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Home  News Stan Smith to Receive Davis Cup Award Of Excellence
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Stan Smith to Receive Davis Cup Award Of Excellence
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International Tennis Hall of Fame
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NEWPORT, RI -- The International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation have announced that former United States Davis Cup victor Stan Smith is this year's recipient of the Davis Cup Award of Excellence. Presentation of the award will be made on Saturday, December 1 during the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas World Group Final between Russia and the United States to be held in Portland, Oregon. Presenting this prestigious award to Smith will be Francesco Ricci Bitti, President of the International Tennis Federation. In addition, Mark L. Stenning, Chief Executive Officer of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and previous Davis Cup Award of Excellence recipients Neale Fraser, Pierre Darmon, and Alex Metreveli will also be present at the ceremony.
"The ITF and the International Tennis Hall of Fame have the honor of presenting Stan Smith with the 2007 Davis Cup Award of Excellence," said Francesco Ricci Bitti. "Stan, as a member of the United States Davis Cup team for eleven years, gave us some of the greatest moments in American Davis Cup competition. A true champion of our sport both on and off the court, we are very pleased to name Stan as this year's award winner."
The purpose of this award is to recognize the importance of Davis Cup by honoring individuals who best represent the ideals of the competition's founder, Dwight Davis, 107 years ago. The Davis Cup Award of Excellence is presented annually and is voted on by a panel that includes the ITF President, the Chairman of the Davis Cup Committee, the President of the host National Association, a representative of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and a journalist from the host nation. The recipient must be a member of a past or present Davis Cup team, and must be from the country/region where the Final is being held.
Stan Smith, inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1987, holds the Davis Cup doubles record for the most games played in a match (122) and most games played in a set (76). In 1973, with partner Erik van Dillen, they defeated Chile's Jaime Fillol and Patricio Cornejo, 7-9, 37-39, 8-6, 6-1, 6-3. Smith played in Davis Cup competition for eleven years, participating in 24 ties and posting an overall win-loss record of 35-7 (15-4 in singles; 20-3 in doubles). One of the great U.S. Davis Cup players, he was a significant factor in seven U.S. Cup victories (1968-72; 1978-79). Overall in his Davis Cup career, he won the clinching point sixteen times to lift the U.S. above their opponents. In addition, on a U.S. streak of 17 victories between 1968 and the 1973 Final, Smith played in 14 of those wins and was the clincher in 12.
Smith, born in Pasadena, Calif., was an All-American at the University of Southern California where he won the U.S. Intercollegiate Singles and Doubles titles in 1968, previously winning the doubles title in 1967. He won the 1972 Wimbledon Singles Championship, the 1971 U.S. Singles Championship, the 1970 Australian Doubles Championship and four U.S. Doubles Championships (1968, 1974, 1978 and 1980 with partner Bob Lutz). He was ranked in the World Top 10 six straight years 1970-75, attaining No. 1 in 1972. His agility, reach, concentration and coordination combined with a tremendous serve and power game made him a feared competitor on both singles and doubles courts.
The Davis Cup Award of Excellence was inaugurated in 2001 by the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation. Past recipients are Neale Fraser of Australia in 2001, Pierre Darmon of France in 2002, John Newcombe (1986 Hall of Famer) of Australia in 2003, Manuel Santana (1984 Hall of Famer) of Spain in 2004, Miloslav Mecir of the Slovak Republic and Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia in 2005; and last year, Alex Metreveli of Russia.
The Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final will be contested at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon November 30 – December 2 between the United States and Russia. The Davis Cup Award of Excellence presentation will be made during a special on-court ceremony, prior to Saturday's tennis competition.
For more information regarding the Davis Cup by BNP Paribas Final, including live scoring, visit the official website www.daviscup.com. For more information regarding the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum and its programs, visit www.tennisfame.com.
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