pa href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/leander-paes/p269/overview'Leander Paes/a, a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/vijay-amritraj/a022/overview'Vijay Amritraj/a and a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/richard-evans/e210/overview'Richard Evans/a were inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday evening in Newport, where family, friends and fans packed into the famous horseshoe court at the venue for a memorable evening./p
pldquo;It is my greatest honour to be on this stage with not only these legends of the game, [but] people who have inspired me every single day of my life,rdquo; Paes said. ldquo;Not because you have won Grand Slams, not because you have shaped the world of our sport. But every single one of these people has shaped the world that we live in. I would like to thank you so much for giving this Indian boy hope.rdquo;/p
pimg src="/-/media/images/news/2024/07/21/01/15/hall-of-fame-2024-ceremony-sun.jpg" style="width: 100%;" alt="The International Tennis Hall of Fame ceremony." //p
pPaes and Amritraj became the first Indian mdash; and Asian mdash; men to earn induction into the exclusive group as a player and contributor, respectively. The pair have been trailblazers for Indian tennis and were proud to represent their country./p
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pldquo;Playing for 1.4 billion people could either be pressure, or it could be wind within your wings,rdquo; Paes said. ldquo;Irsquo;d like to thank every single one of my countrymen who supported me, who stood by me through all the ups and downs, and wersquo;ve been through a few. But you all were the inspiration, you all were the support. You were even the strength to guide me through when I didnrsquo;t believe. /p
pldquo;But as my father always said to me, lsquo;If you believe in yourself, you work hard, you be passionate, not only to win prize money and not only to win trophies, but you do that to inspire the worldrsquo;.rdquo;/p
pimg src="/-/media/images/news/2024/07/21/01/26/paes-hall-of-fame-2024-high.jpg" style="width: 100%;" alt="The International Tennis Hall of Fame ceremony." //p
pAmritraj was a top player, who reached the a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/tournaments/wimbledon/540/overview'Wimbledon/a quarter-finals at 19 and won 28 tour-level titles between singles and doubles. He was once a boy struggling with lung problems in India, and now he has cemented his name on the international stage forever./p
pldquo;My dear friends, I am humbled and honoured to join this incredible and exclusive group, which has brought glory to our sport. Our sport has given me everything in life. It has taken me places I never thought I would go,rdquo; Amritraj said. ldquo;It has allowed me to meet people I never thought I would meet and it has given me more things than I could have possible imagined. It will always be a part of our lives and always bring families, communities and countries together. More than anything else, Irsquo;m happy to say, India Day is back in New England.rdquo;/p
pimg src="/-/media/images/news/2024/07/21/01/15/navratilova-evert-agassi-hall-of-fame-2024.jpg?w=100%25amp;hash=13E4B19D04F264EBB17C9F28C7907F58" style="width: 100%;" alt="Martina Navratilova, a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/andre-agassi/a092/overview'Andre Agassi/a and Chris Evert pose for a selfie ahead of the International Tennis Hall of Fame induction ceremony." //p
pEvans has spent more than 60 years chronicling the journeys of many people on the stage in Newport as well as many more tennis icons throughout the world. Saturday evening was his moment to stand on the opposite side of proceedings./p
pldquo;It has been a long journey. I wish I had time to tell you all the names of all the great tennis writers Irsquo;ve written with in press boxes around the world like Rex Bellamy and of course Bud Collins, who is of this parish,rdquo; Evans said. ldquo;Bud was unbelievable and Allison Danzig and Al Laney as writers of a previous age in America all used their talent to write about tennis, which is a sport [that] needs to be promoted at every level and written about with as much talent and style and enthusiasm and passion as those of us who love the sport could muster, so thank you very much for greeting me here today and I hope to see you down the road.rdquo;/p
p[ATP APP]/p
pThere were several other Hall of Famers on stage, including former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/andre-agassi/a092/overview'Andre Agassi/a, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/stan-smith/s060/overview'Stan Smith/a and International Tennis Hall of Fame Honourary President Kim Clijsters./p
pNavratilova stood at the dais to introduce Paes, with whom he won two major titles in mixed doubles./p
pldquo;He was an artist on the court, an amazing athlete, a virtuoso,rdquo; Navratilova said. ldquo;He wielded the tennis racquet like an orchestra conductor wield the baton. Leander, it was truly my honour to play against you. I enjoyed it a lot more when I played with you. You have done your family proud, you have done our sport proud and most of all you have done India proud.rdquo;/p
p/p
img src="/-/media/images/news/2024/07/21/01/27/paes-evans-amritraj-hall-of-fame-2024.jpg" style="width: 100%;" alt="a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/leander-paes/p269/overview'Leander Paes/a, a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/richard-evans/e210/overview'Richard Evans/a and a href='https://www.atptour.com/en/players/vijay-amritraj/a022/overview'Vijay Amritraj/a at the International Tennis Hall of Fame induction ceremony." /nbsp;
p[NEWSLETTER FORM]/p
