Following a six-week voting period which drew votes from more than 130 countries, the results are in from the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s first ever Fan Vote for Hall of Fame induction.
Of the eight nominated candidates, Chinese tennis great and two-time major champion Li Na received the highest number of fan votes; Wimbledon champion Goran Ivanišević of Croatia finished in second; and two-time major champion Mary Pierce of France finished in third.
This year marks the first time in the organization’s history that the Hall of Fame election will be determined by a collaboration of the Official Voting Group, which is comprised of journalists, historians, and Hall of Famers, and bonus points earned through the Fan Vote.
To be elected into the International Tennis Hall of Fame a candidate must receive a total of 75 percent affirmative votes. As the top vote recipients in the Fan Vote, Li Na, Ivanišević, and Pierce will receive bonus points on their scores from the Hall of Fame’s Official Voting Group. For first place, Li Na will receive three percent, Ivanišević will receive two percent, and Pierce will receive one percent.
In addition to Li Na, Ivanišević, and Pierce, there are five other candidates also being considered for Class of 2019 Induction. They are Jonas Björkman, Sergi Bruguera, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Conchita Martínez, and Thomas Muster.
