The 50th anniversary of the founding of the Hologic WTA Tour is being commemorated with a new exhibit from the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
"Transcending Tennis: 50 Years of the WTA" will open later this month at the Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. and run for the next six months. It launched in earnest last week with a tribute video narrated by former WTA player and current broadcaster Mary Carillo.
"I wasn't around at the dawn of the WTA," Carillo says in the clip. "In its estimable timeline, I got there for brunch, and never left. Getting a seat at that table has given me everything I have ever gotten in my life, and I’m glad to play a role in the ITHF’s celebration of this vital tennis history.”
The exhibit will highlight the significant accomplishments, milestones, and the lasting impact of 50 years of women’s professional tennis, and feature both a brick-and-mortar exhibit as well as special digital content highlighting the anniversary.
Curated artifacts in the exhibit will include a signed poster and dollar bill by all members of the Original 9, a crystal trophy created by the WTA to celebrate Wimbledon’s granting of equal prize money in 2007, awards and memorabilia from the Virginia Slims Championships, and fashion pieces worn by women’s tennis legends on court.
Online and on its social media channels, the Hall of Fame will chronicle the history of the last five decades through the voices of those involved with and impacted by the tour over the years. These stories will be curated in a dedicated area of the Hall of Fame's website at tennisfame.com/wta-50-years. Additional digital content through September will include reflections from Hall of Famers and other leaders, reliving consequential moments in both women’s tennis and the women’s rights movement.
The Hologic WTA Tour is celebrating five decades in 2023 with a season-long campaign called WTA 50: Just Starting. This campaign and its content is honoring the past, celebrating the present and looking to the future, focusing on the values of equality and empowerment on which the WTA was founded.
