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NEWPORT, R.I., U.S.A. — The International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation have announced that Tim Phillips CBE, Chairman of the All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC), is the 2011 recipient of the prestigious Golden Achievement Award. Phillips has served as Chairman of the AELTC since January 2000, and has led the organization and The Championships at Wimbledon through a pivotal period of positive growth and transition. He will retire from the position in December 2010.

The Golden Achievement Award is given jointly by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation. It is presented annually to individuals who have made important contributions internationally to tennis in the fields of administration, promotion or education, and who have devoted long and outstanding service to the sport.

The 2011 Golden Achievement Award will be presented to Phillips on Saturday, November 27, 2010 at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals at The O2 in London, by kind permission of the ATP World Tour. The award will be presented by Sir James Harvie-Watt, a member of the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum and Chair of the Golden Achievement Award Committee. Christopher E. Clouser, Chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum, Francesco Ricci Bitti, President of the International Tennis Federation, and Adam Helfant, Executive Chairman & President of the ATP, will also attend the ceremony.

“Under Tim’s leadership, one of the world’s most important tennis facilities has undergone major positive changes, and world-wide enthusiasm for The Championships has soared,” said Francesco Ricci Bitti, president of the International Tennis Federation. “Tim’s dedication to the AELTC and to growing the game of tennis has been incredibly important to the sport as a whole, and we extend our sincere appreciation for his good works as he looks forward to retirement. One thing that stands out for the ITF is his support for hosting the 2012 Olympic Tennis Event at Wimbledon. With his vision, leadership, and ability to enable positive developments in the game of tennis, Tim truly embodies the spirit of the Golden Achievement Award.”

During his tenure, Phillips has championed customer value and service at The Championships, generating immense support for the Grand Slam. In 2007, he initiated equal prize money for men and women players.

He has overseen the substantial modernization program across the grounds which includes Centre Court and its new retractable roof (2009), new Courts 2 (2009) and 3 (2011), enhanced facilities for players and press (Millennium Building) and the award-winning Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum (2006).

Early in his chairmanship, Phillips introduced The Road to Wimbledon, with the aim of encouraging more young people to play the game. This local and national junior tennis program has been successful in introducing more than 100,000 local children to the sport to date, through the Wimbledon Junior Tennis Initiative, while across the UK approximately 20,000 young players compete in the National 14 & Under Junior Challenge, the finals of which are played on Wimbledon’s grass courts.

Phillips was appointed a CBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List 2007 and was delighted to welcome Her Majesty back to Wimbledon for The Championships 2010.

A life-long tennis player, Phillips has been a member of AELTC since 1966, joining the Committee in 1989. He reached the semi-finals of the Men’s Doubles in the US Championships in 1964. In 1966, he reached the second round of the Australian Championships and played in the Men’s Doubles in The Championships of the same year. As a student at Oxford, Phillips captained the tennis and squash teams, and was a member of the hockey team.

Prior to his role at the AELTC, Phillips had an extensive career at British Airways that spanned more than three decades, and during which he held roles including Deputy Marketing Director, Head of Logistics and Deputy Operations Director, and Regional General Manager Europe.

Past recipients of the Golden Achievement Award are Heinz Grimm of Switzerland (2010); Fern Lee “Peachy” Kellmeyer of the United States (2009); Juan Maria Tintore of Spain (2008); Nancy P. Jeffett of the United States (2007); James R. Cochrane of Great Britain (2006); Eiichi Kawatei of Japan (2005); John Curry of Great Britain (2004); J. Howard “Bumpy” Frazer of the United States (2003); Enrique Morea of Argentina (2002); Pablo Llorens Renaga of Spain (2001); Gil de Kermadec of France (2000) and Brian Tobin of Australia (1999).

Nominations for the Golden Achievement Award are submitted by tennis federations and individuals from the around the world, and then voted on by the Golden Achievement Award Committee. For more information, please email Jennifer Bulcao at [email protected] or learn more online at tennisfame.com.