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Los Angeles, California Editor's Note: Joel Drucker is one of the world's premier tennis writers. A member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame's Enshrinee Nominating Committee, his work appears in a variety of print and broadcast media, including Tennis Magazine, ESPN, The Tennis Channel and Cigar Aficionado. Technical editor for the book, Tennis for Dummies, he is also the author of the book, Jimmy Connors Saved My Life. He shares with HOFMAG.com his list of the Ten Most Important People in Tennis History. 10 – Venus & Serena Williams One of the most incredible stories in all of sports. Imagine if Tiger Woods had a brother chasing him down the back nine at Augusta. Prior to Venus and Serena meeting in the 2001 U.S. Open finals, it had been 117 years since two sisters met in a Grand Slam singles final (surely you remember the Watson sisters). These two blasted open the doors of tennis, becoming champions in their own way, most notably by eschewing junior tennis. By their teens, each was a global superstar, recognized worldwide on a first-name basis. 9 – Howard Head Having already made a name for himself in the ski industry, Head wanted more people to enjoy tennis. First he created a series of metal rackets that made the game easier to play. Then he took things to an even greater level. Many longstanding tennis folks laughed when he unveiled the Prince Classic in 1976. Its 110-inch size head – nearly double the size of most rackets – seemed garish, as ill-fitting as training wheels at the Tour de France. But Head won the day. What was once oversized has now become the standard. 8 – Arthur Ashe Some athletes by dint of circumstances and choice transcend the playing field and use their sport as a means for advancing social good. Arthur Ashe was a thoughtful man, prone to deliberation off the court, graced with a strong sense of morals. Coming of age in the '60s, he saw how his excellence in tennis could spur changes. And so he competed in South Africa, joined corporate boards and dared tell his fellow African-Americans they should spend less time playing sports and more time studying in libraries. His impact went far beyond the lines of the court. 7 – Jimmy Connors When tennis boomed in the '70s, the game needed a crossover icon, a player who could show off the sport's physical prowess and capture that era's appetite for the anti-hero. Flying into the game off the heels of supreme footwork, sizzling strokes and a Prince Valiant hair-do, Jimbo broke through the sport's patrician wall, turning a garden party into an electric jungle. For a time, he was the tennis' Muhammad Ali, Joe Namath and Pete Rose all rolled into one. Add to that the intensity of Robert De Niro and supreme longevity and you're looking at one of the most compelling players who ever stepped on a court.
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