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Kafelnikov: International Tennis Hall of Fame was my final task to accomplish as player

Kafelnikov is the first and only Russian tennis player to have won the titles of a Grand Slam champion both in men’s singles and in men’s doubles playing at the same tournament

Yevgeny Kafelnikov Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

Yevgeny Kafelnikov

© Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

MOSCOW, January 21. /TASS/. The induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame was the final task to accomplish set by former World’s No. 1 Yevgeny Kafelnikov in his professional career, the Russian tennis star told TASS on Monday.

Kafelnikov, who is also the Russian Tennis Federation’s (RTF) vice president, was inducted on Sunday to the International Tennis Hall of Fame along with China’s Li Na and Mary Pierce of France.

"My induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame as a professional athlete is definitely a great honor," Kafelnikov said in an interview with TASS. "I am glad to be acknowledged with this honor."

"In fact, it has been probably my last of the aims, which any professional athlete seeks to accomplish," the famous tennis player said. "The aim of joining the Hall of Fame for professional career achievements is the one, which every athlete is pursuing."

"It has been a tough competition in recent years for the right to be included in the Hall of Fame, it was impossible to get there on a first or a second attempt and it was a routine process," he added.

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Kafelnikov, 44, is the two-time Grand Slam winner in singles and three-time Grand Slam champion in duos. He won singles campion’s titles at the 1996 French Open and at the 1999 Australian Open. Playing in pairs at the Grand Slam tournaments he is the winner of the French Open in 1996, 1997 and 2002.

He is the first and only Russian tennis player to have won the titles of a Grand Slam champion both in men’s singles and in men’s doubles playing at the same tournament, which was the 1996 French Open.

Kafelnikov also won the singles gold medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and was a member of the Russian team to win the Davis Cup in 2002. He was ranked the World’s No. 1 between May 3 and June 13, 1999.

The International Tennis Hall of Fame, located in Newport, United States, was established in 1954. Kafelnikov is the second Russian to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, the first one being Marat Safin (2016).

According to the official website of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, "Induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame is the highest honor in the sport of tennis. Induction acknowledges an individual's excellence in on court achievements and contributions to the growth of the sport."

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