NEWPORT, R.I. ā Billie Jean King and the other members of the Original 9 who laid the groundwork for the womenās professional tennis tour are the first group nominated together for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
They join Jonas Bjorkman, Sergi Brugera, Juan Carlos Ferrero, Lleyton Hewitt, Lisa Raymond and the late Dennis Van der Meer on the ballot announced Monday for the Hallās Class of 2021.
That group and Van der Meer, who advocated for a universal teaching method in tennis, were nominated in the Contributor Category.
Van der Meer died last year.
The full ballot now goes to the official voting group ā which includes tennis journalists, historians and Hall of Fame members ā and fans can vote online in the Player Category from Oct. 1-25.