Every International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) Induction Celebration is special and it’s a huge privilege to see these icons of the sport honored right here in Newport. This year’s event was different, separating the celebration from the tournament, and placing it later on the Newport summer calendar in August. But ITHF delivered a show-stopping event that culminated in the surprise cameo of Serena Williams introducing Maria Sharapova and closing out with an awesome concert by one of my all-time favorite bands, Fitz and the Tantrums. This year’s ceremony will be talked about for many years to come.
When Brett Haber announced Serena Williams as Maria Sharapova’s introduction speaker, the Horseshoe Court erupted with excitement. Williams emerged in her gorgeous blue dress and colorful Christian Louboutin pumps and said, “Surprise,” to the thrilled audience. You couldn’t have written a more Hollywood ending for their great rivalry. Terrific stuff!
And the moments between these two during the speeches were even better! As Williams spoke, she was heckled hilariously by Sharapova, prompting Williams to call for “security” in jest. But Williams also said that Sharapova was her “forever friend,” a testament to the fascinating way this fierce rivalry has transformed into a beautiful friendship: Serenapova.
Sharapova gave back in her speech, paying homage to their competing careers, saying how they inspired each other to improve. She said the two of them “were cut from the same cloth.”
Throughout their careers and directly after Sharapova’s retirement, you would have never guessed we’d be here, watching such warmth and laughter from these two. There was tension during their competing days, Sharapova wasn’t necessarily kind about Williams in her biography and their locker room exchanges were far from friendly. But time heals all wounds and there’s a reason these two brilliant women are the icons that they are. After retirement, Sharapova and Williams found a way to build a bridge and through that healing process, they discovered they didn’t just have a lot in common, but that if they hadn’t been on opposite sides of the net, they might have been fierce friends rather than competitors. No matter, their glowing friendship is a beautiful new development and thanks to the ITHF Induction Celebration, we got a further glimpse into this cool new phase.
You could see how far they’ve come by the interactions with Sharapova’s family in the audience. Williams was right next to Sharapova’s father, comforting him as he became overcome during Sharapova’s speech. It was an amazing sight.
Watching these two grand slam champions share laughs after the ceremony was a new version of iconic for these two legendary women. Combined with the moving speech made by Bob and Mike Bryan, who became especially emotional when talking about the sacrifices from their doting parents, it culminated in one of the most emotionally charged and moving ceremonies at the Hall of Fame.
The night ended in high gear, with an energetic concert by Fitz and the Tantrums that delivered the perfect capstone to the ceremony. As Horseshoe Court emptied out, fans headed to Stadium Court to celebrate the end of the festival with an electrifying concert by one of my favorite bands.
Bringing their hits to the stage, the grass court was transformed into a rocking evening with the crowd cutting it up to “Money Maker,” “HandClap” (my favorite!), “The Walker” and “123456.” It was electric and over to my right I spied Bob Bryan and his family rocking it out from the front row.
In the past the ceremony has ended with a dinner on the premises, but concluding the celebration with an exuberant concert was a fun, new way to close out the ceremony. It’s my fond wish that this becomes the new tradition for the Induction celebration.
This year’s ceremony was certainly one for the ages.
