Fame Fest A Fan Favorite During ITHF Induction Week
by Joel Drucker, historian-at-large
Amid the ceremonies and the history and legends and all the ritualistic pageantry that make Induction Week at the International Hall of Fame so powerful, memorable, and distinct, the thousands who’ve flocked to Newport over the last few days have also taken much time to enjoy themselves at the venue’s Fame Fest.
Friday afternoon, on one grass court, Hall of Famer Marat Safin led attendees through a long, fast-moving line. Each participant was handed a racquet, two tennis balls, and given two chances to feed a ball through a small cardboard board and hole identified as “The G.O.A.T. Shot.” Drive one successfully and win a bag of premium items. Disclosure: Having hit the board and come tantalizingly close to victory, I went on to try six more times. True to the way tennis works, none of my subsequent 12 shots ever came as close as attempt number one.
On an adjacent grass court, fans attempted to swing Wilson’s massively oversized frames that are nearly triple the size of standard racquets. These frames stand five feet tall and weigh 6.6 pounds. In this case, I could barely swing. Such was the carnival-like atmosphere of Fame Fest.
Then again, what’s happening around the grounds is intended to be that way, Fame Fest a lively mix of food, drink, tennis and merchandise. Throughout Induction Week there have also been numerous public interviews with inductees, conducted by announcers Nick McCarvel and Blair Henley.
When it comes to merchandise, sales are up 20 percent over last year. A likely strong reason for that is the incredible popularity of Roger Federer and any and all items related to him. As you might expect, all three of the Fame Fest’s best-selling items are connected to the Swiss legend. The number one seller has been the Uniqlo induction hat. Second and third come two items created by the ITHF – a white performance ball cap and a few mug that carries these words: “Roger That!”
“The popularity of Roger Federer has put the International Tennis Hall of Fame on the global map even more,” Tracy Austin told Henley in front of 40 fans. No question, the love for Federer everywhere he goes is off-the-charts. Consider him tennis’ version of The Beatles. No doubt he’d be able to hit ball after ball through the “The G.O.A.T. Shot” and effortlessly wield the jumbo-sized Wilson racquet. Let it be.
