Former HHI resident Judy Levering elected to SC Tennis Hall of Fame

Former U.S. Tennis Association president Judy Levering, a former Hilton Head Island resident who is credited with tapping into the U.S. Open’s entertainment value, is one of two selections to become the 2016 inductees to the South Carolina Tennis Hall of Fame.

Levering, the USTA’s first woman president, also was at the forefront of the move to rename the U.S. Open’s main stadium after Arthur Ashe. She now lives in Pennsylvania after 17 years in the Lowcountry.

“The USTA continues to benefit financially from the foresight that Judy had and the courage to put (changes) into place,” said Lucy Garvin, also a former USTA president.

Levering served her two-year term in 1999-00, with an objective to raise the U.S. Open into an event that was equal parts entertainment and sports. She hired Arlen Kantarian to oversee its professional tennis business unit, which led to attendance topping 700,000 for the Open fortnight.

Levering also was instrumental in creating the USTA Serves charitable arm, which later was renamed the USTA Founddation. Later, the Judy Levering Leadership Initiative was established to help developing USTA chapters establish youth development programs.

The Hall of Fame induction will take place Dec. 10 during the USTA South Carolina’s annual meeting in Isle of Palms. Levering will be enshrined with Myrtle Beach’s Renata Marcinkowska, a former WTA professional who later won several state senior championships.

This story was originally published November 5, 2016 at 1:01 AM with the headline "Former HHI resident Judy Levering elected to SC Tennis Hall of Fame."