Hewitt wins Tennis Hall of Fame Fan Vote

The results are in, and it seems tennis fans from over 140 nations want to see Aussie legend Lleyton Hewitt inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame next year. American doubles star Lisa Raymond finished in second place, and Sweden’s former doubles world No. 1 Jonas Bjorkman finished in third place.

While the fan vote will not guarantee Hewitt a trip to Newport, R.I. next year, he will receive three bonus percentage points on his results from the Official Voting Group. He’s pretty much a shoe-in, though. The youngest male player ever to achieve the world No. 1 ranking, the 30-time title winner, and two-time Grand Slam champ is a first-ballot Hall of Famer by any metric. Had he not fallen to Roger Federer in seven different Grand Slams, who knows how many “Rusty” would have racked up throughout his career.

International Tennis Hall of Fame

“Being nominated for the Hall of Fame is such a huge honor for me already, and to experience this incredible support from the fans while going through the Hall of Fame process just makes it even more special,” Hewitt said. “There are four additional great candidates with me on the ballot for the Hall of Fame, and I’m really honored and appreciative of all the support I’ve received from tennis fans in Australia and around the world.”

To gain entry into the Hall of Fame, a candidate must receive an affirmative vote in 75 percent or higher of ballots submitted from the Official Voting Group, which is comprised of tennis media and experts, or a combined total of 75 percent or higher from their Voting Group result and any bonus percentage points earned in the Fan Vote.