On Wednesday, May 14, the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) has officially reopened its museum after a multimillion-dollar renovation, funded by a portion of the $12M Tennis Forever Capital Campaign. These were the first renovations to the ITHF Museum since 2015, unveiling a modernized tribute to the sport’s most iconic athletes and historic moments. What we saw comprised a new, elegant, and sleek look that is a tremendous improvement. So that’s a breakdown of what we loved.

The Welcome Center greets you right away with its new appearance. It’s automatically inviting, and we were immediately struck by the white and gold logo prominently displayed as you walk in.

The stairs and the small classic gallery are the same, maintaining the traditional Newport style. But even here, off to the side, there is a sparkling new addition, a sleek conference room that offers an elegant meeting space the museum hasn’t had before. It’s both intimate and stylishly fun. Speaking with Megan Erbes, ITHF’s Director of Communications, she explained that the new lounge will serve as an extra bonus for private events and meetings. We loved this new modern addition. Anyone booking a private event here will be lucky to have this off-to-the-side gem.

But the pièce de résistance is the grand version of the Celebration Gallery and the Hall of Famers Gallery. Gone are the Hall of Famers panel walls, and a new open interface centering around various eras of tennis greets you from the outset. It now captures in essence, tennis across the generations. There’s also a beautifully designed tennis ball sculpture that enlivens the space, Inspirational Legacies AR Experience, which takes you through tennis trivia throughout the ages, activated via QR codes. It’s an inspiring and engaging approach to the history of the sport, at the same factoring in the different fandoms of tennis.

“We are ecstatic to unveil these innovative, interactive spaces at the ITHF Museum and are grateful to those who partnered with us to preserve the history of the game and accomplish these renovations,” said Dan Faber, Chief Executive Officer, ITHF. “Over the next decade, millions of fans from around the world will descend on Newport to our facility, paying homage to tennis’ history and celebrating transformative champions. We cannot wait to welcome them to experience the ITHF Museum first-hand.”

There are diehard fans from the 1970s, 80s, among other eras, and the Big Three of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, as well as Serena Williams. And there are now sections that cleverly represent each of those. There are displays for “Legends of the Open Era” and “Architects of the Tradition,” for example, all brightly brought to life with new state-of-the-art lighting.

Walking through the Newport history and original Casino displays, two additions illustrate the historical originals of the game and Newport’s pivotal contribution. There is a Newport Tennis Traditions Gallery, which hails the origins of the U.S. Open, which started at the Newport grass courts. The history gallery space now has an appealing display that illuminates this special Newport trivia. The four U.S. Open trophies (Men’s, Women’s, Men’s Doubles and Women’s Doubles) are now prominently displayed in the middle of the gallery. ITHF has always been the home for the silverware outside of the fortnight of the tournament and special ceremonies. Now a dedicated space better highlights that fact.

The Rolex Roger Federer hologram space has been replaced by an experience on The Majors, an interactive journey through the Grand Slam tournaments narrated by Federer. The experience is beautifully reimagined, where visitors are surrounded by screens in the enclosed space that almost feels like you are right there at each grand slam.

The payoff for the museum tour occurs at the very end, with the reimagined Hall of Famers’ Gallery and Celebration Gallery, two areas that take visitors on an immersive journey through the decades. The gallery includes dedications to each Hall of Famer, symbolized by a cast bronze racquet, part of the multimillion dollar renovation by Advent, a Nashville-based experiential design firm.

“It has been a tremendous honor to work on this project, modernizing the special home of tennis history that is sure to inspire audiences from all backgrounds and walks of life,” said John Roberson, CEO of Advent. “This collaborative process of research, technology and storytelling, yielded fresh, innovative concepts that will set the bar for other attractions in sports and beyond.”

Here again the museum has incorporated QR codes throughout the space, making the gallery truly immersive. The modern approach is probably the biggest improvement embedded in the museum. I used to get lost among the plaques and portraits of Hall of Famers. Now each Hall of Famer profile has been enriched with multimedia elements that made the experience truly engrossing, making it easier for fans to connect with their achievements on a personal level.

Some of the magnificent memorabilia on display include:

  • A racquet used by Naomi Osaka during the 2020 US Open Women’s Singles Championship, which she won for her second US Open title.
  • Elena Rybakina’s racquet and visor when she took home the title at the 2022 Wimbledon Ladies Singles Championship.
  • Jannik Sinner’s racquet from the 2024 US Open Men’s Singles Championship where he won his second major.
  • Umpire’s scorecard from the 1968 match between Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall at the first-ever Open Era tournament.
  • A nearly hundred year old scorecard from the 1926 match between Helen Wills and Suzanne Lenglen at the Carlton Club in Cannes, France.

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. Sharapova and the Bryan Brothers will be honored during an Induction Celebration on August 21-23, 2025.

A few of Sharapova’s dresses are on display, including my favorite, the evening dress-inspired outfit. Her 2004 Wimbledon, 2006 U.S. Open and 2012 Roland-Garros titles are also featured in her gallery space. There are several trophies from the Bryan brothers’ legendary careers on display, as well as their 2012 London Olympics Gold Medal and 2007 David Cup title.

The gift shop has been placed towards the end of the gallery as you exit the space, which makes more sense now. It also provides more purchasing options for fans of the game. And exiting at the end of the museum makes for a more logical flow. Before, the entrance and exit existed at the beginning only.

The Court Tennis Viewing Gallery also got a major upgrade about time. The renovations better dynamically highlight the rich historical details and the development of racquet sports, matching the same sleek look that’s been applied in the main museum space. The Newport court tennis facility is only one of 49 worldwide and it’s now received a well-deserved facelift.You need to see the upgraded facility. The elegance and rich history of Newport is beautifully symbolized with the remodeled facility.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame Museum is open seven days a week (Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day) from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. To purchase tickets and find more information, visit: https://www.tennisfame.com/.