Germany’s Stich, Czech Sukova to join Tennis Hall of Fame

NEW YORK: Former Wimbledon champion Michael Stich of Germany and 14-time Grand Slam doubles champion Helena Sukova of the Czech Republic will be inducted Saturday into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Stich, 49, and Sukova, 53, will be enshrined Saturday in ceremonies at the ATP Hall of Fame Classic in the sporting showplace at Newport, Rhode Island.Stich won his only Grand Slam singles crown at Wimbledon in 1991, downing countryman Boris Becker in straight sets in the final. He was a runner-up at the 1994 US Open, falling to Andre Agassi, and in the 1996 French Open, losing to Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

Former world number two Stich partnered with Becker to win the 1992 Barcelona Olympic men’s doubles crown and joined American John McEnroe to claim the 1992 Wimbledon men’s doubles title.

Sukova, a women’s world doubles number one for 68 weeks, captured nine Grand Slam women’s doubles crowns and five mixed doubles titles. Her doubles trophy haul included four women’s and three mixed at Wimbledon.