Michael Chang, the French Open's youngest men's champion, was among three people voted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame for 2008, the sport's honour shrine announced Wednesday.
Also set to be enshrined at ceremonies here on July 12 during an ATP event are two posthumous honorees in the contributor category, sports agent Mark McCormack and Tennis Week founder and publisher Gene Scott. Their inclusion after receiving a 75 percent approval vote from a selection committee boosts membership in the elite group to 207 people from 18 nations.
Chang won the 1989 French Open men's crown at 17 years and three months, the first US man since Tony Trabert in 1955 to take the title on the red clay at Roland Garros.
In his 16-year career, Chang reached the world number two ranking and spent seven years in the top 10. He won 34 ATP titles and lost in the finals of 24 other events, including the 1995 French Open and 1996 US and Australian Opens.
"It's truly an honour to be inducted," Chang said. "It has been an incredible privilege to compete against the best players in the world for over 16 years and I will always cherish and forever remember my experiences on tour." McCormack died in 2003 at age 72 and revolutionised the sports marketing business through global giant IMG.
Scott died in 2006 at age 68. He founded the weekly tennis magazine in 1974 and served as a television analyst for the famed 1973 "Battle of the Sexes" match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. He reached 11th in the world rankings in 1965 and played on the US Davis Cup team from 1963 through 1965.
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