Roger Federer leads list of 2026 International Tennis Hall of Fame nominees

Roger Federer might become the first player of the legendary Big Three to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Every year, multiple tennis players are announced as nominees for induction in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Since 1954, there have been a total of 270 individuals from 28 countries inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. That list will grow in 2026 when another player will be inducted.

As every year, the International Tennis Hall of Fame announced the list of nominees for both the Player Category as well as the Contributor Category. Journalist Mary Carillo and administrator Marshall Happer were the two nominated in the Contributor Category.

Fans can't vote when it comes to the Contributor Category, but they can be part of the voting for the Player Category, with fans eligible to cast their ITHF Fan Voting ballots. There are three players they can vote for.

Roger Federer is the first nominee, and someone who, without a doubt, will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. He is a 20-time Grand Slam champion, a former ATP world No. 1, 103-time ATP titlist, an Olympic gold medalist, and a Davis Cup and Hopman Cup champion.

He is also one of only eight men to complete a career Grand Slam in singles, he held the world No. 1 spot for a record 237 consecutive weeks, and he won the ATP’s Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award a total of 13 times. He was also voted the ATP Fan Favorite for a record 19 consecutive years.

For millions of fans around the world, Federer's name is synonymous with tennis. There isn't a single doubt that he will be inducted into the International Hall of Fame, and in the coming years, closely followed by his two rivals, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.

The second nominee is Juan Martin del Potro. The tall Argentinian, often nicknamed the Gentle Giant, is a one-time Grand Slam champion, having won the 2009 US Open. He is a former ATP world No. 3 and one of the very few players who consistently beat the Big Three during their peak. He has recorded a total of 17 wins against Federer, Djokovic, and Nadal.

Del Potro is also a Davis Cup champion and a two-time Olympic medalist. He won bronze at the 2012 London Olympics and silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics, losing only to Andy Murray in the final. He reacted to his nomination on X (formerly Twitter).

The third nominee is a WTA player. Svetlana Kuznetsova is a former world No. 2 and a two-time Grand Slam singles champion. She also has two major titles in doubles. Kuznetsova won the 2004 US Open and the 2009 French Open in singles. She is a two-time Australian Open champion in doubles (2005 and 2012).

On top of that, she played two more Grand Slam finals in singles and another five in doubles, competing in a total of 11 major finals in her tennis career, during which she lifted 18 titles on the WTA Tour.

Tennis fans will now be able to vote until Friday, October 10, 2025, to decide which players deserve the 2026 International Tennis Hall of Fame induction. Based on their votes, the candidates will receive extra percentage points when the Official Voting Group takes place.