Maria Sharapova and Bryan Brothers to be inducted into Hall of Fame in 2025
The three great champions of the last two decades will be inducted into the prestigious world tennis Hall of Fame in August next year
Maria Sharapova at the Upper Austria Ladies Linz WTA International tennis tournament in 2019
Image Credit: Zuma / Panoramic
In 2025, the International Tennis Hall of Fame will welcome three new tennis legends. Maria Sharapova and the Bryan brothers will be inducted and will join the 267 athletes representing 28 countries already celebrated in the pantheon of tennis greats.
“I am thrilled to welcome Maria Sharapova, Bob and Mike Bryan to the 2025 Hall of Fame,” said Kim Clijsters, President of the International Hall of Fame and herself a 2017 inductee.
“Beyond each of their major performances on the court, the Class of 2025 has had a profound impact on the game and has inspired generations of fans around the world. We look forward to celebrating them together in Newport next year,” reads the Hall of Fame’s website.
The ceremony will be held in Newport, Rhode Island, United States, from August 21 to 23, 2025.
FORMER WORLD NO 1, SHARAPOVA HONOuRED
A 37-year-old Russian former tennis player, Sharapova has left her mark on tennis. A former world No 1 on the WTA, she won 36 titles on the circuit, including five Grand Slams (Wimbledon 2004, US Open 2006, Australian Open 2008, Roland-Garros 2012 and 2014), completing the career ‘Grand Slam.
She won the WTA Finals title in 2004 against Serena Williams, and also won silver in singles at the London Olympics in 2012, losing to the great American on that occasion. She spent 408 weeks in the top 5 before retiring on February 26, 2020, after nearly twenty years of a professional career that began in 2001.
“I remember the first time I heard about the prestige of the Hall of Fame. After winning my first Grand Slam (at Wimbledon in 2004), I was asked for a dress to display in the museum and I said to myself, ‘Oh my God!’ It was one of those moments of joy that comes after a big win,” Sharapova told the WTA website.
THE BRYAN BROTHERS, LIVING LEGENDS OF MEN’S DOUBLES
Mike and Bob Bryan, on the other hand, are arguably the best doubles pair in the history of men’s tennis. Known for their iconic celebration after each victory or after a big point, the two Americans, born on April 29, 1978, have an impressive record with 119 titles gleaned from 178 finals played.
The Bryan brothers have won Australian Open six times, Roland-Garros twice, Wimbledon three times and won five US Open titles for a total haul of 16 Grand Slams. On top of this, they took home 39 Masters 1000 titles, 4 ATP Finals titles, an Olympic gold medal in London in 2012 and the Davis Cup in 2007 with the United States. They played for 22 years between 1998 and 2020.
The number that best illustrates their dominance is the number of weeks spent together at the top of the men’s doubles rankings (438).
“It was an incredible adventure for both of us. We have received unconditional love for all these years,” the two players said when interviewed by Clijsters.
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