International Tennis Hall of Fame names youth program headquarters in honor of Chris Evert

The Canfield House building at the International Tennis Hall of Fame is now the Chris Evert Learning Center.

The headquarters for Newport's sport-based youth development program that touches hundreds of young people each year was officially renamed this week in honor of the 18-time Grand Slam singles champion and former world No. 1 in honor of her "contributions to grassroots youth tennis and education initiatives," the Hall of Fame said.

“I am humbled to receive this recognition at a place that means a great deal to me, the International Tennis Hall of Fame," Evert said. "TeamFAME does incredible work in providing tennis and educational support to the Newport community. It is an honor to have my name associated with the inspiring programming that takes place here locally, with ripple effects globally.”

TeamFAME is one of more than 250 National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapters throughout the U.S. that are sponsored by the USTA Foundation, the national philanthropic arm of the USTA, of which Evert is chairperson. NJTLs bring tennis and education programming to under-resourced children that help enrich their lives both on and off the court.

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The dedication ceremony took place in between quarterfinal matches at the Infosys Hall of Fame Open. Evert and Newport leadership were joined on court by her fellow tennis legends Martina Navratilova, Kim Clijsters, Stan Smith, Tracy Austin, Rosie Casals as Rick Draney, as well as the incoming Class of 2024 (Vijay Amritraj, Richard Evans and Leander Paes), TeamFAME student-athletes, and ESPN commentator Chris McKendry, who is Evert's close personal friend.

International Tennis Hall of Fame CEO Dan Faber hailed Evert during the ceremony as someone who "embodies all that it means to be a Hall of Famer, both in her impact on the court and her track record of giving back to the sport of tennis."

Following her retirement in 1989, Evert founded Chris Evert Charities, Inc., which has raised over $26 million to support at-risk children and their families.

"Her dedication to developing tennis and education programming has positively impacted countless kids and their families across the country," Faber added.

Funds from the Hall of Fame's Tennis Forever Capital Campaign contributed to the project. Other initiatives funded by the campaign include the 2020 resurfacing of the venue's iconic grass courts, digitizing the museum collection, and preservation projects on the property.