Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation

Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation

Hugh Thomson, Alabama & Georgia, 1999

Hugh Thomson, Alabama & Georgia, inducted in 1999Hugh Thomson

  • Grew up in Australia where he started playing tennis at age 7 and captured over 50 junior titles and 20 open titles
  • Played college tennis at Mississippi State University where he had a 54-2 SEC record, won 3 SEC singles and 4 SEC doubles championships and led the team to a top 10 national ranking all 4 years
  • Coached the men’s team at the University of Alabama-Birmingham to a Sunbelt Conference Championship and was twice named Sunbelt Conference Coach of the Year and later coached Auburn where his teams won 2 SEC championships and he was named the 1983 SEC Coach of the Year.
  • Played national and international tournaments for the past 45 years and has improved with age, winning over 60 southern and national titles and earning the number 1 national ranking several times
  • Played on many Southern Senior Cup teams and Southern Intersectional teams and has represented the United States over 20 times in national team competition
  • A long time USTA volunteer at the local, state and section levels, he has made numerous contributions to the sport and is a USPTA professional and USTA referee
  • Received the Alabama Tennis Family of the Year Award and has been inducted into the Mississippi State Sports Hall of Fame and the Alabama Tennis Hall of Fame

Roy R. Barth, South Carolina, 1999

Roy R. Barth, South Carolina, inducted in 1999Roy R Barth

  • Began winning national championships at the age 13 in San Diego and consistently maintained top national rankings throughout his junior career
  • Played #1 singles and doubles at UCLA where he was a 2-time All-American and won the 1969 Pacific Eight singles and doubles titles and was a doubles finalist at the 1968 NCAA Championships
  • Spent 7 years on the professional tour playing in all 4 grand slam tournaments and reaching a top 8 United States men’s  singles rankings, top 2 United States men’s doubles rankings and a no. 45 world singles ranking before retiring and moving to Kiawah Island, South Carolina, as the Director of Tennis where he has won numerous USPTR senior doubles championships and over 15 Southern senior doubles championships
  • Coached the 1975 United States Wightman Cup team, 3 USTA Southern 18U Intersectional teams (winning 1 title) and the United States Italia Cup (Men’s 35-and over) to 2 titles in 5 years
  • President of the Professional Tennis Registry (PTR) for term of February 2015 – February 2018, founding member of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), founding member and past President of USPTR, President of the South Carolina Tennis Association and Chairman of the South Carolina Tennis Patrons Foundation
  • Co- Chaired the USTA Davis/Fed Cup/Olympic Committee as Chair of the USTA Davis Cup Committee for six years
  • Co-chaired the USTA Davis Cup Committee several terms
  • Received the USTA Southern Charles B. Morris Volunteer Service Award in 2010, the USTA Southern Jacobs Bowl Volunteer Service Award in 2016  and has been inducted into the Hoover High School Sports Hall of Fame, the San Diego Tennis Hall of Fame, the UCLA Sports Hall of Fame and the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame