Posted at 7:26 a.m., Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Tennis: Chang elected to International Hall
Associated Press
NEWPORT, R.I. — French Open winner Michael Chang was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame, and IMG creator Mark McCormack and Tennis Week magazine founder Eugene Scott were selected posthumously.McCormack and Scott were selected in the contributor category, the hall announced today. The induction ceremony is July 12 at the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum.
Chang was only 17 when he won the 1989 French Open — the youngest male player to win a Grand Slam title. He was the first U.S. champion at the clay-court Grand Slam since Tony Trabert in 1955.
Chang's run to the French Open title included a memorable five-set upset of No. 1 Ivan Lendl in the fourth round, when a cramping Chang resorted to underhand serves. He defeated Stefan Edberg in the final.
Chang reached No. 2 in the rankings in 1996, finished runner-up three times at Grand Slam tournaments and won 34 singles titles.
McCormack, who died in 2003 at 72, was a sports marketing pioneer. He created International Management Group in 1960 and turned success in sports into commercial marketability. His clients included Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova and John McEnroe.
Scott, a former top 20 player, founded Tennis Week in 1974 and served as its publisher and editor until he died in 2006 at 68. He also was a tournament director, player agent and author of more than 20 tennis books.
