By Alberto Amalfi | @Tennis_Now | Friday, September 13, 2024
Photo: Stephen White/CameraSport
The results are in: Maria Sharapova is the people’s champion.
Former world No. 1 Sharapova won the fan vote into the International Tennis Hall of Fame for the Class of 2025.
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The Hall of Fame received thousands of votes from tennis fans representing more than 120 countries.
Sharapova received the most fans, with twins Mike Bryan and Bob Bryan second and Canadian doubles standout Daniel Nestor ranked third in the Fan Vote.
“I am extremely grateful to the fans around the world who supported me during the fan vote for the International Tennis Hall of Fame,” said Sharapova. “It’s a tremendous honor to be considered for the Hall of Fame, and having the support of the fans makes it even more special.”
Fan voting is one of two steps in the Hall of Fame election process.
In addition to the Fan Vote, an Official Voting Panel comprised of tennis journalists, historians and Hall of Famers vote on the Class of 2025 ballot.
By winning the fan vote, Sharapova will receive an additional three percentage points to her vote total.
The Bryan brothers will receive two additional percentage points and Nestor an additional point.
To be elected to the Hall of Fame, an inductee must receive an affirmative vote of 75% or higher in the combined results of the Official Voting Pool and any bonus percentage points earned in the Fan Vote. Once voting is complete, the Class of 2025 will be announced in late October.
In 2005, Sharapova became the first Russian woman to reach the No. 1 world. Her five major singles titles began with her win at Wimbledon in 2004, followed by victories at the US Open in 2006, the Australian Open in 2008 and twice at Roland-Garros in 2012 and 2014.
During her nearly 20-year WTA career, Sharapova was also a member of Russia’s 2008 Fed Cup championship team and won a silver medal in singles at the 2012 London Olympics. She has held the five-time No. 1 in the world, it was in the top 5 for 408 weeks
