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INTERNATIONAL TENNIS HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONYJuly 18, 2015Christopher ClouserDavid HallNancy JeffertTodd MartinPam ShriverStan SmithNEWPORT, RHODE ISLAND CHRIS BERMAN: Good morning, everyone. Christopher Clouser, will start things off. CHRISTOPHER CLOUSER: Thank you for joining us. We're joined by Stan Smith, Todd Martin. Today we have the honor of celebrating the greatest champions and the greatest contributors to the sport of tennis. This is our enshrinement weekend and there's nothing more important to the International Tennis Hall of Fame than the induction into the Hall of Fame. I want to extend my appreciation to Rolex for helping make this day so very special. They've been the official timepiece of the tournament and the International Hall of Fame for a number of years. They're a wonderful partner. I urge each of you to leave here today and go buy a Rolex, or two. Rolex, with the new renovation of the museum, which I trust each of you came through, they have become a museum partner and helped us fund a large part of the newness you'll hopefully see. Please welcome 2015 inductee David Hall. Probably the nicest thing I get to do is call. It was early, wasn't it? DAVID HALL: Yes. CHRIS BERMAN: What did you say? Thanks, mate, see you in Newport. And please welcome 2015 inductee Nancy Jeffett. Our player inductee happens to be very pregnant, eight and a half months. We're privileged to have a Hall of Famer who does more for the Hall of Fame than any Hall of Famer. She does the toughest stuff, the nicest stuff. She's our favorite. Please welcome Pam Shriver. I'm going to turn it over to Stan Smith, who will formally introduce our inductees. So, Stan, thank you. STAN SMITH: This year's Hall of Fame honors three great champions of the sport, each of whom have had an impact in a very unique and important way. While she is unfortunately never been able to join us, we are delighted to welcome Frances' Amélie Mauresmo into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Known for her powerful and one‑handed backhand, which I appreciate, and strong net play, Amélie Mauresmo held the No.1 ranking for 39 weeks and was one the world's top 5 for 191 weeks. She was a singles champion at both Wimbledon and the Australian Open, and a silver medalist at the 2004 Olympic games. Amélie has been a successful coach for many top players, and of course currently Andy Murray. Amélie is about eight and a half months pregnant and unfortunately not able to travel. However, we will welcome her to the International Tennis Hall of Fame and look forward to celebrating with her next year. Also in the recent player category we're delighted to welcome David Hall of Sydney, Australia. One of the world's most decorated wheelchair tennis players, David was ranked No.1 in singles and doubles and won every major title in the sport multiple times. In 1986, he was the 16‑year‑old. David was struck by a car and had both his legs amputated. After about seven months of rehabilitation, he saw a photograph of a wheelchair tennis player in the newspaper and was intrigued. Within a year he entered his first tournament. He went on to become a six‑time Paralympic medalist, winning medals in singles and doubles in 1996, 2000, and 2004. In the 2000 games of Sydney in front of his home crowd of about 15,000 people, he won the gold medal in singles and a silver medal in doubles. David holds a remarkable single's career record of 632‑111 and a career doubles of 397‑89. He retired in 2006 but remains highly engaged in promoting tennis around the world. David, congratulations. DAVID HALL: Thank you. STAN SMITH: In the contributor category which recognizes other sport's dedicated leaders, we are pleased to welcome Nancy Jeffett. Over the past 50 years, Nancy has been instrumental in advancing professional women's tennis and in developing opportunities for junior tennis development. She is a co‑founder of the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation, a foundation that inspires youth tennis through hosting major tournaments for juniors around the world. This organization hosts a dozen major tournaments and has contributed more than $4 million to player development, in public parks to professional tournaments. Nancy was an early leader to the promotion of women's pro game through the Virginia Slims of Dallas, one of the most popular tournaments in the early stages of the WTA Tour, and the first women's event to be televised with a large amount of prize money. In addition to her work with the MCBTF, Jeffett has served the sport in numerous capacities including a highly active member of the USTA Executive Committee and the Fed Cup committee. Pam Shriver will present Nancy in the induction ceremony today. David, I want to start with you. Do you have a few words or thoughts about this induction today? DAVID HALL: Well, it's been incredible. I think the whole experience has been amazing. As Chris mentioned before, the phone call, the notice that I'm going to be inducted. Then organizing all my family and friends, the people that I care about, to be here this weekend. Just arriving the other day. I've never been to Newport. I've never been here to the Hall of Fame. So to be on‑site, check out the museum, all my memorabilia that's in there, how they've done it is incredible. It's fantastic. All those things that meant so much to me over the years. Then to cruise around the grounds, to meet everybody, you feel the history. You feel the history of tennis. I think to have wheelchair tennis included amongst this beautiful sport I think is incredible. For me to be here and to be considered a small part of that history of the sport that we love is great. It's great for me. I'm very proud and honored to be here. STAN SMITH: You're really part of the history of the sport. It would be great to know how many people you've inspired to play tennis, wheelchair players and non‑wheelchair players over the years. We'll never know, but I'm sure it's in the thousands. DAVID HALL: Yeah, could be. Hopefully millions (laughter). Like I know for me, it was Brad Parks, Randy Snow. Those were the guys that I wanted to be like and to play and compete against. Hopefully in my 15‑year career people have seen me play or come up against me on the court, and they wanted to try to emulate what I was doing, what I was trying to accomplish in wheelchair tennis. Look, if I've inspired one, a thousand, a million, a trillion... STAN SMITH: Let's not stop there. Congratulations, we'll see you on the court here in a few minutes. Nancy, would you like to say anything? NANCY JEFFETT: I'd like to thank everybody for being here. These people are my friends. I have collected friends through the years. That's how I've been successful, because I've had so much support from all the young players and the adults. I've had a wonderful life being involved in tennis. STAN SMITH: I know there's a lot of young girls that would like to thank you on this day. NANCY JEFFETT: Absolutely. So it's been a love of life, a life of love, and I'm thrilled to be here, and thank you very much to the Hall of Fame. STAN SMITH: Congratulations to you. I know Pam has a few thoughts about Nancy. PAM SHRIVER: I certainly do. But I also want to first congratulate David Hall. Actually when I was working at ESPN this year at the Australian Open, I saw David get inducted into the Tennis Australia Hall of Fame. To see him now do the double within the same year is pretty cool. Actually, I got my Hall of Fame ring a number of years ago in a little ceremony with lifelong rival and friend Tracy Austin and Brad Parks on a court in UCLA. So congratulations to David, and to Amélie Mauresmo who is not here. It's funny, in March, during Indian Wells, I spoke to Amélie. I said, Have you ever been to Newport? Congratulations. She was like, No, I'm trying to figure so much. I could see this look of stress on her face. I said, It's an amazing place, you're going to love it. I shared some of my memories with her from 2002 when I was inducted, and two weeks later it came out she was going to be eight and a half months pregnant. She obviously wasn't sharing with people what was going on yet, but I could see there was a complication for her to be here. But next year it will be neat to have her come and be with the class of 2016. Now, for Nancy Jeffett. First off, she's from originally St.Louis, which is a town where my parents got married and my first sister was born. I first met Nancy when I was 15 years of age. I played in the Virginia Slims of Dallas.  It was my third pro tournament. I knew I was arriving into big‑time tennis when I played the Virginia Slims of Dallas. It was a tournament that at the time Martina Navratilova was playing that year, Evonne Goolagong, Tracy Austin had burst onto the scene, there was a local star named Anne Smith, really one of Dallas' great female tennis players and a major doubles winner, top 10 singles player. What happened there, three amateurs got to the semifinals. What I didn't understand at age 15 was how that signified a great year for the Maureen Connolly Brinker Foundation, it meant that a lot of money went back into junior development through the foundation that Nancy and Little Mo first founded in 1968, and then Nancy continued in memory of Little Mo from 1969. So that tournament for me was my sort of debut into big‑time women's tennis. I played it every single year. It was the most special of atmospheres. I can't explain it, except Moody Coliseum on the campus of SMU just provided a big‑time tennis feel. Nancy Jeffett was one of the early risk‑takers, pioneers to help put women's tennis on the map. Not only her business acumen and pioneering spirit, but also her hospitality, because if you're from Dallas, one thing about the city of Dallas is they know how to be hospitable. We as tennis players had the most incredible time. Now when I think about Nancy and being able to present her and her life of work in tennis, whether it's a 1965 Davis Cup tie that she brought to a public park in Dallas when Arthur Ashe was playing, to the work at Virginia Slims of Dallas, to founding the Maureen Connolly Brinker Foundation. We have close friends in L.A. that have come back from a Little Mo junior tournament. I remember when I was 16 years of age playing in the Maureen Connolly Brinker Cup, USA versus Great Britain. This is a woman who touched tennis at so many different levels, in Dallas, in St. Louis, and so many places globally, it's one of my great honors to be able to present her later today. NANCY JEFFETT: Thank you. Very sweet. STAN SMITH: Thank you, Pam. PAM SHRIVER: I hope I saved the best for on the court. STAN SMITH: Before I turn this over to Todd to talk about the recent changes and developments here at the Hall of Fame, I'd like to open it up to questions for our Hall of Famers from the floor here. Q. (No microphone.) DAVID HALL: Well, there was a period of adjustment, obviously. I think the fact that I did play sport before. Tennis was my favorite. Tennis was the main sport I think I felt that connection with, the emotion. But I did play other sports. So for me, I just wanted to move on. I had a lot of negative energy. I think anyone that has a major life event, especially my kind of injury and accident, whatever negative energy you've got, like you want to try to put that somewhere else, harness it into a place that's positive. So I grew up playing tennis with this bloke here, Brownie. I loved it. I enjoyed it. I thought if I could tap into that enjoyment, that would be a positive thing for me. Everyone's different. There are other guys that play wheelchair tennis that didn't take it up until years later. Some took it up straightaway. I think everyone has their own path, their own way of dealing with things. So for me tennis was like a great outlet to pour the negativity into and turn it into a positive. Socially it was great to meet other people. Tennis gave me an opportunity to travel and experience different cultures and go overseas. You know, Australia is a long way from anywhere (laughter). I kind of felt that this was a really good opportunity to tap into a sport that I'm really enjoying. Then it kind of turned into dreams and goals. The tennis tour was taking off. It was something that I just wanted to be a part of. Now here I am all these years later about to be inducted, which is incredible. STAN SMITH: If you have a chance, you could take a look at the clip of David winning the gold in Sydney. There's 15,000 people. You can see it and hear it. There's a lot of emotion from winning that title. Q. (No microphone.) NANCY JEFFETT: What am I most proud of? I guess my proudest moment is seeing some of our girls and young men who have developed into exceptional citizens through their interest in tennis, like the current president of the United States Tennis Association is a girl that came to our program. That's been the thrilling part, is to see what some of the young people have done that have been involved with us. PAM SHRIVER: That would be Katrina Adams. NANCY JEFFETT: She is the current president of the USTA. I remember selecting her as an outstanding junior girl. I'd say she's outstanding. PAM SHRIVER: Good pick. NANCY JEFFETT: Anyway, all those experiences with all these friends have made this a career of love and understanding. I've had a wonderful run. Q. How great of a feeling is it that the organization is still giving back to kids? NANCY JEFFETT: It's a very thrilling experience. I have enjoyed every moment of it. You know, I can't express exactly how thrilling it is to wake up and realize you have touched a lot of people's lives, but I've been a lucky lady. Q. Which accomplishments do you feel the best about and which do you feel you can give on to other players? DAVID HALL: I think the on‑court accomplishment is the gold medal in Sydney. What Stan was saying before, the fact that I could do it at home in front of my family and friends. I mean, I was kind of fortunate. It's not every day that the IOC announce they're going to run an Olympics and Paralympics in your home city. They did that in '93. I always had that idea kind of percolating in the back of my brain that for seven years I was going to get this chance and opportunity. Then I think when it came around and the buildup to it, the lead‑up to it, it was so big for local athletes. Then just to control the emotion at the moment, when you're in the gold medal match, try to execute your shots and your game plan. I think that's probably the moment that I'm most proud of in terms of my tennis career. It only comes around every four years. STAN SMITH: What was the score in the final? Can you remember? DAVID HALL: I lost the first set in a tiebreak. I was playing Stevie Welch from Texas. He could push the chair like no one else. Super quick. I won the second I think 6‑4. You might have seen on the footage when I won the second, I tried to rev the crowd up. I was trying to draw the energy from the crowd. I win the second. I'm not really emotional on the court. I'm subdued, kind of keep all my emotions internalized. I thought, Now is the perfect opportunity to rev the crowd up, get the energy. Then I think I lost the next two games after that (laughter). Didn't really work. But I was able to just come back in the end and win it. I think it was 6‑3. STAN SMITH: What do you mean you think it was? PAM SHRIVER: Last night I was looking at the gold medal that I donated from the '88 Games from Seoul. It had the score from Zina Garrison and I had won. I didn't remember the score. I didn't know whether we won 9‑7 in the final set, 12‑10 or 10‑8. I know what David is talking about. STAN SMITH: I can tell you every point in the final of Wimbledon that I won. PAM SHRIVER: But that happens every year (laughter). Q. (No microphone.) DAVID HALL: There is. I think when people come to watch wheelchair tennis at the tournaments, yeah, they appreciate, as I say, doubles. It is a little bit obviously different with singles. Maybe the mobility is different for the players. But there is a bit of an art form to it. There's kind of a lot of twisting, turning, figure eights, reverse mobility. There's a whole bunch of different movements that are out there. I guess you could say, it's got a bit of style to it, the way the players move. May be a little bit artistic. For anyone to jump in the chair, a lot of pros have done it. I know we did exhibitions with Newk where we put him in the chair, he would run to the ball, hit it, run back to the chair. That's Newk, you know (laughter). But it's like anything. For me, when I was first starting out, I wasn't that good. It was hard. It was a little bit frustrating. But once you figure out how to move the chair, how to push it, and the dynamic of what you need to do, then it becomes easier and you kind of get used to it. But it's like anything. Some players are quicker than others. Some players have different skill sets. But, I mean, I would say to anyone, once you experience it, get out there, jump in a chair, see what it feels like to hit some balls. STAN SMITH: It's too hard (laughter). DAVID HALL: It's cool. It's great to watch and it's great for me to see what the players of today have done with the sport, as well. Q. (No microphone.) DAVID HALL: Definitely, yeah. There are times where guys run into each other. That's just the nature of the beast. Everybody is going for the same ball. But, yeah, obviously communication, looking where the ball is, where your partner is. But there is a different dynamic. I think some fans actually enjoy doubles more than singles because the dynamic of it is a little bit different. Q. (No microphone.) DAVID HALL: Hugely rewarding. As I said, whether you see an event like this on TV or through the media that someone in a wheelchair is up here accepting such an incredible honor, or you just see someone in the local newspaper, on TV or radio, whatever it is, taking up a sport, especially tennis, it can inspire people to try it or to tell someone about it who knows someone that's in a wheelchair. As I said before, for me wheelchair tennis has more advantages than any other wheelchair sport. The fact that so many of the organizations, in terms of able‑bodied tennis, has gotten behind the wheelchair game is incredible. And the sport over the last 10, 20, 30 years has grown leaps and bounds, has reached a lot of people worldwide. Now the fact we're in Grand Slams, ATP events, it's a great exposure for wheelchair tennis. I think as the years go on, it's only going to continue to grow and grow. I think that's a great thing for the sport. STAN SMITH: Thank you. Todd, would you like to say a little bit about what's happening here at the Hall of Fame, changes. TODD MARTIN: That would be great. I certainly don't want to talk about my Olympic experience (laughter). He knows full well what my Olympic experience was, he was my coach. First of all, I'd like to congratulate Nancy, David and Amélie again. What you all have done to arrive here is spectacular. It's wonderful to be able to honor your achievements and the history that you've made here at the International Tennis Hall of Fame. DAVID HALL: Thank you. NANCY JEFFETT: Thank you. TODD MARTIN: We have on this property completed most of a nearly $17 million capital project, which included about a $3 million investment in rebuilding the museum that you probably walked through to get to us. Just like everybody else, museum access was free to you. This week is an opportunity for us to show off all the wonderful work our team has done. Also on the northeast end of our property, we have three new indoor tennis courts that look not like indoor tennis courts from the outside. They're beautiful. It's a beautiful building. Then we also have a new office building, retail building, fitness center, locker rooms that will be open soon adjacent to that. We'll also have three new outdoor hard courts that can be bubbled during the school year, so the ability to serve our tennis‑playing public will improve immeasurably soon. Our final project will be to redo the east stands and the south stands of our stadium court. Next year during induction ceremony, everybody will be much more comfortable and much more safe than they are now. This afternoon at 12:30 we will have the induction ceremony and an opportunity for the public and for the tennis world, via TV, to take a moment to reflect and enjoy the experience with Nancy and David. Billie Jean King will be here to receive her Hall of Fame ring. We'll also pay some tribute to Amélie. It's a wonderful opportunity for us to deliver on our mission, an opportunity to honor the history of this sport, and it's a pleasure to have you all here to enjoy that with us.  Thank you. NANCY JEFFETT: Could I say a word? STAN SMITH: Absolutely. NANCY JEFFETT: What I'm thinking right now is I was so involved in tennis my whole life, but Maureen Connolly never saw what we did. She died and she never realized what the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation has done. But two of her daughters are here today. I'd like to introduce you to them. Those two girls have watched all these days with grace and charm. Anyway, Brenda and Cindy, thank you for being here. STAN SMITH: Thank you, Nancy. I'd like to congratulate both of you again, to be the newest members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, the class of 2015. Remember graduation ceremonies before in college? We look forward to seeing all of you out here by the court. NANCY JEFFETT: Thank you. DAVID HALL: Thank you. 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