Quote:
Originally Posted by cam_calderon
I understand the era he played in, but how is one grand slam hall worthy?
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It certainly is right on the cusp for Hall of Fame consideration to me. I did a little digging because my memory is not as good as it used to be, but DelPo won 1 grand slam and 1 Masters 1000 tourney (Indian Wells). He did win 22 ATP titles over his career (maybe 20 is a magic number like 500 goals in the NHL), but most of those were ATP 250 and 500 tournaments.
Just for comparison sake, Michael Chang also won 1 grand slam (the French Open as a 17 year old), but won a total of 34 titles (that's a big number) which includes 7 Masters 1000 titles. Chang was inducted in 2008 to the ITF Hall of Fame.
If we want to compare DelPo to a contemporary of his, Marin Cilic has one grand slam (the 2014 US Open), one Masters 1000 title, and a total of 21 ATP titles. If DelPo gets in, then it makes sense for Cilic to also get in. To me, it starts turning the Hall of Fame into the Hall of Very Good.
Marat Safin was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2016, he won two grand slams, 15 overall titles, and also reached world #1 (something that alluded both Delpo and Chang). That said, if you win multiple grand slams, that should automatically punch your ticket to the Hall. Thus, Stan Wawrinka is a Hall of Famer with 3 grand slams and 16 overall titles.