There was a collective gasp heard amongst sports aficionados last November when the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport announced the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) would not be renewing the Infosys Hall of Fame Open after 2024. The organization’s premier tournament, a summertime stalwart since the late 1970s, brings the top male players directly from Wimbledon to Newport to play rousing singles and doubles matches for the only professional tournament played on grass courts outside of Europe. Thus, this year’s swan song tourney, happening July 14-21, will go out with a bang, punctuated by fierce competition, a festive atmosphere, a glamorous fashion-forward cocktail affair at one of the city’s most iconic mansions, and some of the best-known names in the game – including Andre Agassi, Kim Clijsters, Stan Smith, Tracy Austin, Rosie Casals, Gigi Fernández, Rick Draney, and Steve Flink – expected to be there to take it all in.
While it might be the end of an era, it’s also a new beginning, says tournament director and chief operating officer Brewer Rowe. “I would say it’s the end of a chapter, and we’re going to turn the page to a newly reimagined novel coming forward,” says Rowe, teasing a soon-to-be-announced event featuring women’s and men’s professional tennis.
Until then, spectators and tennis legends alike will soak up all the fanfare this signature Newport event has been known to deliver, and for the players themselves, the tournament is a welcome change of pace in an otherwise grueling circuit.
“The players love it. [They] have been mostly traveling in Europe for multiple months in a row and then they get to come to Newport,” says Rowe. Not only do they stay locally, allowing them to walk from their hotels to the tournament, but, unlike many other tournaments, Newport’s daily play ends by early evening. “The players and their friends, their spouses, their significant others, get to go experience Newport. They get to walk downtown to the restaurants and experience everything that Newport and the community has to offer and it’s all within walking distance…
They also get a day off almost every other day, so they get to go play golf, go sailing, go to the beach. I mean, it’s definitely a unique week on the calendar.”
The International Tennis Hall of Fame is at The Newport Casino on Bellevue Avenue, the first commission of legendary architectural firm McKim, Mead & White and a National Historic Landmark. Opened in 1880, fans of HBO’s The Gilded Age will immediately recognize the Hall of Fame’s iconic Horseshoe Piazza and Court, the meticulously manicured centerpiece that was a setting in season two of the streaming period drama.
Throughout tournament week, pop-up boutiques and exhibitors are strewn across the fan village, and while there are food and drink vendors serving cocktails, beer, and wine, there’s a new upgraded experience for fans being offered this year. The 1881 Club, aptly named for the first US National Lawn Tennis Championship played in Newport that year, offers complimentary food and drinks with views of tennis action on the shaded Horseshoe Piazza.
On the evening of Friday, July 19, the frivolity moves to Rosecliff mansion for the week’s most fashionable fête. “Courting Fashion,” a swanky cocktail affair, puts on some of tennis’ most iconic on-the-court looks. “Pulled from the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s collection vaults, this year’s event will feature tennis fashions from current and past champions,” says JT Buzanga, the collections manager. “Some outfits that will adorn Rosecliff will be Coco Gauff’s 2023 US Open championship outfit, and Pete Sampras’ look from his first career Wimbledon championship.” Attendees can sip, nosh, and dance the night away while mingling with tennis glitterati.
The next morning welcomes the Brooks Brothers Brunch with Legends, where fans can reserve their spot alongside tennis greats as the Class of 2024 is presented with their official Brooks Brothers blazers by their fellow Hall of Famers.
“Tickets are going unbelievably fast, so we encourage you to come and purchase early and experience all the tennis and induction and come see the legends on the weekend,” says Rowe. “There’s no better way to spend a sunny July day than by sitting by the Horseshoe Piazza, watching some tennis, having some cocktails and a bite to eat, and hanging out with your friends for the afternoon. There’s no better place to be.” For more information and tickets, visit InfosysHallOfFameOpen.com
Fascinated by the sport after watching Challengers? While the grounds and museum are closed to the public during tournament week (July 13-21), they’re generally open seven days a week to visitors for guided tours, court time, and more. Learn more at TennisFame.com
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