NEW YORK — Jack Kramer, arguably the most influential man in tennis history, and Margaret Smith Court, winner of a record 24 Grand Slam singles titles, were inducted Sunday into the U.S. Open Court of Champions along with John McEnroe and Steffi Graf.
Kramer, the U.S. singles champion in 1946 and 1947 and a pioneer of pro tennis, looked fit and sounded sharp-witted as ever at 83 as he assessed the state of the sport he helped develop from an era when players received no prize money and had to pay their own way to tournaments.
When he played the U.S. nationals on the grass at Forest Hills, he said, the players had to pay $2.50 a day for their hotel in Manhattan and ride the subway to tennis stadium.
"Now the kids here have 280 cars ready to pick them up," said Kramer, who pushed to create the open era and served as the first director of the Association of Tournament Professionals. "Things have changed. Boy, wouldn't it be wonderful to play for all this loot!"
Kramer, whose signature wooden racket was used by generations of players and made him wealthy, said he keeps up with the game on television and has been impressed by the depth of talent.
"I've come to the opinion that anybody that is good enough to make the draw in both the ladies' and the men's singles, they're one hell of a great tennis player, and they're not being overpaid at all."
At the ceremony in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Kramer said his grandson, Cody, once asked him, "Grandpa, are you a legend?"
He didn't know how to answer that, but now Kramer said he feels he can go back to California and say, "Yes, Cody, I think I made it. I think I'm a legend."
Court, 62, also was impressed with modern players but thought she and others of her time would be able to compete with them given the same rackets.
"I was probably the first woman to lift weights and do circuit training and to run the sand hills," said Court, who won 18 U.S. titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles. She won a total of 62 Grand Slam singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles.
"Jack and I were saying earlier how beautiful the equipment is today. You just get such wonderful touch with it. I think if you'd like to put them out on a court with the rackets that we used, I think many of us would have fit into this time very well."
McEnroe paid tribute to Kramer and Court, saying he also used Kramer's racket.
The 2004 inductees joined last year's inaugural class, which included Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, Rod Laver, Bill Tilden and Helen Wills.
A TRIPLE FOR THESE DOUBLES: Virginia Ruano Pascual of Spain and Paola Suarez of Argentina became the first women's doubles team to win the U.S. Open title three straight times when they defeated Svetlana Kuznetsova and Elena Likhovtseva 6-4, 7-5 Sunday.
The top-ranked doubles team finished off the Russian pair when Suarez put away a return from Kuznetsova. The night before, Kuznetsova won the women's singles championship.
JUNIOR CHAMPS: Andrew Murray of Britain and Michaella Krajicek of the Netherlands — the half-sister of 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek — won the U.S. Open junior titles Sunday.
The third-seeded Murray beat No. 7 Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine 6-4, 6-2, while No. 3 Krajicek defeated No. 4 Jessica Kirland of Dayton, Ohio, 6-1, 6-1.
Krajicek, 15, lost in the Open's junior final last year. She won the 18-and-under doubles title Saturday.
"I was a lot more comfortable in the final, because I was going with the feeling that I already did this last year, so I don't have to be nervous," Krajicek said. "I think that was the important point for me."
She hit 11 aces and never faced a break point, while breaking Kirkland five times.
The Open marked Kirkland's first run beyond the round of 32 at a junior major.
"I've never been in that situation before. There's a lot of people watching, and TV on the court," said Kirkland, who's 16. "I helped her play good because I never played my game."
Murray, a 17-year-old from Scotland, saved five of the six break points he faced. He recently returned to action after missing more than six months because of tendinitis in his right knee cap.
"I'm a little bit surprised to win, but not too much," Murray said. "I hate losing, and I don't play any tournaments to come second-best. When I come into a tournament, I want to win every single match."