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Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam singles champion known for her commitment and attention off the court, and Bob and Mike Bryan, twins who together won a record 16 major men’s doubles titles, are the first voters for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Newport, Rhode Island-based Hall announced the results of the Class of 2025 on Thursday.
Canada’s Daniel Nestor, who won 12 Grand Slam titles in men’s or mixed doubles, did not receive the 75 percent of votes needed to qualify for the Hall in the vote among members of the media, historians, Hall of Fame members, industry experts and fans. This was the Toronto native’s third and final year of running for office.
Sharapova won at least one championship at each of her sport’s four most prestigious events, making her one of ten women in tennis history to complete a Grand Slam career, and she was the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 at the WTA singles rankings. She retired in 2020 at the age of 32 after a career that included 15 years in the spotlight, a 15-month doping ban and multiple operations on her right shoulder.
The Bryan brothers also compiled a career Grand Slam, spending 438 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP doubles rankings. They won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and helped the United States win the 2007 Davis Cup title; Bob is currently the captain of the U.S. team that will head to Malaga, Spain, next month for the finals to compete for the country’s first win since then in that competition.
Mike Bryan – he is right-handed and his brother is left-handed – is the career leader with a total of 18 major men’s doubles trophies; he got two with Jack Sock while Bob was injured in 2018.
Sharapova became an instant star when she won her first major title at Wimbledon in 2004 at the age of 17, beating Serena Williams in the final, before taking trophies at the 2006 US Open, 2008 Australian Open and French Open. Opened in 2012 and 2014.
Sharapova helped Russia win the team competition now known as the Billie Jean King Cup in 2008, and she claimed a silver medal in singles at the 2012 Olympics, losing to Williams in the final.
Meanwhile, Sharapova earned millions of dollars more from endorsement deals than from prize money.
“There are a few sides to me,” Sharapova said in an interview with The Associated Press in 2006, shortly before she won the title at Flushing Meadows. “There’s the Maria who’s a tennis player. There’s the Maria who’s a normal girl. And there’s the Maria who’s a businesswoman. And that’s where the ‘Maria Sharapova’ brand comes into play.”
At the 2016 Australian Open, Sharapova tested positive for the recently banned drug meldonium and was initially given a two-year ban. After appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Sharapova was given a lesser sentence when it was determined that she had made “a less than significant error” in the case and could not “be considered an intentional doer.”
The Bryans and Sharapova will be inaugurated in August.
LOOK | Daniel Nestor, member of the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, reflects on tennis in Canada:
The former tennis star who won 91 doubles matches gives his thoughts on how tennis has changed in Canada.
