Sharapova, Bryan brothers named to tennis HOF

5-time main champion and former world No. 1 Maria Sharapova and Bob and Mike Bryan, essentially the most profitable males’s doubles pairing in historical past, had been named to the Worldwide Tennis Corridor of Fame’s Class of 2025 on Thursday.

They are going to be inducted Aug. 23 on the Corridor of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, following a three-day celebration and associated actions.

In an announcement, Kim Clijsters, the Corridor’s president and a member of the 2017 Corridor of Fame class, praised the trio for his or her careers and achievements.

“Past every of their historic accomplishments on the courtroom, the Class of 2025 have had such a profound affect on the sport of tennis and have impressed a number of generations of followers the world over,” Clijsters stated. “We stay up for celebrating them in Newport subsequent yr.”

Sharapova, 37, is one in every of 10 girls to attain the profession Grand Slam. One of the recognizable gamers on tour for a lot of her profession, Sharapova was Forbes’ highest-paid feminine athlete on the earth for 11 consecutive years because of her earnings on the courtroom and varied endorsement offers.

Sharapova’s repute and marketability suffered following the announcement of a failed take a look at for a banned substance in 2016, and she or he was suspended from the game for 15 months. She returned to competitors in April 2017 and gained her final title on the Tianjin Open that October. She retired in February 2020.

She gained 36 titles total and claimed an Olympic silver medal whereas representing her native Russia in 2012. Sharapova held the world’s prime rating on 5 separate events for a mixed 21 weeks. She was ranked within the prime 5 for 408 weeks.

Equivalent twins and California natives Bob and Mike Bryan, 46, gained 16 main titles, 4 ATP Finals and 119 total titles collectively. The Bryan brothers held the No. 1 doubles rating for 438 weeks, together with a streak of 139 weeks from February 2013 to October 2015. They held the year-end prime rating 10 instances, earned Olympic doubles gold in 2012 and bronze in 2008, and helped lead america staff to Davis Cup victory in 2007.

Mike, older than Bob by two minutes, gained two further main doubles titles and the year-end ATP Finals alongside Jack Sock in 2018 when Bob was sidelined with harm, placing Mike atop the listing for many all time. Each brothers earned a number of blended doubles trophies — Bob with seven and Mike with 4 — all through their 22-year profession. They retired collectively in August 2020.

In an interview this week with ESPN, Bob stated they’d have “simply fallen over” in shock if somebody had advised them as tennis-loving kids that they’d in the future find yourself within the Corridor of Fame.

“It was nothing we ever even placed on our objective listing,” Bob stated. “It is nearly too unattainable for a younger child to consider that, and we all the time simply liked what we did. I feel that is what drove us up to now, and it allowed us to play tennis for thus lengthy. It was by no means actually work or sacrifice for us.

“… It is an extremely particular feeling simply because all of our idols and so lots of the legends of the sport are in there, and to be included in a home that holds these names is wonderful for us.”

Mike advised ESPN that individuals started mentioning to them the potential for the 2 finally being Corridor of Famers as soon as they broke Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde’s document for many titles collectively (61), however it wasn’t one thing both was targeted on throughout their careers.

“We considered ‘The Woodies’ document like climbing Mount Everest. It was such a milestone, however we might nonetheless form of shrug it off when individuals would say, ‘Oh in the future you may be in Newport,'” Mike stated. “However as soon as we put our rackets down and actually had the possibility to look again on our physique of labor, we thought it’d stack up when the vote got here in 5 years. Then it was behind our minds.”

The 2 had been excited to be taught they’d been nominated in August. Earlier this month, whereas Mike and his household had been staying with Bob and his household in South Florida after evacuating their Tampa Bay-area house throughout Hurricane Milton, each brothers acquired a textual content message asking whether or not they might attend a Zoom name later that day.

Sitting side-by-side in Bob’s workplace, they knew it was excellent news as quickly as they noticed Clijsters’ smiling face on the display. Clijsters advised them they had been formally a part of the 2025 Corridor of Fame class, alongside Sharapova, somebody whom they’ve identified since she first got here on tour.

“She’s accomplished nice issues for the game, and nice issues off the courtroom, so to be on this class together with her is particular,” Mike stated.

Bob stated they had been wanting ahead to spending time with Sharapova through the lead-in occasions and to have a proper event to thank everybody who helped them alongside the best way.

“We retired through the pandemic, and we by no means actually had an opportunity to thank all of those those that performed an enormous half in our profession,” Bob stated. “We simply form of sailed off into the sundown and by no means put a bow on the entire journey. So we’ll attempt to get as many individuals collectively as doable and simply inform them how appreciative we’re and that that is their second too.”