The below article is courtesy of the International Tennis Hall of Fame. See the original article here.
The mission of the International Tennis Hall of Fame was at the forefront of Legends Ball 2025, with inspiring performances, appearances from legends and celebration for a transformational year.
Hall of Famers, ITHF supporters, and tennis fans gathered at the beautiful Ziegfeld Ballroom in New York City following the US Open women’s singles final, where the evening paired excellence in tennis and in music.
As a testament to this unique combination, the Bryan Brothers Band—the ensemble led by Class of 2025 inductees Bob and Mike Bryan—rocked the stage with their fellow Hall of Famers dancing along.
The highlight performance was a surprise appearance by four-time Grammy Award winning artist Seal, who captivated the audience with acoustic renditions of his megahits “Kissed By a Rose”, “Crazy” and “Stand By Me”.
The guest list featured some of tennis’ biggest names, including Hall of Famers Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Marat Safin, Kim Clijsters, Stan Smith, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Pam Shriver, Vijay Amritraj, Gigi Fernandez, Rosie Casals, Rick Draney, David Hall and Steve Flink. The Hall of Famers were spotlighted to open the program, escorted into the ballroom by student-athletes and alumni from the ITHF’s TeamFAME youth program.
Additional stars on the guest list included Emmy® Award winning actor Danny DeVito and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Steve Miller. Vocalists Omar Jose Cardona, Mia Gerachis and Zia Victoria all gave moving performances during the show.
Throughout the evening, funds were raised to support all the Hall of Fame’s non-profit mission to preserve and promote tennis history and celebrate its champions, for the purpose of inspiring excellence in future generations.
Inspirational items from the Hall of Fame’s collection were on display, including match-worn items from the Bryans and fellow 2025 inductee Maria Sharapova, the Bryans’ 2007 Davis Cup trophy and Evert’s 1979 Roland-Garros trophy.
The Hall of Fame’s youth programming, including the Be Legendary global initiative and TeamFAME’s tennis and education programs in Newport, were recognized and celebrated for their impact on kids worldwide. DeVito lent support for both programs, rallying the attendees with a donation match.
Hall of Fame President Clijsters reflected on her interactions with both programs during the year and the results.
“For me, working with young people has always been the most rewarding way to give back. Even when I was on tour, I always chose to commit to the kids’ clinics—because those moments of connection are so powerful. The International Tennis Hall of Fame has made that same commitment to the next generation. Together, we’re using the power of [Hall of Famers’] stories to inspire, and this is just the start.”
Thanks to the passionate backing of generous donors and our Legend Ball co-chairs Jody and John Arnhold, Tatiana and Peter Cancro, Jim Coleman, Molly and Bill Ford, Judy and Russ Fradin, Doug Kimmelman, Tracy and Joe Matarese, Debbie and Ajay Nagpal, Julia and Dan Swan, and Barbara and Gary Tolman, the evening raised crucial funds to propel the Hall of Fame’s nonprofit mission forward.
Legends Ball was further made possible with support from the Hall of Fame’s year-round partners, including BNP Paribas, Chubb, EY, Fidelity, FILA and Infosys.