Can the Tennis Hall of Fame be the best ‘in all of sports'? A $3 million makeover is a first step toward that goal.
Boston's backyard tennis museum at the 145-year-old Newport Casino has been open since 1986.
And while there's nothing musty about the horseshoe-shaped exhibition space that was last renovated a decade ago, the reconfigured and reimagined space certainly offers a brighter, high-tech polish to the centuries-old pastime.
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Instead of the Hall of Famers gallery that used to be the first stop of the museum tour, a new 'Celebration Gallery' features displays of current, recent, and not-so-recent legends such as Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Billie Jean King, Bjorn Borg, and Martina Navratilova.
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One case will feature the freshest-possible exhibits.
Currently, the outfit Madison Keys wore in her Australian Open victory in January is on display.
In the center stands 'Inspirational Legacies AR Experience,' an augmented reality sculpture that to the naked eye looks like a column of 131 white tennis balls hanging from dozens of wires.
Each ball, however, is imprinted with what amounts to a QR code so that when a visitor opens the museum app on their smartphone and hovers their camera over a ball, a historical profile or video on a Hall of Famer will appear, and connections will be shown for other balls featuring players who were inspirations for or inspired by that initial player.
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The International Tennis Hall of Fame includes the 'Inspirational Legacies AR Experience,' an augmented reality sculpture featuring 131 white tennis balls.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
'To me, that's the 'wow' effect that I think people are going to feel and see within this museum,' said Faber.
Another new area is 'The Majors,' a mini-theater where a massive curved video screen and impressive speaker system provide the backdrop for a two-minute-30-second video clip featuring Federer narrating an array of Grand Slam highlights.
The US Open trophies that used to be kept in a relatively obscure corner of the exhibit case are now featured more prominently.
'Inspiration is in our mission statement, to inspire fans around the world, and this gallery is designed specifically to connect generations of players from one to the next to show how one generation inspires the next generation,' said Julianna Barbieri, senior vice president, content & partnerships. 'As you work your way through the gallery, you start with the more current players, then stars and icons of the modern era, and then you work your way backwards.'
The gallery for Hall of Famers is now located at the end of the museum experience. Taking over a former event space, the room-to-grow room features displays on each of the 270 inductees, each bearing a new cast metal tennis racquet.
The "room-to-grow" room at the International Tennis Hall of Fame features displays on each of the 270 inductees, each bearing a new cast metal tennis racquet.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
Other enhancements include a new lounge area for visiting donors and Hall of Famers, an updated welcome center, and a new museum store space featuring an array of hoodies, coffee mugs, hats, sunglasses, and the like.
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The museum, which drew 32,000 fans for the 10 months it was open last year — 15 percent of online ticket purchasers hailed from Massachusetts — remains the focus of the ITHF organization.
Its mission, said Faber, is three-fold: to promote and preserve the history of the game, celebrate its champions, and inspire generations globally.
To that end, the ITHF will decouple its Hall of Fame tournament from its annual induction ceremony. This year, an ATP-WTA Challenger event will be held in July during Wimbledon so that those who didn't make it past the opening rounds can come play on the museum's 13 grass courts.
Starting this year, the induction ceremony has been moved to a time slot one week before the US Open in New York begins, with the idea that it will be more convenient for honorees and their coteries to make an East Coast visit.
The US Open trophies that used to be kept in a relatively obscure corner of the exhibit case are now featured more prominently.
Suzanne Kreiter/Globe Staff
Maria Sharapova and Bob and Mike Bryan will be inducted Aug. 23-25.
In the coming years, interest is expected to be significant: Federer is slated for next August, Williams and Ash Barty in 2027, with Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray in the pipeline.
'All Hall of Famers are iconic, but the sport of tennis has not seen what we're about to embark on in the next five-plus years, so it's kind of like this 'golden era,' ' said Faber. 'The goal is to become not only the ultimate honor in the sport of tennis, but the best Hall of Fame in all of sports.'
All of which is to say the renovations to be unveiled Wednesday mark the start of a new era in tennis.
It's one Faber wants Boston-area fans, already familiar perhaps with the Longwood Cricket Club's hosting of the first Davis Cup or former Globe columnist Bud Collins's legacy, to take advantage of as often as they can.
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Exact numbers are not available for Boston-connected visitors, but Faber wants to double that amount.
'The more we can attract Boston-ites to come to Newport and experience this would be monumental,' he said.
Michael Silverman can be reached at
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