Maria Sharapova, Bryan’s brothers have been elected to the World Hall of Fame

Maria Sharapova, a five-time Grand Slam champion known for her ease on and off the court, and Bob and Mike Bryan, the twins who won a record 16 major titles in men’s doubles, were selected for the first time. the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Newport, Rhode Island-based Hall announced the results for the class of 2025 on Thursday.

Canada’s Daniel Nestor, winner of 12 Grand Slam singles and doubles titles, did not receive the 75 percent of votes needed to qualify for the Hall in a vote among media, historians, Hall of Fame members, industry experts and fans. This was his third – and last – year as a candidate.

Sharapova has won at least one championship at each of the sport’s four major events, making her one of 10 women in tennis history to complete a career Grand Slam, and the first Russian woman to reach No. 1 in the WTA singles rankings. He retired in 2020 at the age of 32 after a career that included 15 years of probation, a 15-month doping ban and multiple surgeries on his right shoulder.

The Bryan brothers also combined for a career Grand Slam and spent 438 weeks at No. 1 in the ATP doubles rankings. They won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and helped the United States win the 2007 Davis Cup title; Bob is currently the captain of the American team that will travel to Malaga, Spain, for the finals next month to win the team’s first victory since then.

Mike Bryan – right-handed, while his brother is left-handed – is the career leader with 18 men’s major trophies; got two with Jack Sock when Bob was injured in 2018.

Sharapova became an instant star when she won her first major title at Wimbledon in 2004 at the age of 17 beating Serena Williams in the final, and went on to collect trophies at the US Open in 2006, the Australian Open in 2008 and the French Open in 2012 no. 2014.

Sharapova helped Russia win the team tournament now known as the Billie Jean King Cup in 2008, and won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics, losing to Williams in the final.

All the while, Sharapova earned millions of dollars more from endorsement deals than prize money.

“There are several sides to me,” Sharapova said in an interview with the Associated Press in 2006, shortly before she won the title at Flushing Meadows. “There is Maria who is a tennis player. There is Maria who is an ordinary girl. There is also Maria who is a businessman. This is where the ‘Maria Sharapova brand’ comes into play.”

At the 2016 Australian Open, Sharapova tested positive for the recently banned drug meldonium and was initially suspended for two years. After appealing the case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, Sharapova was given a reduced penalty when it was determined that she was “less than a hundred” at fault in the case and “could not be considered willful.”

Bryan and Sharapova will be introduced in August.

WATCH | Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame inductee Daniel Nestor reflects on tennis in Canada: