Four Americans, including Ben Shelton, added to Hall of Fame's exhibit showcasing Black tennis

Four Americans, including last year's US Open semifinalist Ben Shelton, are among nine 2024 additions featured in the International Tennis Hall of Fame's flagship exhibit that honors the contributions of Black tennis to the sport.

"Breaking Boundaries in Black Tennis" was launched in 2022 with 70 inclusions, in an effort to highlight players, coaches, officials, administrators and other game-changers of color who have impacted the sport of tennis and, in many cases, had previously had their contributions unfortunately overlooked. Located at breakingboundaries.tennisfame.com and also inside the Hall of Fame in Newport, the interactive exhibit has grown every year since, and a rotating globe serves as a portal for visitors to quickly immerse themselves in each subject's biographical story, and their area of impact.

For this year, Shelton, French talent Arthur Fils, and South Africa's wheelchair tennis champion Kgothatso Montjane, who won last year's US Open in doubles, have been added to the exhibit as active players. Shelton is now enshrined with his father and coach, former ATP pro Bryan Shelton, earning the pair the distinction of being the first father-son duo in amongst the nearly 100 names featured in the exhibit.

“The International Tennis Hall of Fame is pleased to announce the second round of additions to our digital exhibit, Breaking Boundaries in Black Tennis,” said Katrina Adams, chair of the ITHF’s Black Tennis History Committee and former USTA president.

“Fans continue to be inspired by and contribute to this living exhibit, recognizing the importance of highlighting these trailblazers.

“The ITHF is proud to share their stories and grow this exhibit with insight from tennis fans around the world.”

In addition to Shelton, the other Americans added to the archives this year are: umpire Sande French, the first Black woman to chair a US Open singles final in 1993; Virginia Glass, the first female president of the American Tennis Association (ATA) and the first woman of color to serve on the USTA Executive Committee; and the late Maurice Hunter, a former ATP pro when went on to spend nearly two decades developing community tennis programs in Los Angeles. 

Also included are New Zealand's Ruia Morrison, the first Māori person to play at Wimbledon, where she advanced to the fourth round in 1957 and 1959; and Jamaicans Lance Lumsden and Richard Russell, part the first Caribbean team to win a Davis Cup tie.