Billie Jean King and the other members of the Original 9 who laid the groundwork for the women’s professional tour are the first group elected together to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Lleyton Hewitt and Dennis Van der Meer are the other members of the Hall’s Class of 2021. Hewitt was the only one of five nominees in the Player Category voted in. He won the U.S. Open in 2001 and Wimbledon in 2002 and reached No. 1 in the rankings. Van der Meer advocated for a universal teaching method in tennis and was elected in the Contributor Category. He died in 2019. The induction ceremony is scheduled for July 17 at the Hall in Newport, Rhode Island.
