For our sixth annual Heroes Issue, we’ve selected passages from the last 50 years of Tennis Magazine and TENNIS.com—starting in 1969 and ending in 2018—to highlight 50 worthy heroes. Each passage acknowledges the person as they were then; each subsequent story catches up with the person, or highlights their impact, as they are now. It is best summed up with a quote from the great Arthur Ashe, that was featured on the cover of the November/December issue of this magazine in 2015: “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”
The TENNIS Magazine/ICTA/Rolex 1990 Collegiate All-American All-Star Team: (Back row, from left) Jonathan Stark (Stanford), Todd Martin (Northwestern) - Tennis Magazine / February 1991
Playing in an era with fellow Americans Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang, Todd Martin has jokingly described himself as “The fifth Beatle.” But with two Grand Slam final appearances, four more semifinal runs at majors, eight career ATP titles, Davis Cup glory and some of the more memorable comebacks in US Open night-session history, Martin’s career garnered its own share of hits.
Taking a different path than his peers, Martin groomed his skills in his hometown of Lansing, MI, and played two years of collegiate tennis at Northwestern before turning pro. It took him a few years to get his footing, but by his third full season Martin climbed into the Top 20 and received the 1993 ATP Most Improved Player of the Year award.
Feeling secure in his playing career, Martin decided he had the platform to make a difference off the court. In 1994, at the urging of his longtime coach and mentor, Rick Ferman, he established the Todd Martin Youth Leadership foundation, which provides tennis, life skills and education to underprivileged kids in the mid-Michigan area.
“The objective was simple,” said Martin. “Give back to a community and sport that had given me so much.”
In the nearly 25 years of the program’s existence, thousands of disadvantaged youths have been positively impacted through a variety of after-school and summer programs.
After retiring from the tour in 2004, Martin continued to stay involved in tennis by coaching. In 2014, he embarked on his current role as CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, which allows him to give back to the game in a different capacity. In a sport that has traditionally moved at a glacial pace when it comes to change, Martin has helped institute a modification to the election of inductees by allowing fans to have their say in the outcome.
“Tennis is such a global sport and the fans of our inductees come from every corner of the globe,” said Martin. “We know they might not all be able to get to Newport to see an induction, but hopefully this voting program will offer an opportunity for them to enjoy being part of the process.”
