Each year at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open in Newport, R.I., the past, present and future of tennis collide.
Now in its 46th year, and second as the first stop on the US Open Series, the ATP 250 event is played on the hallowed grounds of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, allowing active players the opportunity to slow down and appreciate the game's history—one they rarely have otherwise in the fast-paced, globe-trotting grind of the tour. The famed Newport Casino, which houses the Hall of Fame and its tennis courts in a row of shops, restaurants and a restored Casino Theatre, is an omnipresent reminder of a bygone era: The center of the city's social life (and, ironically, never a gambling establishment) from the Gilded Age through the 1920s, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.
It's unique charm one can only find in Newport, according to Infosys Hall of Fame Open tournament director Brewer Rowe.
"It's pretty neat how we get to bookend the beginnings of the sport and the current place where it's been brought to," says Rowe, who's been with the Hall of Fame since 2012. He was named tournament director in 2020, but with that year's event canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he officially took on the role last year.
"Our campus was built in 1881. We hosted the first U.S. Lawn Championships, which is now the US Open. The current crop of ATP players get to participate on the same grass where the first of what is now the US Open was competed. It's phenomenal," he adds. "We're the home of tennis in the U.S., and we couldn't be happier to have players start the US Open Series swing here in Newport."
While Rowe recognizes that the Hall of Fame's chief mission is to preserve and protect tennis history, he also says that keeping the concurrent competitive event world-class is equally important. In 2015, the Hall of Fame embarked on a $3 million capital campaign that "reimagined the museum experience," complete with the resurfacing of the match courts. This year, the tournament is committing further to environmental sustainability efforts in recycling and composting, eliminating single-use plastic bottles on-site and offering players innovative canned water, and asking its sponsors and partners to commit to the efforts too. In 2021, the tournament diverted 75% of its waste and Rowe says the goal this year is 85%. The event has also partnered with local USTA Foundation National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapters from around New England, including the Hall of Fame's own TennisFAME: Future Aces Modeling Excellence program, and local public schools to recruit ball persons and on-site clinic participants.
From shoring up infrastructure to getting racquets in the hands of the next generation, Rowe says these initiatives and others in the works can only bolster the tournament's positioning for long-term success.
"To have that juxtaposition of the historic venue ... and then layering the modern tennis game on top of that, it's been a challenge, but it's a fun challenge," he said. "That's our goal: to imagine what is next and what we can do.
"It's been phenomenal to see new buildings, new improvements, new locker room facilities. It's great for the guys. ... What I'm excited about is having a full-scale event this year. After COVID, last year, we hosted the tennis tournament, but all the ancillary events, fan activations, clinics, all the interactions that we typically do in and around the tournament, were stripped down and bare bones. We've done some new things. We have a new entrance. We have new fan activations, new initiatives ... we have some operational plans that we can't release yet, but we're working on enhancing what the fan experience will be on the property. I would say we're on an upward trajectory.
"We get to be a soft landing for the players as they come back to the States after being overseas. Most of them have been there since before the French [Open, in May.] ... To have a have a seat at the table of the US Open Series is phenomenal. It's a unique opportunity for us to showcase professional tennis on grass, which is different than the rest of the Series, but it's a good way to kick it off."
The investment from Rowe and his team has not gone unnoticed by the players, and this year's field is one of the strongest in the tournament's nearly 50 years. It boasts Felix Auger-Aliassime, who, at world No. 9, is the first Top 10 player to compete in Newport in tournament history, as well as four-time champion John Isner and Andy Murray. Murray is returning to the event for the first time since he played as a teenager in 2005 and 2006.
American Maxime Cressy, who reached the quarterfinals in his main-draw debut in Newport last year, says he's inspired in more ways than one every time he walks through the gates. The 25-year-old's serve-and-volley playing style not only harkens back to the days of old found in the Hall of Fame's annals, but the tournament itself is a hallmark in his own career; weeks after winning the 2019 NCAA national doubles title for UCLA, Cressy played his first-ever ATP event in qualifying.
"It's a special feeling to be back here, because this tournament, it was really the first time I experienced being a top player at this level," now-world No. 41 Cressy said Sunday ahead of this year's championships, where he's seeded No. 4. "I've looked into a lot [of tennis history] and watched a lot of tape of the serve-and-volleyers of the past. It's an incredible place and incredibly special to be able to get to know the history of our sport here."
Rowe agrees. "There are quite a few history buffs out there. Part of our activation with the players is to get them through the museum, give them a tour, and they're all blown away by it," he said. "We have the whole show showcased ... and I think the guys have a much better understanding of that when they leave here."
The 2022 Infosys Hall of Fame Open will be played from July 10-17. For more information, visit the tournament's official website at infosyshalloffameopen.com/.
