News

NEWPORT, R.I. — At the 2010 US Open, Rafael Nadal became the 7th man in history to complete a career Grand Slam. Who was the first? (Answer below!) The vibrant television broadcasts of Wimbledon often inspire players to take to the courts, but where are there grass courts that are open for public play? There’s good news in cyberspace for tennis fans, because whether they want to research a player, learn about what it takes to become a Hall of Famer, or to plan a dream vacation to the one place in the world where they can tour a tennis museum, play on grass courts and learn about their favorite tennis legends, it’s all just a click away on the new and improved tennisfame.com.

Earlier this year, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum launched a new and significantly enhanced website, thanks to the pro bono support of one of the nation’s leading digital agencies, VML.

“We are grateful for VML’s generous contributions, which enabled the Hall of Fame to more efficiently communicate with tennis fans and to support our mission of honoring the historic legends of the game, but in a modern style,” said Christopher E. Clouser, chairman of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum. “We look forward to continuing to develop our online presence, in order to grow interest and awareness for tennis.”

The new website is easy to navigate and it features increased video presence and historic photos, as well as highlights of current tennis news. In addition, the site features profiles of all 218 individuals who have been inducted to the International Tennis Hall of Fame. The site will continue to grow with additional videos, shared content from tennis industry partners, exclusive content for Hall of Fame members and additional interesting articles about the history of the game.

The site is actually the second version of tennisfame.com that has been created by VML, where pro bono work plays an integral role in the culture and corporate philosophy. The agency regularly donates marketing and creative resources to various non-profit organizations throughout the country. In addition, through the VML Foundation, funds are contributed to a variety of charitable organizations, and the company actively supports employee volunteerism.

VML engineers best-in-class digital experiences for some of the most respected and recognized brands in the world, including Accenture, Carlson Hotels Worldwide, Cartoon Network, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, DANONE, ESPN, Ford, Gatorade, Hershey’s, LG, Microsoft, Sam’s Club, SAP, Southwest Airlines, Warner Brothers, Western Union and Xerox.

Founded in 1992, VML is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, with principal offices in New York, Seattle, London, Geneva and Milan. VML has been a member of the WPP Group of global communication agencies since 2001.

Tennis fan note: The first person to achieve a career grand slam was Class of 1964 Hall of Famer Don Budge in 1938. Check out Budge’s webpage on tennisfame.com to learn more about this star and see photos of his acclaimed backhand.