Ash Barty has been nominated for the International Tennis Hall of Fame for the first time, headlining the Class of 2027 ballot alongside Juan Martín del Potro and Svetlana Kuznetsova.
The former world No. 1 is one of three nominees in the Player Category, the International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) announced. Del Potro and Kuznetsova return to the ballot, while Japan’s Shingo Kunieda, a 28-time major singles champion, is nominated in the Wheelchair Tennis Category.
Barty won three major singles titles on three different surfaces: the 2019 French Open, Wimbledon in 2021 and the 2022 Australian Open. She also won the 2018 US Open doubles title and reached the final of all four majors in doubles.
She first reached No. 1 in 2019 and spent 121 weeks at the top of the rankings, including 114 in a row, before retiring in 2022 while still ranked No. 1. The ITHF also lists 15 WTA singles titles, 12 doubles titles, WTA Player of the Year honours in 2019 and 2021, and an Olympic mixed doubles bronze medal from the Tokyo Games.
How the vote works
Fan voting for the Player Category is open until Sunday 25 October (US time) at vote.tennisfame.com. The top three in the fan vote earn bonus percentage points (three, two and one) on top of their result from the ITHF’s Official Voting Group of tennis journalists, historians and Hall of Famers. A nominee needs at least 75 per cent of the combined total to be elected.
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The ITHF said the Class of 2027 inductees and the dates for the 2027 induction celebration will be announced later this year.
No place for Serena Williams
Serena Williams, who stepped away from tennis in 2022, is not on the 2027 ballot. Yahoo Sports Australia reported that her return to the tour this year means she will have to wait, citing the Hall’s rule that a player must not have been “a significant factor” on the ATP or WTA tours in the five calendar years before election.
Williams played singles at Wimbledon this year, where she lost in the first round to Australia’s Maya Joint. Tennis journalist Jon Wertheim described her omission as “real drama”, Nine reported.
Del Potro won the 2009 US Open, one of 22 career titles, and led Argentina to its first Davis Cup title in 2016. Kuznetsova won four majors, two in singles (the 2004 US Open and 2009 French Open) and two in doubles.
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