ATP Tour
Federer, Del Potro among 2026 nominees for International Tennis Hall of Fame
Former WTA star Kuznetsova also nominated in Player Category
October 01, 2025
Peter Staples/ATP Tour
Roger Federer, pictured here at the 2018 Nitto ATP Finals, won 103 tour-level singles titles.
By International Tennis Hall of Fame Staff
The former No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings Roger Federer headlines the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2026 nominees, joined by 2009 US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro and four-time major champion Svetlana Kuznetsova in the ballot’s Player Category.
The Player Category recognizes ATP and WTA players who have achieved a distinguished record of competitive achievement at the highest international level:
Federer is one of only eight men in tennis history to achieve a Career Grand Slam in singles. He captured his first major title at age 21 at Wimbledon in 2003, going on to become the first male player in tennis history to win 20 major singles titles. Federer then ascended to World No. 1 for a record 237 consecutive weeks, ultimately holding that spot for 310 total weeks through his career.
He finished his career with 103 singles titles, second most in the Open Era, and was voted to receive the ATP’s Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award 13 times. Additionally, Federer was the ATP Fan Favorite for a record 19 consecutive years, from 2003 to 2021.
Representing Switzerland, Federer led his country to the Davis Cup title in 2014 and captured Olympic gold in doubles alongside Stan Wawrinka at the 2008 Beijing Games. As part of Team Europe, Federer captured three-straight Laver Cup titles from 2017 through 2019.
Del Potro of Argentina is the 2009 US Open men’s singles champion, one of 22 titles captured over the course of his career. In 2008, while still a teenager, del Potro earned four ATP singles titles, along the way compiling a 23-match winning streak.
In 2009, del Potro reached his first Grand Slam final, and secured a five-set victory against Federer at the US Open. He finished the year as the youngest player in the Top 10. In 2016, del Potro led Argentina to its first Davis Cup title and also earned a silver medal in the Olympic singles competition.
Kuznetsova is a four-time major champion, with two apiece in singles and doubles. She won singles titles at the 2004 US Open and 2009 Roland Garros, and doubles titles at the Australian Open in 2005 and 2012. She reached an additional two major finals in both disciplines. During her 15-year career, she won 18 WTA singles titles and 16 in doubles and reached career high rankings of No. 2 in singles and No. 3 in doubles.
