Justine Henin heads nominees for induction into Tennis Hall of Fame
Saturday 24 October 2015 10:25, UK
Former world No 1 and seven-time Grand Slam winner Justine Henin heads the list of nominees up for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Also being nominated in the recent-player category are Russian Marat Safin and Czech doubles specialist Helena Sukova, the Hall of Fame said in a statement on Friday.
Henin, who led Belgium to Fed Cup glory in 2001, won 43 singles titles during her career, including four at the French Open, two US Open and one Australian Open.
"The Hall of Famers are individuals who I have admired from the time I was a young girl, throughout my career, and to this day," said Henin, who also won a gold medal in singles tennis at the 2004 Olympics.
"To be nominated for induction into this group and to have my career recognised in this way is a great honour, and I thank the committee for the nomination."
Safin, a power player with strong groundstrokes and a lethal backhand, counts two Grand Slams among his 15 singles titles. He held the world No 1 ranking for nine weeks and was an integral member of Russia's Davis Cup team.
The only Russian man to win the US Open, Safin also won the Australian Open in 2005, where he beat then world No 1 Roger Federer in a five-set semi-final before defeating hometown favourite Lleyton Hewitt in the final.
"To be part of a Hall of Fame is every athlete's dream," said Safin. "It is a great honour to have my tennis career recognised in this way, and I am proud to represent Russian tennis with this nomination for such a prestigious honour in our sport."
Yvon Petra, a notable French tennis player of the 1940s, and Margaret Scriven, British tennis champion of the 1930s, have been nominated posthumously in the Master Player Category.
Petra, who died in 1984, was the last Frenchman to win the Wimbledon singles title in 1946 while Scriven, who died in 2001, was the last British woman to win the same Grand Slam in two consecutive years following her successes at the French Open in 1933 and 1934.
The Class of 2016 will be announced early next year and an induction ceremony will be held on July 16 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island.
