Todd Martin one of the most underrated gentlemen in tennis, yet is the ideal individual to put in the International Tennis Hall of Fame to emphasize the importance of being an ambassador of tennis.
Martin stands at six-foot-six, and throughout his career could look downright intimidating on the court when he cracked that colossal serve of his. However, anyone who followed professional tennis knew he was a gentle giant. He was always quiet and composed on the court and loved by most players on the tour. He won the 1993 and 1994 ATP World Tour Sportsmanship Award.
Martin was never fully appreciated by American tennis fans because during his tenure he was overshadowed by Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. However, Martin never seemed to let that bother him and was able to find success not only playing but behind the scenes as well.
Martin was ranked as high as No. 4 in the world and made it to the finals of both the Australian and U.S. Opens. The two players he lost to were first-ballot hall of famers and fellow Americans Sampras and Agassi. He played 18 ties for the American Davis Cup team, including helping the U.S. win the Davis Cup in 1995 and make it to the finals in 1997. He loved playing team tennis; you could see it every time he took the court dawning the red, white and blue.
Martin is widely respected by his professional tennis peers, serving as the President of the ATP Players Council for eight out of the fourteen years he played. He has done tremendous community work, including founding the Todd Martin Development Fund which provides leadership programs for at-risk youth of mid-Michigan.
Martin’s efforts to help improve the game did not stop when he retired in 2004. He is currently in his second term as a Director at Large on the United States Tennis Association Board of Directors and is the board liaison to the Youth Tennis Council. He previously was a board of liaison to the Pro Tennis Council and was a member of the Davis Cup, Fed Cup, Olympic, and Paralympics Team Events Committee.
Even though Martin is not in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, almost every year he brings his family down, hits with local juniors, club players, plays in the exhibition matches and happily interacts with the fans. In fact, the International Tennis Hall of Fame loves him so much that it named him CEO-designate in February of 2014.
While the International Tennis Hall of Fame should celebrate titles and success on tour to some extent, I think it is even more important they recognize those who embody the best parts of the sports such as sportsmanship, love and a never-ending passion to see the game grow. There is simply nobody else like Martin, and there is simply no excuse for him to not be in the Hall of Fame. This serves as an unofficial nomination for Martin to finally get enshrined in Newport.
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