Leander Paes becomes first Asian man to be nominated as a player to International Tennis Hall of Fame

Multiple Grand Slam winner Leander Paes on Tuesday emerged as the first Asian man to be nominated for the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the player category

Multiple Grand Slam winner Leander Paes on Tuesday emerged as the first Asian man to be nominated for the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the player category.

The 50-year-old Paes was one of the six nominees announced for the Class of 2024. He will be competing with Cara Black, Ana Ivanovic, Carlos Moya, Daniel Nestor and Flavia Pennetta in the Player Category.

Li Na, the Chinese player who won the women's singles title at Australian Open and French Open, became the first Asian player to get nominated to the ITHF in 2019.

"It means the world to me that I am the first Asian man to be nominated for the International Tennis Hall of Fame in the Player Category," said Paes.

"After three decades of passion for our sport and playing for 1.3-plus billion Indians in the Olympics and Davis Cup, I am thrilled that my hard work has been recognized.

"I have so much gratitude for my parents, siblings, coaches, Davis Cup captains and everyone who has played a role in my career," he added.

Besides Paes, former India player Vijay Amritraj was also nominated in the contributor category.