaby beat Steffi more than anyone. I know ASV beat her 8 times, Martina beat her 9 but I think Gaby managed 10 or 11 times. Jana was not as genuine a rival to the top players during that period. I think if Jana is in then Gaby should be in, if not then Pam's inculsion has set a precedent in doubles becoming a bigger factor than it used to.
:worship:

Raquel you know if there were a poster hall of fame you'd get my vote ;).

Jana was a great player but the standards are lowering every year with the Hall of Fame. Yannick Noah only made it beyond a Grand Slam QF twice.

As for Gaby, Pam Shriver is now part of the Hall of Fame board I believe? Since Pam got in on her doubles achievements, her vote certainly would go with Novotna based on the doubles record. Look at their singles careers though and we all agree singles is the main factor in a player's career - Gaby was a genuine rival to peak Seles and Graf - (before an argument breaks out on when Graf was peak Graf, any Graf was great, period.) I think Gaby beat Steffi more than anyone. I know ASV beat her 8 times, Martina beat her 9 but I think Gaby managed 10 or 11 times. Jana was not as genuine a rival to the top players during that period. I think if Jana is in then Gaby should be in, if not then Pam's inculsion has set a precedent in doubles becoming a bigger factor than it used to.
Yes, but lest you forget, the Pammenator stands heads and shoulders above the competition, regardless of the criteria. None of those girls you mentioned can fill her shoes. In fact, I'd wager all of them put together can't fill a giraffe's shoes!:lol:

:worship:

Raquel you know if there were a poster hall of fame you'd get my vote ;).
:lol: Thank Kart :kiss: You know you'd be in mine too. And the Avatar Hall of Fame too :worship:

I was just thinking in threads like this about the 90s Irma is usually posting,but I've not seen her for a while on the board. I hope she is doing OK :)

You mean Sabatini isn't in the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Novotna is? :confused: That is perplexing to say the least because Sabatini was a better player than Novotna was and she was a real rival to the top players of her era while Novotna wasn't.

One thing I am sure is that Capriati, Davenport, Serena, Venus, and Justine will all be inducted to HoF once they become eligible. They all have at least 3 slam titles and an olympic gold medal (Venus has 2).

The big question is whether Kim Clijsters will also make it if she retires now. She made 4 slam finals and won 2 YEC championships, plus she and Sugiyama had a good run on doubles. And she was world No.1. But she never won a slam and she refused to play the Olympics and Fed Cup. Overall, I think she will be inducted someday but likely after the above 5 players.

I have a feeling Myskina will be inducted to HoF someday even with just 1 slam win. Russian tennis will flourish in the years to come and she will be remembered as a pioneer. Her RG title is as significant as Noah's. So, one is enough. Besides, she also won the Fed Cup for Russia.

Further down the list is Mauresmo. If she retires now, she has zero slam title, 1 slam final, 1 Olympic silver medal, and 1 Fed Cup victory. And she was ranked No.1. The case is marginal. Unless the standard of HoF continues to slip, she should not make it.

Jana won Wimbledon, so she should be there. However, she should not have been inducted before Gabriela Sabatini.

Jana was a great player but the standards are lowering every year with the Hall of Fame. Yannick Noah only made it beyond a Grand Slam QF twice.
Yannick did win the French open though. :o

You mean Sabatini isn't in the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Novotna is? :confused: That is perplexing to say the least because Sabatini was a better player than Novotna was and she was a real rival to the top players of her era while Novotna wasn't.
Not only Sabatini has beaten Steffi, Monica, Martina more than Jana, but also has a leading head 2 head record vs the likes of Conchita, Arantxa, Capriati, Davenport. :rolleyes: The Hall of Fame Judging comitee

curious choice.....
after steffi and stefan edberg?????
one GS and .....???

Jana
:woohoo:

jana deserves it- congrats! :)

sabatini, majoli etc will get their turn one day

hurrah Jana! :D :woohoo:

Great news, she is a good choice!

P.S. I don't see how you can say she wasn't a threat to the top players.

I guess they won't have too many choices for the next few potential female inductees into the Recent Player Category.... Graf and Seles won most of the Slam titles from that era, so we are left with the people with one or two or a few Slams... So that means Sabatini, Sanchez-Vicario, Majoli and Hingis who are retired or sorta retired. ASV isn't "a significant factor in the WTA tour" today even though she is sorta playing.

My guess is Majoli won't be inducted as her non-1997 RG record is not that great, but they might get a bit desperate one year! Then again, not every year has a female Recent Player inductee.

Among the active-but-getting old category, we have Martinez, Pierce, Davenport, Capriati and of course Seles (make up your mind sweetheart - are you playing or retiring?). If some of those retire this year, they should get in from 2010 onwards, after they've inducted Sabatini (eligible since 2001), Sanchez-Vicario (eligible in 2007) and Hingis (eligible in 2007).

Arantxa won 4 Grand slam titles...and has been in the finals 12 times... Hingis won grand slam titles 5 times... we are far from one time grand slam champions ;) They both deserve it more than anybody at this time.

I think Novotna deserved to be in it becuase of her Wimbledon 'problem' prior to 1998, this shows her courage to win a Grand Slam at the age of 28 (?) and thus her 'greatness'.

there should be a selection that is seperate for singles and doubles specialists.

there is no doubt in singles terms Sabatini deserves to be in the Hall of Fame. she probably the most popular player ever. she achived this by her charisma and her talent unlike other players she did not need to win many slams or top the rankings to achive this popularity.

as a result of her popularity she put more bums on seats then anyone else and helped the wta establish itself and helped the current players establish themselves because she had already created advertising oppertunities that the likes of kournikova benifited from at a later date.

as good as navotna was at doubles she was not as good as sabatini in singles and she had little to no effect on the game were as sabatini is an all time legand and rember she achievd this because of her personality qualities as a human and her talent.

in short if sabatini does not qualify for the hall of fame then tennis needs to take a look at itself and how it rates the people who helped to make it important to the fans.

Sabatini has two years to really have a shot at the HOF before she gets overshadowed forever. When Hingis and Arantxa are up, she won't have a shot. Then, Seles will follow that, and probably Davenport and Capriati.

She really deserves it too, but the reasons for her inclusion have been discussed enough in the past. If the HOF is basing who gets inducted in part on how memorable the players were (e.g. Noah's win at the french), then Gaby should be there in a heartbeat.

Majoli has no shot in hell.

Like in Baseball, "first ballot inductees" should be the best of the best...the legends...and Novotna is not that. I'm not sure she even deserves to be in at all. I remember her bawling at Wimbledon, but she wasn't that memorable aside from that.

None of the top 3 Russians would qualify now...they all need at least one more grand slam. Clijsters is in...she dominated all of her events (at least those without Henin) for almost 2 years, made many finals, and was #1. Mauresmo could get in if she repeats the year she had in 2004 a few more times...but she really needs to get to another final at least.

Yeah Jana:)

You mean Sabatini isn't in the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Novotna is? :confused: That is perplexing to say the least because Sabatini was a better player than Novotna was and she was a real rival to the top players of her era while Novotna wasn't.


Sabatini never won Wimbledon in singles, now did she.

Sabatini never won Wimbledon in singles, now did she.
She was two points away ... and Novotna was how close to winning the US open ?

bronco I don't know you but I think I love you :hearts:.

I don't understand why some people think that Jana mustn't be inducted before Sabatini. It's not the point! Jana deserves totally by her achievments in singles & doubles to be honored, and she's certainly not the reason why Sabatini is not in yet!

It's just that time is running out hanafan !!!

Sabatini never won Wimbledon in singles, now did she.
Just in case I haven't pointed this out already, bolding your posts is completely unnecessary and irritating. Your points are no more valid if you decided to throw the bold tags around them. In fact, they become even less valid because of the unnecessary dressing.

:)

...she had already created advertising oppertunities that the likes of kournikova benifited from at a later date...

I'm sure you've seen this, but thought I'd pop it in here because it's sooo nice to look at:

politically correct.....

Jana does deserve this accolade - and don't worry Arantxa Sanchez Vicario and Martina will probably enter at some stage. You never know if Martina comes back in Thailand with a bang she could be adding to the tally of slams.

Jana Novotna and Yannick Noah do not deserve to be in the Hall of Fame and neither does Pam Shriver.:mad: However, they have been voted in and that's that.:rolleyes: [Sportswriters vote for them, not a HOF committee. The HOF committee nominates players and sportswriters vote for them.]

I don't know why Gaby Sabatini is not in the HOF. She should be. But now she can only be voted in on the "veteran" ballot and I believe she has to wait a few more years for that.

Thank goodness for 2004 when the best of the best were voted in . . . Steffi Graf and Stefan Edberg.:kiss: :hearts: It was a pleasure to be there in person and watch REAL STARS being honored and truly deserving the honor.:angel: Novotna and Noah should actually hang their heads in shame because I just know they know they don't deserve this honor. It's pathetic.:tape: The tennis Hall of Fame is fast becoming a joke.:lol: But, I'm not laughing.:sad:

It's shame really. For Gaby.
Not being appreciated like this is just wrong.
Gaby Sabatini fans everywhere should make it a point and make their voices heard.