The Int’l Tennis HOF in Newport, R.I., named former ATPer TODD MARTIN CEO designate. He will take over full-time as CEO for the outgoing MARK STENNING on Sept. 5. Martin will oversee the museum, a $16M renovation and the ATP Tour stop that launches the American summer tennis season. The HOF Tennis Championships, scheduled to start July 7 in Newport, is the only pro grass court event in the U.S. A former ATP Player Council President, Martin retired in '04 (Daniel Kaplan, Staff Writer). Tennis HOF Chair CHRIS CLOUSER said, "We received 60 or 70 inquiries about the position, and we approached a number of people for suggestions. ... [Martin] gave us, in our first meeting, a number of quality candidates to consider. But after that meeting, we thought, 'There’s something obvious here. Why not Todd Martin?'" Martin said, "When Mark stepped down, I didn't think twice about it. I’ve been engulfed in my own business the last couple years and didn’t have much time to think about what else was out there. When Chris proposed the idea, that sort of slaps you across the face and tells you to think about something. The more we thought about it, the more appealing it became" (NEWPORT DAILY NEWS, 2/19). In Jacksonville, Gene Frenette notes since Martin's retirement from playing, he has "served as a part-time coach for Tour players and operated his own tennis academy, developing young players at Sawgrass Country Club and at The Bolles School." His new job "means a move from Ponte Vedra Beach, where Martin has lived since 1996, to Newport in the coming weeks." His wife, AMY, and three children (ages 5 to 11) "will join him after the school year" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 2/19).
