[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 3]
[Senate]
[Page 4233]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO MIKE DAVIES

  Mr. BLUMENTHAL. Mr. President, today I honor New Haven open chief 
executive officer Mike Davies, who was named a 2012 inductee of the 
International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum, a nonprofit organization 
founded in 1954. The official induction ceremony will take place this 
summer, and so, very appropriately, the outdoor tennis season provides 
an opportunity to honor a man who has significantly influenced the game 
of tennis. He is truly an athlete and sportsman for all seasons.
  Other 2012 inductees include U.S. Gold medalist Jennifer Capriati, 
Brazilian top athlete Gustavo Kuerten, Russian star Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 
and three-time Paralympic medalist Thomas ``Randy'' Snow, all 
recognized in the Recent Player Category. Snow, who passed away in 
2009, was a tireless leader for the disabled, inspiring many as a 
champion of wheelchair tennis. Spanish superstar Manuel Orantes and 
Australian champion Thelma Coyne-Long will be inducted in the Master 
Player Category. Nick Bollettieri, legendary coach and entrepreneur, 
and Eiichi Kawatei, a strong promoter of tennis in Asia, will join Mr. 
Davies in the Contributor Category.
  I was not surprised when I read that Mr. Davies taught himself how to 
play tennis and has used the same self-invented grip to swing his 
racket for the past 65 years. This anecdote is a perfect metaphor for 
how he, as an innovator, has transformed a game that so many Americans 
cherish.
  Although we remember him as a great player battling to the top as No. 
1 in Britain today, I recognize his perhaps lesser known contributions 
to tennis. He dedicated many years to leading our world's major tennis 
organizations, including the World Championship Tennis, WCT, serving as 
its executive director for 13 years, the Association of Tennis 
Professionals, and the International Tennis Federation, where he made 
the Davis Cup a tournament worth watching. In these capacities, he 
changed parts of the game that we take for granted and made playing and 
watching tennis more enjoyable, competitive, and exciting. Mr. Davies 
developed and implemented tie-breakers, allowed players to wear color, 
changed the ball from green to yellow for the benefit of television 
viewers, added time between points and games, and suggested the use of 
chairs during breaks in play.
  Remarkably, Mr. Davies is responsible for the first public 
broadcasting of a tennis match, facilitating the airing of the 1972 WCT 
final match between Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall on NBC. In addition, 
while at WCT, Mr. Davies implemented the first, multimillion world 
tour. These two big ideas made the sport more accessible to all 
Americans. As showcased by these accomplishments and many others, Mr. 
Davies has been a tireless advocate for diversifying tennis and 
supporting all players, regardless of class or race, who had the 
potential to rise through the ranks.
  Most recently, Mr. Davies has dedicated his talents to the incredibly 
successful New Haven Open tournament at Yale University. He has brought 
big-time tournament tennis competition to the city of New Haven and 
helped to create an arena where athletes of all ages can be inspired to 
be strong, fight hard, and work to their full potential. In their own 
backyards, they can experience the incredible energy of skilled players 
who are only a few games away from the U.S. Open.
  I congratulate Mr. Davies for this remarkable honor and would like to 
recognize the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum for its 
outstanding work in preserving the legacies of these cultural icons and 
motivating new generations of young athletes and entrepreneurs to 
strive for greatness every day.

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