This past weekend, my wife and I had the privilege of attending the International Tennis Hall of Fame induction celebration in Newport, Rhode Island. The weekend greatly exceeded my expectations, not only in terms of the elegance of the venue and the stylishness of the attendees, but also in terms of the eloquent and deeply moving speeches from this year’s inductees.
I have had the good fortune of spending a great deal of time amid the splendor of Newport over the past few years. Newport is home to Salve Regina University, where I am a Ph.D. candidate. The City by the Sea is also a short distance from my home in Connecticut, ideal for daytrips and longer stays. I must say that of all my visits to Newport, the Tennis Hall of Fame Weekend was by far the most remarkable and the most memorable.
On a weekend with perfect weather of bright blue skies and glorious sunshine, the International Tennis Hall of Fame hosted a truly remarkable series of weekend events. The festivities began on Friday night with Courting Fashion at Rosecliff. Newport is home to many beautiful Gilded Age mansions, but Rosecliff is arguably the most romantic – a white confection in terra cotta, featuring a heart-shaped staircase and the largest private ballroom in Newport. The balmy summer evening with its moonlit sky, ocean breeze, and illuminated fountain felt just like Fitzgerald’s description of Jay Gatsby’s parties with “the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.”
Courting Fashion was filled with music and cocktails and well-dressed guests. I wore a Brooks Brothers blazer in a shade of brick that some have compared to Nantucket red, along with a pair of navy pants, a gingham spread collar shirt in cornflower blue and white, and a navy and white rep tie with a nautical motif. I felt very Gatsbyesque on the lawn of Rosecliff with one of the event’s signature cocktails – a Dos Hombres Mezal Hibiscus Margarita – in a shade of pink which seemed custom-made to compliment my blazer.
Brooks Brothers Brunch with Legends, an elegant event featuring quiche and mimosas, took place on Saturday morning at the Horseshoe Court. Hall of Fame inductees received an exclusive customized Brooks Brothers navy blazer upon their induction, an annual tradition which started more than a decade ago. Tennis legend Stan Smith gave a spontaneous speech acknowledging the longstanding partnership between Brooks Brothers and the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Arthur Wayne, VP of marketing and PR at Brooks Brothers, presented Hall of Fame blazers to this year’s inductees: Vijay Amritraj, Richard Evans, and Leander Paes. Former tennis players Amritraj and Paes, both of whom are originally from India, became the first Asian men to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, along with Richard Evans, a well-known British sports journalist, author, and historian.
The Class of 2024 Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony took place on Saturday night. The event was televised on the Tennis Channel and Brett Haber was the master of ceremonies. This extraordinary evening featured legends of the game including Stan Smith, Chris Evert, Patrick McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Andre Agassi, Kim Clijsters, Tracy Austin, and Rosie Casals.
The most inspiring part of the Tennis Hall of Fame Weekend was the speeches from the inductees and their family members. The sons of two of the inductees – Prakash Amritraj, son of Vijay Amritraj, and Ashley Evans, son of Richard Evans – each introduced their fathers. Both delivered loving tributes to their fathers, but it was the speech from Prakash that left no dry eye in the house. Prakash Amritraj stated:
“It is such a tremendous blessing, honor, and privilege to be here today to introduce my greatest hero, who just happens to be my father. And I’d like to address Vijay’s impact today from three unique perspectives that I have. First as an analyst – his beautiful free flowing game on court, his style – it looked like calligraphy in human form. And when you couple that with the immeasurable impact that he left in expanding the came to reaches of the globe that it didn’t previously touch – that kind of lasting impact, absolutely immeasurable.”
Following his son’s speech, Vijay Amritraj made an eloquent speech of his own, stating:
“My dear friends, I am humbled and honored to join this incredible and exclusive group who have brought glory to our sport. Our sport has given me everything in life. It has taken me to places I never thought I would go. It has allowed me to meet people I never thought I would meet, and it has given me more things than I could have possibly imagined.”
The International Tennis Hall of Fame Weekend was an extraordinary celebration, and it was truly an honor to attend. A special thanks to my friends at Brooks Brothers for the opportunity to be a part of history in the making.
Seems that Brooks has moved beyond Ivy styling — now thoroughly “Updated Traditional” in the Paul Stuart (and every local men’s store save O’Connell’s) mold. 2-button darted, high-and-extended shoulder. Buttonless point collars.
If you “felt very Gatsbyesque on the lawn of Rosecliff,” it may be because that is where many of the party scenes for the 1974 Robert Redford/Mia Farrow version were filmed.
Love your look AND the excerpts!
Thank you, John – the clothes were great, but the presentations from the inductees were the highlight!
Seems that Brooks has moved beyond Ivy styling — now thoroughly “Updated Traditional” in the Paul Stuart (and every local men’s store save O’Connell’s) mold. 2-button darted, high-and-extended shoulder. Buttonless point collars.
If you “felt very Gatsbyesque on the lawn of Rosecliff,” it may be because that is where many of the party scenes for the 1974 Robert Redford/Mia Farrow version were filmed.
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20210209-the-worlds-most-misunderstood-novel
Yes indeed, I mentioned Robert Redford film version of The Great Gatsby in my preview post:
https://www.ivy-style.com/tennis-hall-of-fame-weekend-in-newport.html
Matthew: So you did and I missed it. Thanks. I didn’t search enough of the older posts.
Now I’ll go back to reminiscing about seeing Dylan go electric in ’65.
Your perspective on this issue is both original and insightful—well done!