USA's Stan Smith receives Award of Excellence
01 Jan 0001
The International Tennis Hall of Fame (ITHF) and the International Tennis Federation have announced that former United States Davis Cup victor Stan Smith is this year's recipient of the Davis Cup Award of Excellence.
Presentation of the award was made on Saturday 1 December during the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final between Russia and USA in Portland, Oregon. Presenting the award to Stan Smith was ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti, ITHF CEO Mark Stenning and previous Davis Cup Award of Excellence recipients Neale Fraser, Pierre Darmon and Alex Metreveli.
“The ITF and Hall of Fame are honoured to present Stan Smith with the 2007 Davis Cup Award of Excellence," said Francesco Ricci Bitti. "Stan, as a member of the United States Davis Cup team for eleven years, gave us some of the greatest moments in American Davis Cup competition. A true champion of our sport both on and off the court, we are very pleased to name Stan as this year’s award winner.”
One of the great US Davis Cup players, Smith was a significant factor in seven US Cup victories (1968-72; 1978-79) and overall in his Davis Cup career he won the clinching point sixteen times to lift USA above their opponents. He played in Davis Cup competition for eleven years, participating in 24 ties and posting an overall win-loss record of 35-7 (15-4 in singles; 20-3 in doubles). He holds the Davis Cup doubles record for the most games played in a match (122) and most games played in a set (76). He was inducted into the ITHF in 1987.
"It's great to be here today, particularly for this special privilege and I would like to thank both the ITF and the Hall of Fame," said Stan on being presented with his award. "Davis Cup has been a huge part of my life and it was always fun to wear a USA jacket."
Born in Pasadena, California, Smith was an All-American at the University of Southern California where he won the USA Intercollegiate singles and doubles titles in 1968, previously winning the doubles title in 1967. He won the 1971 US Open and 1972 Wimbledon singles titles, the 1970 Australian Open doubles title and a further four US Open doubles titles in 1968, 1974, 1978 and 1980 with partner Bob Lutz. He was ranked in the world Top 10 for six straight years in 1970-75 and earned the No. 1 ranking in 1972. His agility, reach, concentration and coordination combined with a tremendous serve and power game made him a feared competitor on both singles and doubles courts.
The Davis Cup Award of Excellence was inaugurated in 2001 by the ITHF and the ITF and is presented annually to a person who best represents the ideals and spirit of the Davis Cup competition and its founder Dwight Davis and must be a past or present member of a Davis Cup team. Past recipients include Neale Fraser, Pierre Darmon, John Newcombe (1986 Hall of Famer), Manuel Santana (1984 Hall of Famer), Miloslav Mecir and Goran Ivanisevic and in 2006 Alex Metreveli.
Presentation of the award was made on Saturday 1 December during the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final between Russia and USA in Portland, Oregon. Presenting the award to Stan Smith was ITF President Francesco Ricci Bitti, ITHF CEO Mark Stenning and previous Davis Cup Award of Excellence recipients Neale Fraser, Pierre Darmon and Alex Metreveli.
“The ITF and Hall of Fame are honoured to present Stan Smith with the 2007 Davis Cup Award of Excellence," said Francesco Ricci Bitti. "Stan, as a member of the United States Davis Cup team for eleven years, gave us some of the greatest moments in American Davis Cup competition. A true champion of our sport both on and off the court, we are very pleased to name Stan as this year’s award winner.”
One of the great US Davis Cup players, Smith was a significant factor in seven US Cup victories (1968-72; 1978-79) and overall in his Davis Cup career he won the clinching point sixteen times to lift USA above their opponents. He played in Davis Cup competition for eleven years, participating in 24 ties and posting an overall win-loss record of 35-7 (15-4 in singles; 20-3 in doubles). He holds the Davis Cup doubles record for the most games played in a match (122) and most games played in a set (76). He was inducted into the ITHF in 1987.
"It's great to be here today, particularly for this special privilege and I would like to thank both the ITF and the Hall of Fame," said Stan on being presented with his award. "Davis Cup has been a huge part of my life and it was always fun to wear a USA jacket."
Born in Pasadena, California, Smith was an All-American at the University of Southern California where he won the USA Intercollegiate singles and doubles titles in 1968, previously winning the doubles title in 1967. He won the 1971 US Open and 1972 Wimbledon singles titles, the 1970 Australian Open doubles title and a further four US Open doubles titles in 1968, 1974, 1978 and 1980 with partner Bob Lutz. He was ranked in the world Top 10 for six straight years in 1970-75 and earned the No. 1 ranking in 1972. His agility, reach, concentration and coordination combined with a tremendous serve and power game made him a feared competitor on both singles and doubles courts.
The Davis Cup Award of Excellence was inaugurated in 2001 by the ITHF and the ITF and is presented annually to a person who best represents the ideals and spirit of the Davis Cup competition and its founder Dwight Davis and must be a past or present member of a Davis Cup team. Past recipients include Neale Fraser, Pierre Darmon, John Newcombe (1986 Hall of Famer), Manuel Santana (1984 Hall of Famer), Miloslav Mecir and Goran Ivanisevic and in 2006 Alex Metreveli.