Former BBC commentator John Barrett has been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The 82-year-old former Davis Cup captain reached the third round of the men’s singles at Wimbledon four times, before joining the BBC in 1971 as a commentator across its tennis coverage, including Wimbledon.
Barrett is only the eighth journalist to be honoured by the organisation in its 60-year history and will be one of five people to be recognised in a special ceremony later this year in New York, where he and four others will receive one of the highest honours in the sport of tennis.
Also inducted into the hall of fame as the Class of 2014 are former Wimbledon champion Lindsay Davenport, five-time Paralympic medallist Chantal Vandierendonck, respected coach Nick Bollettieri and former US Tennis Association president Jane Brown Grimes.
Hall of Fame president Stan Smith said: “We are delighted to welcome John Barrett to the Hall of Fame, joining his wife, former world No. 1 Angela Mortimer Barrett, among the legends of our sport.
“A leader on many levels, John’s lifelong passion for the sport resulted in some of its finest journalism, most compelling story-telling, and therefore, some of the most important works dedicated to preserving tennis history.
BBC’s director of sport Barbara Slater told the BBC Sport website: “This accolade could not go to a more deserving gentleman.
“On behalf of everyone here at BBC Sport, I would like to congratulate John on this achievement.
“John’s career as the BBC’s ‘Voice of Tennis’ spanned more than four decades and we were privileged to bring his vast knowledge and talent to our coverage of tennis and, in particular, Wimbledon.”
A familiar voice to millions of sports fans across four decades, John Barrett succeeded Dan Maskell as the BBC’s ‘voice of tennis’ when Maskell retired from commentating in 1991.
Born in North London and educated at University College School in Hampstead, Barrett’s television career began in 1971 when he commentated on his first Wimbledon for BBC TV.
His tones became synonymous with some of the most memorable and exciting moments in the sport during the 1980s and 1990s as he worked on all of BBC Sport’s tennis coverage, including Wimbledon and Queen’s Club.
As well as working for the BBC for more than 35 years, Barrett also worked for a number of TV networks around the world, including Australia, Hong Kong, United States and Canada, making his voice instantly recognisable to millions of tennis fans across the globe.
After working on his 36th consecutive Wimbledon Championships in 2006, Barrett decided to stand down from his BBC role with his last commentary for the corporation being the ladies’ singles final in which Amelie Mauresmo won her second Grand Slam title.
Following Wimbledon 2006, Barrett decided to completely scale down his commentary work, only working on the Australian Open for the host broadcaster, but he continues to enjoy the Championships socially with his many friends from within the sport who come to SW19 every year.
As a player, John first competed at Wimbledon in 1950 where he played every year until 1970.
He represented Great Britain for the Davis Cup in 1956 and 1957 and was ranked nationally from 1952 to 1970, reaching number five.
Outside of his playing career, he has also been involved in other aspects of tennis and can add a long list of credits to those he achieved on court.
Barrett is an accomplished author, journalist and dedicated historian and has produced some of the sport’s most comprehensive and interesting works.
From 1969 to 2001 he edited and contributed to World of Tennis, acknowledged as the bible of tennis, while his recently published third edition of ‘Wimbledon – The Official History’ is his latest contribution to the history of tennis.
As a committee member, and current Vice President, of the All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club, Barrett took on the enormous task of compiling a comprehensive database of every result that has ever occurred at Wimbledon, in all events.
The research and work took more than 20 years to compile and is now being made available to the general public on the Club’s website.
He was also the tennis correspondent for The Financial Times in London from 1963 to 2007 and has authored many books on coaching and biographies of key figures from within tennis.
Barrett is married to former world number one player and Angela Mortimer Barrett, who herself was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1993.
The Barretts are the second married couple to be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, joining multiple Grand Slam champions Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf.
Celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2014, the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the history of tennis alongside inspiring and encouraging junior tennis development, providing a landmark for tennis enthusiasts worldwide.
The Class of 2014 Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony will be held at the museum at Newport, Rhode Island, on Saturday, July 12, 2014.
Visit the official International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum website for more details.
