Expanded hall to grow international interest in tennis

HOLDING SERVE: Todd Martin, CEO International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, says growing the number of people interested in playing will boost interest in the sport’s history. / COURTESY KATE WHITNEY LUCEY
HOLDING SERVE: Todd Martin, CEO International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, says growing the number of people interested in playing will boost interest in the sport’s history. / COURTESY KATE WHITNEY LUCEY

For an institution as steeped in tradition as the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum in Newport, 2014 has seen radical change. In May, the 60-year-old hall broke ground on a $15.7 million renovation and expansion project that will see the Victorian complex add three new courts, additional stadium seats, new interpretive exhibits and a new building on Memorial Boulevard.
Then last month, the hall turned over leadership to former ATP World Tour pro and U.S. Open finalist Todd Martin, who had been waiting in the wings since February. Even without a large fundraising campaign and construction project to contend with, the transition from athlete to tennis coach to nonprofit leader has been significant.

PBN: How is construction going?
MARTIN: I don’t know if the process is ever as smooth as people would expect from the outside. It’s not as smooth as I expected, although I don’t have a lot of experience in construction.

PBN: Anything major?
MARTIN: These types of large construction projects in historic districts involve so much permitting it affects the chronology. Our owner’s reps and construction contractor are pleased with progress. Our foundation has been laid and the building itself is waiting in the wings. We are getting ready for work to be hot and heavy in the fall. We will be operational with the indoor tennis club in early 2015.

PBN: What’s the biggest improvement visitors to the hall of fame will notice when all this work is done?
MARTIN: At the end of it all, our capacity to serve the sport and deliver on the mission will increase so much. We will have six indoor courts to work with instead of three. We’ll have hard courts on the property outdoors, the seasonal courts, plus the history of the sport being told in more a coherent, more up-to-date manner is really exciting.

PBN: Are you focused more on growing the capacity to get people to play in Newport, the events or more about the history of the sport?
MARTIN: It’s all of those things. The more people are interested in playing, the more they want to know the history and take a look. The more they are on our property, the more interested they will become in the sport.
PBN: You worked training kids in tennis before coming to the hall of fame – are you worried about interest among young people in the sport in 2014?
MARTIN: I think most traditional sports are seeking answers to getting kids involved: from golf wanting to shorten the experience, to baseball figuring out how to get more diversity. Tennis has its challenges, but at same time, we are not in bad shape. We have an interesting opportunity because in the last five years, our sport has become right-sized for kids. Instead of sending 6-year-olds out on a 70-foot court with large rackets and balls, now they go on a 36-foot court with small rackets and softer balls, so they can learn and have some aptitude earlier in the game. That starts to put us on a level playing field with other sports. Kids play three-on-three soccer before six-on-six and 11-on-11. If I want to play tennis with my 6-year-old-daughter, we can go to a driveway, not out to a tennis club. That informality does wonders for youth sports.

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PBN: How is the museum going to change after the renovations?
MARTIN: First and foremost, people will notice a technological transformation with some amazing technology inside. Both kids and adults will have a really cool experience they can share with one another.

PBN: Have there been any challenges going from being an athlete to executive that surprised you?
MARTIN: Not really. Some of the challenges I knew would exist have not been as challenging and of course some I knew would exist are more challenging. On a daily basis you’ve got really a vast business here. It is not just a hall of fame. We have a sports franchise in the ATP, operate events, a historic landmark that has to be taken care of, a tennis club and a museum. That is the biggest change, juggling all that.

PBN: What is unique about your personal vision for the International Tennis Hall of Fame?
MARTIN: We are going to make a concerted effort to make sure it is an international organization and that everyone in the sport knows about us. Halls of fame are very much a U.S.-centric concept. We have to address that and make sure we are as relevant and integral to the sport in other countries as we are here.

PBN: Does someone such as Novak Djokovic, who you coached, have the same idea of what the hall of fame is as someone growing up in this country?
MARTIN: No. Players are aware of it, but certainly those from outside the country didn’t grow up watching the pro football hall of fame induction ceremony or Cooperstown. We have a tremendous opportunity to mean more to them during their careers as they vie for the highest honor in sport. But we also have the responsibility of sharing the history of sport with people from all over the world. … Our audio is in 11 different languages and they all get used. •

INTERVIEW
Todd Martin
POSITION: CEO International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum
BACKGROUND: Raised in Lansing, Mich., Martin played professional tennis for 15 years, peaking as the fourth-ranked player in the world in 1999. After retiring in 2004, Martin coached top players and founded a youth tennis academy in Florida before being named CEO-designate of the International Tennis Hall of Fame in February.
EDUCATION: Attended Northwestern University
FIRST JOB: Lawn mowing and golf caddy
RESIDENCE: Newport
AGE: 44

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