Newport’s Hall of Fame Summer of Tennis Expands

Billing itself as The Classic Coast, it was the host of last year’s U.S. Senior Open and next June will be the 2026 Newport Bermuda Race, the 100th year of a partnership between the Cruising Club of America and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club as co-organizers of the oldest regularly scheduled ocean race.

It is Newport, Rhode Island, where the first U.S. National Lawn Tennis Championship was played in 1881 and remains best known as a small tennis haven home to professional tennis and the sport’s Hall of Fame — both of which have a new look this year.

“A lot of times people don’t even realize that we are home to the International Tennis Hall of Fame right here on Bellevue Avenue, once the wealthiest Avenue in America,” said Discover Newport Director of Sales Alex Hurd. “So it really plays into really how long tennis has been involved in our community.”

Americans Alycia Parks, Hailey Baptiste, Jenson Brooksby and Christopher Eubanks highlight the women’s and men’s fields for this year’s Hall of Fame Open, which has been on the men’s calendar since 1976 while the women’s event returns for the first time since 1998.

“We’ve got some really good names, especially American women’s players that are going to be here for the first time,” said Megan Erbes, director of communications for the International Tennis Hall of Fame. “It’ll be the first time a lot of people here have seen professional women’s tennis take place and people have gotten to know the guys that play on the ATP and like to come here every year. So there’s a lot of excitement to build fan bases there and support, especially for the American women’s players.”

Both 32-player men’s and women’s draws will be awarded prize money of $200,000. In order to return with equal prize money, the tournament partnered with the MARGARET (“May All Resolve, Girls Achieve Real Equity Today”) Fund, which supports programs that promote education about and compliance with Title IX. That allowed for a 60% increase in the women’s tour purse to match the men’s at the event.

The WTA field features seven players ranked in the top 100, including four Americans. The ATP field features five of the eight quarterfinalists from the 2024 Open including 2023 Wimbledon quarterfinalist Eubanks.

“I think we’re going to see definitely some in increased visitation and new audiences coming into the destination because of the women’s tournament,” Hurd said. “(And) the local draw has always been very popular. Outside the destinations from visitors, I think this is a cherished event for our community because of its history.”

The Hall of Fame Open since 1988 is the only grass court tournament played outside Europe. John Isner won the tournament four times including 2011 as the first top seed to win the event, which broke ‘The Casino Curse’ due to the location of the Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino. Greg Rusedski won the title three times and former No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt in a three-year span won the title once and was runner-up twice.

“It was really great to be able to add the WTA and everyone here locally is very excited about it,” said Erbes. “The tournament is a staple. The people that come to our tournament, it’s a highlight of their calendar every year.”

Hall of Fame Renovations Spotlighted

Another highlight this year is the re-opening for the facility, which includes a museum, 13 grass courts, an indoor tennis facility with three courts, three hard courts, one green clay court, a court tennis facility and a theatre. The re-opening celebrated a multimillion-dollar renovation, the first renovations to the museum since 2015.

“Many times I have brought people into town and toured them around and I say, ‘We’re stopping at the International Tennis Hall of Fame.’ And they say, ‘Well, we’re not really into tennis,’” Hurd said. “And I can tell you how many times I’ve walked out of there with that individual or a group and they said, ‘I’m so glad you brought me there.’ It’s a gem of our destination.”

The renovations were highlighted by the reimagining of the Hall of Famers Gallery and the Celebration Gallery, two areas that celebrate the sport’s history. The Hall of Famers Gallery is a space honoring every Hall of Famer with a new symbol of induction: a cast racquet. The renovation took about seven months and completed a two-year process and while most of the museum is the same, the renovation allows for a buildup to the celebration gallery.

“It gives us more exhibit space to showcase some of our big highlights,” Erbes said. “We really needed to upgrade from this is what museum visitors are used to how can we utilize the cell phones everyone’s using and make sure that’s part of the experience.”

The Hall of Famers Gallery will feature a Class of 2025 tribute exhibit from this year’s inductees, Maria Sharapova and Bob and Mike Bryan, who will be honored the weekend August 21—23. It will be the first time the induction ceremonies are separated from the tournament week.

“It just outgrew being at the same time in the tournament,” Erbes said. “When you’re talking about the likes of Maria Sharapova — Roger Federer is up for eligibility next year — these people are really their own brands and they bring their own sponsors, their own businesses with them.”

The Hall of Fame will have several days of programming throughout Newport and the late August timing is intentional as well with the August 23 induction coming the day before the U.S. Open in New York City, less than a four-hour drive away.

“(The Hall of Fame) really brings out the pride of the local community because you see headlines in papers and on the news about players being inducted with the backdrop of Newport, Rhode Island,” Hurd said. “We’re able to really play in the international field when it comes to tourism and our reputation throughout the world.”