TEMPE, Ariz. — The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is excited to announce the ITA Men’s Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame Class of 2026, which will celebrate players John Isner, Steve Johnson, and Kevin Anderson, coach Manny Diaz, and contributor John Frierson.
“The 2026 ITA Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony celebrates a remarkable group whose contributions have shaped collegiate tennis in distinct ways. John Isner, Stevie Johnson and Kevin Anderson reminded the tennis world that college tennis can serve as an excellent pathway to a successful professional tennis career. Manny Diaz is recognized for his impactful leadership and extraordinary achievements as a coach, while John Frierson is celebrated for his remarkable dedication and invaluable contributions off the court. Together, they represent the diverse excellence that continues to elevate our sport,” David Mullins, CEO of the ITA, said.
The ITA Men’s Hall of Fame inducted its first class in 1983 and has since inducted more than 270 players, coaches and contributors. Players are eligible for election to the Hall of Fame 10 years after the conclusion of their participation on a team and once they are no longer playing on the pro tour. Coaches are eligible immediately following retirement. The main criteria for election includes college accomplishments and honors earned after college.
The Men’s Hall of Fame Class of 2026 will take place prior to the NCAA Division I Championships at the University of Georgia in May 2026. Information for the May 2026 induction will become available later this year.
Please contact Rachel Dagen, ITA Director of Events & Awards, [email protected], if you have any additional questions regarding the Class of 2026 induction at this time.
For more information regarding the newest inductees, continue reading below.
Class of 2026
Manny Diaz, Coach, Georgia – The winningest coach in SEC history and one of the best in the history of collegiate tennis, Manuel Diaz retired in 2024 after 36 seasons as Georgia’s head coach. Diaz retired with 781 career wins, four NCAA team titles (1999, 2001, 2007-08), two ITA National Indoor championships and 11 trips to the NCAA finals. The Bulldogs dominated the SEC for much of his tenure, winning a combined (regular season or tournament) 29 conference titles. Diaz was named the SEC Coach of the Year seven times and was a three-time ITA National Coach of the Year.
Diaz arrived at Georgia as a freshman in 1971, from San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was the beginning of a 46-year relationship between Diaz and Georgia that included many family ties. His younger brother, Ricky, played for the Bulldogs, as did two of his sons, Eric and Alex. Diaz was a two-time All-American as a student-athlete for the Bulldogs and returned to the program as Dan Magill’s assistant coach from 1982-88, helping Georgia win the 1985 and ’87 NCAA titles.
Diaz took over for Magill as head coach after the 1988 season, and the Bulldogs advanced to at least the NCAA quarterfinals 27 times and finished ranked in the top five on 19 occasions. As an assistant or head coach, Diaz coached five NCAA singles champions and three doubles champions. He is already a member of the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame, the Georgia Tennis Hall of Fame, the Puerto Rican Tennis Hall of Fame and the USTA Southern Tennis Hall of Fame.
Kevin Anderson, Player, Illinois – An NCAA doubles champion in 2006, a five-time All-American and the leader of an Illinois squad that reached the team final in 2007, Kevin Anderson pieced together an impressive resumé during his three seasons with the Illini before a successful run on the ATP Tour.
The 6-foot-8 Anderson played professionally for 16 years, reaching as high as No. 5 in the ATP world rankings. He won seven career singles titles, reaching the finals of the 2017 U.S. Open and 2018 Wimbledon before ending his career with an overall singles record of 356-255. To reach the finals of Wimbledon, Anderson had to beat old rival and fellow 2026 Hall of Fame nominee, John Isner.
More than a decade prior, Anderson fell in the 2007 NCAA team final to Isner at No. 1 singles. Here in the Wimbledon semis, the two met again in what was the second-longest Grand Slam match ever, with Anderson prevailing in a thriller (7-6, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4, 26-24).
At Illinois, Anderson and partner Ryan Rowe won the 2006 NCAA doubles title. The following year, Anderson and Rowe were back in the final in addition to his appearance in the singles semifinals. He was a three-time First-Team All-Big Ten player and the 2007 Big Ten Player of the Year.
John Isner, Player, Georgia – The top American men’s player throughout much of his pro career, John Isner arrived on the ATP Tour in 2007 following a highly successful four-year career at Georgia. Throughout college with the Bulldogs, the 6-foot-10 Isner went 138-27 in singles and 138-24 in doubles. Isner and Hall of Famer Al Parker are tied for most career singles wins at Georgia. Isner holds the title for the program’s all-time leader in doubles wins and total victories.
Over his final two seasons at Georgia, Isner went 84-8 in singles, guiding the Bulldogs to a near-perfect 2006 campaign in which their loss in the 2006 NCAA team final was the lone defeat that spring.
Back for his senior year, Isner led the Bulldogs to an undefeated 2007 season en route to the NCAA team title. He also reached the finals of the 2007 NCAA singles tournament, losing to eventual Hall of Famer Somdev Devvarman (Virginia).
Once he turned pro, Isner reached the third round of the 2007 U.S. Open — losing to Roger Federer in Arthur Ashe Stadium — just four months removed from his final collegiate match. From 2007-23, Isner climbed as high as No. 8 in the world, won 16 ATP titles, went 489-317 in singles and earned more than $22 million in prize money.
Isner will be most known for the Wimbledon match that wouldn’t end. In 2010, Isner and Nicolas Mahut played a three-day marathon match in the opening round that still stands as the longest Grand Slam tilt to be played. The two were on the court together for 11 hours and 5 minutes, playing a total of 183 games, with Isner winning 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 70-68.
The biggest tournament title of Isner’s career came at the Miami Open, a Masters 1000 event, in 2018. Isner posted victories over Grand Slam champions Marin Cilic and Juan Martin del Potro en route to the final, where he beat Alexander Zverev in three sets.
Steve Johnson, Player, USC – One of the greatest college players of all time, Steve Johnson led USC to four NCAA team titles (2009-12) and captured a pair of NCAA singles championships (2011-12). A seven-time All-American, Johnson closed out his career on an NCAA-record 72-match win streak. In his senior season, Johnson went 37-0 in singles and 31-3 in doubles. After his junior and senior seasons, he was named the ITA and Pac-10/Pac-12 Player of the Year. In his four years at USC, Johnson earned 149 wins in singles and 134 in doubles and achieved nearly everything there was to achieve at the collegiate level.
Twelve years after turning pro, Johnson retired from tennis in 2024 with an overall record of 197-204 on the ATP Tour. He won four singles titles in his career, reached a high of No. 21 in the world in 2016, won a pair of doubles titles and earned more than $8 million in career earnings. In 2016, Johnson and fellow American Jack Sock teamed up to earn the men’s doubles bronze medal at the Rio Olympics.
The top-ranked American in 2016, Johnson enjoyed a five-year stretch (2014-18) in which he finished inside the year-end Top 50 rankings. Johnson won a career-best 36 matches in the 2015 season.
John Frierson, Contributor – The ITA Men’s Tennis Hall of Fame curator since 2015, John Frierson takes care of day-to-day operations at the Hall of Fame, from conducting tours to collecting artifacts and creating new exhibits. Frierson’s connection to college tennis practically dates back to birth, as his parents, Ann and Joe, held a close relationship with legendary Georgia coach and Hall of Fame creator Dan Magill. Between hours playing tennis on the Henry Field Stadium courts to serving as a ball boy during numerous NCAA Championships, Frierson had covered about every square inch of Georgia’s tennis courts before he was a teenager. For the past decade, alongside his job writing about Georgia sports for the UGA Athletic Association, Frierson has spent his time researching future potential inductees, looking up obscure results or facts and combing the internet for college tennis memorabilia.
About the ITA –
The Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) is the governing body and coaches association of college tennis, both an advocate and an authority for the sport and its members. Comprised of 1,260 colleges and universities, 20,000 student-athletes, 1,700 varsity programs, 3,000 coaches, and 1,350 college tennis officials, the ITA empowers college tennis coaches at all levels to deliver vibrant tennis programs that are vital to their college communities and transformational to their student-athletes. Follow the college tennis season on the ITA website and ITA social channels on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, and YouTube.
