Justine Henin and Marat Safin have been elected to the International Tennis Hall Of Fame. Both players have won Grand Slam tournaments in their careers, and now they will be enshrined in the Newport, R.I., museum.
Henin is the more accomplished player, having won seven major titles as well as an Olympic gold medal. The Belgian star was ranked at No. 1 for 117 weeks, finishing the season as the top player three different times, including back-to-back in 2006-07. Henin won four French Opens, two U.S. Opens and one Australian Open during her career.
Safin only won two major titles, the 2000 U.S. Open and 2005 Australian Open, but he made a major impact on the tennis world. Safin was No. 1 for a time on the men's side and was considered to be a unique figure in tennis. Safin was not afraid to speak his mind, and he also showed his emotions on the court. He often slammed rackets and was very exuberant with his celebrations.
Safin first broke out after winning over Pete Sampras at the U.S. Open, but he only won one more major title after that. He's the first Russian player to be voted into the Hall of Fame. Safin previously made it to the finals of the Australian Open in 2002 and 2004, but he was defeated both times, including once by Roger Federer.
"It is a great honor to have my tennis career recognized in this way, and I am proud to represent Russian tennis with this nomination for such a prestigious honor in our sport," Safin said.
Henin specialized in backhand shots and used them to defeat some of the top players in the world, including Venus and Serena Williams. The two were nominated for the Hall of Fame last year, and are joined by Yvon Petra and Margaret Scriven in the 2016 class.
The Washington Post reports that Petra won a title at Wimbledon in 1946 after being a prisoner of war in Germany. Scriven won French titles in 1933-34 before it was called the French Open. The museum has been in operation since 1954 and being elected into the hall is considered to be one of the highest honors in the sport.
