USTA Midwest Hall of Fame 2022 Inductees

We are proud to announce the 2022 inductees to the USTA Midwest Section Hall of Fame! Congratulations to the following individuals on this honor:

Saunders also has an amazing tennis “pedigree.” He was a powerful serve and volley player and began playing as a junior. In 1970-71, as a high school freshman, he partnered with his brother Richard to place fifth in doubles in the Illinois State High School tournament. His high school dual meet record was 49-1. Saunders went on to play at section and national junior championships, including the USTA Boys’ 16 and 18 National Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan.

He continued to play tennis in college and posted a winning record at Indiana State University (ISU). After leaving ISU, Saunders spent time as a playing professional on tour competing in satellite (USTA Pro Circuit) events throughout the United States and competing in professional tournaments in Japan.

Prior to working at the Section, he was Director of Tennis at Victory Tennis Club in Rockford, Illinois where he grew up and then as the Manager and Director of Tennis at Kankakee Racquet Club in Kankakee, Illinois. While coaching he developed several district, section and national ranked players.

In 1996, Saunders became the CEO of the USTA/Midwest Section and USTA/Midwest Tennis & Education Foundation. As such he oversaw the completion of a $3.8 million capital campaign for the USTA/Midwest Tennis & Education Foundation to construct a 25,000 square foot office which currently houses the Section staff, the USTA/Midwest Section Tennis Hall of Fame, as well as a tenant, the Lucas Oil Company. 

As CEO, Saunders was responsible for strategic planning, operational planning, contractual arrangements, budgeting, programming and the day-to-day operations of the Section. In 2018 the Section was recognized as “Section of the Year” by the Tennis Industry Association (TIA)… not for the first time under his leadership.

Saunders has touched the lives of countless volunteers, staff and players throughout the Section. His energy and devotion to the Section’s mission, "To Innovate, Promote and Grow the Game of Tennis" remains a hallmark of his dedication to the sport.

It’s only fitting that the USTA/Midwest Section Hall of Fame was relocated to its current home in Indianapolis from Kalamazoo, Michigan under the oversight of Mark Saunders. It’s now time for his name to be enshrined as an inductee.

During his 49-year tenure as the tennis director for Holiday Park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Evert coached thousands of players including all five of his children. He also coached tennis standouts Harold Solomon, Brian Gottfied and Jennifer Capriati. Evert’s own daughter, Chris, earned a world No. 1 ranking for 260 weeks and won 18 major singles titles. Even after all of that, Jimmy continued teaching tennis on public courts for $10 an hour. In 1997, the courts at Holiday Park were renamed in Evert’s honor and are now part of the Jimmy Evert Tennis Center.

In 1996, Evert with his daughter Chris and his son John started the Evert Tennis Academy, which is still active to this day, developing tennis players through the instillation of four core values heralded by Jimmy: excellence, resilience, integrity and leadership.

Jimmy Evert, as quoted by the New York Times, was a highly regarded tennis coach. On August 21, 2015, Evert passed away. He is loved by his family. He is loved by his sports communities and his legacy lives on forever.

ABOUT THE HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY

The induction ceremony will take place Saturday, February 11, 2023 at the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown in Indianapolis, Indiana.