Clijsters, Roddick headline Hall of Fame nominations

Saturday, 10 September 2016 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Reuters: Former world number one players Kim Clijsters and Andy Roddick headlined the list of nominees up for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

The Class of 2017 will be announced early next year, the Newport, Rhode Island-based Hall of Fame said on Thursday.

Belgium’s Clijsters bolstered by a powerful baseline game and remarkable defensive skills on court, captured 41 singles titles during her career, including four grand slam titles.

A dedicated Fed Cup team member who led her team to their first title in 2001 and into the finals again in 2006, Clijsters also won doubles titles at the French Open and Wimbledon and was the world’s number one player for 19 weeks.

Clijsters first retired from tennis in 2007 but returned to the sport in 2009 and, in only her third tournament back, won that year’s US Open as an unseeded and wild card entry.

Roddick, known for his incredibly fast and powerful serve, held the world number one ranking for 13 weeks and won his only grand slam title at the 2003 US Open where he closed out the match against Juan Carlos Ferrero with three straight aces.

A three-time runner-up at Wimbledon, Roddick won 32 career singles titles and was a dedicated team member of the US Davis Cup team, including in 2007 when he was instrumental in leading his team to victory over Russia.

Other nominees were Paralympic gold medalist Monique Kalkman, historian and journalist Steve Flink and the late tennis instructor Vic Braden.