Islamabad, 20 October 2026 (Kamran Raja): Former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro is leading the list of player nominees for induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2027. The Argentine has been joined on the ballot by former world number one Ash Barty of Australia and Russian tennis star Svetlana Kuznetsova, the Hall announced on Monday. Del Potro won 22 titles on the ATP Tour, with his most memorable achievement coming at the 2009 US Open, where he defeated Rafael Nadal in the semifinals before overcoming Roger Federer in the final to claim his only Grand Slam singles title. He rallied from a two-sets-to-one deficit against Federer, ending the Swiss player’s five-year reign as champion at the tournament. Del Potro also played a key role in Argentina’s historic Davis Cup triumph in 2016, helping his country secure its first championship in the competition. The same year, he won a silver medal in men’s singles at the Rio Olympic Games. Meanwhile, Barty claimed three Grand Slam singles titles during her career, winning the French Open in 2019, Wimbledon in 2021 and the Australian Open in 2022. She spent 121 weeks at the top of the WTA rankings and also earned a bronze medal in mixed doubles at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Kuznetsova won two Grand Slam singles titles, the 2004 US Open and the 2009 French Open, as well as two Australian Open women’s doubles titles in 2005 and 2012. She collected 18 singles titles and 16 doubles titles on tour, reaching a career-high ranking of world number two in singles and number three in doubles. Tennis fans can cast their votes for the nominees until October 25. The public vote will contribute bonus points to the results of the Hall’s Official Voting Group, which comprises tennis journalists, historians and Hall of Fame members. A nominee must secure at least 75 percent of the combined vote to earn induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.