Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation

Southern Tennis Patrons Foundation

John Sadri, North Carolina, 2015

John Sadri, North Carolina, inducted in 2015John Sadri

  • Top junior player who won the North Carolina State High School Singles Championship while attending Myers Park High in Charlotte
  • Won 2 ACC singles and doubles titles, had a 55-4 singles record the last 2 seasons at North Carolina State University and earned All American honors in 1977 and 1978
  • Played John McEnore in the 1978 NCAA singles finals serving 24 aces before losing the 4 hour match in 4 sets, 3 which were decided in a tiebreaker, with McEnroe winning 144 points and Sadri 143 points
  • Began playing on the ATP World Tour in 1979, made the singles finals of the Australian Open that year, earned a number 14 world ranking in 1980 and played in all 4 Grand Slams
  • Won 2 ATP singles titles at Auckland and Denver and 2 ATP doubles titles in Newport and Stowe
  • Retired in 1988 after 10 years on the tour with an ATP tour singles record of 213 wins against 189 loses and began operating the John Sadri Tennis Academy in Charlotte
  • Inducted into the North Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991 and the International Tennis Collegiate Hall of Fame in 2004

Fran Chandler, Tennessee, 2015

Fran Chandler, Tennessee, inducted in 2015Fran Chandler

  • Finalist at the 1980 TSSAA State Single Tournament in 1980 while attending Jackson Central Merry High School
  • Played number 1 singles and doubles for Murray State University posting a 52-6 singles record and winning the 1982 Female Athlete of the Year Award
  • Transferred to the University of Mississippi after her sophomore year, earning All-SEC honors in 1983 and 1984 and winning the 1984 Ole Miss Female Athlete of the Year Award
  • Won the Equitable National Husband and Wife Mixed Doubles Championships in 1985 2 years after marrying Willie Chandler
  • Won 12 National Singles Championships and 5 National Doubles Championships, ranked number 1 in the nation 7 years and ranked in the top three 4 other years between 2001 and 2012
  • Represented the United States on the World Cup Team, winning 3 Margaret Court Cup titles as team captain and won the individual World Doubles title in 2008 and the individual World Singles title in 2010 and 2013 and was ranked number 1 in the International Tennis Federation
  • Received the 2008 Slew Hester Adult Achievement Award and has been inducted into the Jackson-Madison County Hall of Fame, the Tennessee Tennis Hall of Fame, and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame

Brenda Carter, South Carolina, 2015

Brenda Carter, South Carolina, inducted in 2015Brenda Carter

  • Played intramurals at Georgia Southern University
  • Competed in adult tournaments since the 1980’s, moved to Charleston in 1999 and made her first major mark winning the 55’s singles and doubles titles at the 2001 National Hardcourt Championships, the first of many national singles and doubles titles
  • Ranked number 1 in her age division 8 times from 2001 to 2013 (and within the top 5 the 4 remaining years), won the 2013 65’s singles national championships on 4 different surfaces (clay, hard, grass and indoor, dubbed the “Golden Slam”) and won doubles titles in 3 of 4 championship events
  • Won a World Singles title in 2007 and also has a World Doubles title and a World Mixed Doubles title
  • President of the National Senior Women’s Tennis Association 2009 to 2011 and served two terms on the USTA Adult/Senior Competition Committee
  • Played on numerous South Carolina Senior Cup, Southern Intersectional and National teams and captained the champion United States 65’s team at the 2014 Kitty Godfree Cup
  • USTA South Carolina Adult Player of the Year twice (2001 and 2006), USTA Southern Slew Hester Adult Achievement Award twice (2003 and 2011) as well as the NSWTA Margaret Russo Sportsmanship Award and the Betty Gray Washington Sportsmanship Award and was inducted into the Georgia Southern Athletic Hall of Fame in 1999 and the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009