Stan Smith has been announced as the 2022 ITF Philippe Chatrier Award winner – the ITF’s highest honour – and a video interview with the iconic American can be viewed here.

Smith has made an enormous and hugely significant contribution to tennis on and off the court for more than half a century. Indeed, his list of accomplishments is long and distinguished.

Along with those who were named ITF World Champions following stellar showings during the 2021 campaign, the 75-year-old will this evening be celebrated at the ITF World Champions Awards at Pavillon Gabriel in Paris.

“It was a great phone call to get from ITF President David Haggerty who gave me the news about receiving the Philippe Chatrier Award,” Smith told itftennis.com.

“It’s a special award because I know all the people on the list prior to me and it’s a great list of people who have done great jobs on the court but also off it.

“It’s also very special because I knew Philippe Chatrier pretty well. I got to meet him in 1968 when he was just about to become Davis Cup captain and soon after he became president of the French Tennis Federation and then the ITF. He has done so much for the game.”

Born in Pasadena in California, Smith – a tall serve and volleyer known for his calm demeanour and on-court poker face – made an impact in college tennis before rising to the top of the professional game.

He won a combined 1,209 matches across singles and doubles and claimed Grand Slam singles titles at the US Open in 1971 and Wimbledon a year later, finishing 1972 as the year-end No. 1. He also won five Grand Slam doubles titles alongside Bob Lutz.

“I had four goals as a kid,” said Smith. “The first was to become a member of the US Davis Cup team, second was to become the No. 1 player in the US, third was to win Wimbledon and the fourth was to be the best player in the world. It was so exciting to achieve them all.

“The great players are the ones who compete no matter what the situation is. Rafael Nadal is one of the greatest examples of a guy who really stays positive in all his matches. He obviously makes mistakes, but he doesn’t dwell on them.

“To compete, you go as hard as you possibly can, give it your best, prepare 100 per cent and then whatever happens, happens. My career was like that, I competed really hard and came through in some big moments, but also didn’t come through in some big moments.

“You are not going to win every contest you’re involved in, but you have got to give it 100 per cent and look back with no regrets. My only regrets are that I had some injuries that prevented me having a longer and more successful career.

“I cannot change that, and I am thankful for the career I had.”

As he alludes, Smith also represented his nation with pride and distinction, compiling an outstanding Davis Cup record in the 11 years during which he competed and the 24 ties he contested.

He bowed out of the national team spotlight with a 35-7 win-loss record, while he was a member of seven Davis Cup-winning USA teams between 1968 and 1979, clinching the winning point in finals on six occasions.

“To play for the United States was special because you’re playing for your country, just like Olympic athletes,” added Smith. “There was a lot of pressure from the other players on the team because you didn’t want to let them down.

“Playing Davis Cup was a great experience. To be able to play with Arthur Ashe, Charlie Pasarell and Bob Lutz in the doubles, and then the likes of John McEnroe, Vitas Gerulaitis and Brian Gottfried was fantastic.

“I spanned about 10 years with different teammates out there. There were some fantastic experiences and to win with the team and bring the Davis Cup back home in some cases – and then try to keep it in the United States – was thrilling.”

Smith, of course, has a longstanding collaboration with Adidas, who produce the best-selling fashion shoe that bears his name, with his 2018 autobiography Stan Smith: Some People Think I’m a Shoe referencing that relationship.

“When I first signed with Adidas, when I had my picture on the shoe and my name, I thought it might last for four or five years,” said Smith. “But they have done a great job marketing the shoe. Some people have no idea who I am, but they know the name.

“One of the great stories was about my niece who was going to school in England and going to a P.E. class. The teacher said that she couldn’t wear my shoes because they are a fashion shoe and not a trainer.

“My niece said, “but my uncle won Wimbledon wearing these”, so the teacher replied, “well, I guess it’s okay then”. It has been fun to see the shoes go from a really hi-tech trainer for tennis to a fashion shoe.

“I don’t recommend people wearing them for tennis now, although I did okay in them.”

Having established his shoe brand in the 1970s, Smith moved into coaching roles following retirement and for more than a decade worked for the USTA in their player development programme and fulfilled the Director of Coaching role.

He proceeded to co-found the Smith Stearns Tennis Academy in South Carolina as well as a corporate entertainment business, Stan Smith Events, while in 2011 he became President of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

He retired from the position at the end of last year following a decade of transformation at an organisation into which he was inducted in 1987. Regardless of the enterprise, Smith has valued the continued opportunity to remain within the game.

Having been so entrenched in coaching and development for many years, he is also well placed to assess the array of talent in the modern game and provide considered analysis of the modern-day vintage.

“One of the players who trained at the Smith Stearns Tennis Academy is Jessica Pegula and she is now No. 11 in the world,” said Smith.

“I never thought she was going to get as high as she has and, from a personal perspective, it has been fun to see. At the academy, Billy spent hours and hours on court with her so that’s really nice.

“It is also exciting to see Iga Swiatek – she is playing great tennis and has made some real improvements to her game: she’s being more aggressive, she is coming to the net more and has become a complete player.

“On the men’s side, you have got two exciting young guys in Holger Rune and Carlos Alcaraz. It is really exciting to see Alcaraz’s variety of play on different surfaces and I am really interested to see how he does on grass.

“I don’t ever recall seeing him play on grass. It’s not a totally different game, but it is different enough to challenge almost any player. He does, however, have a complete game too: he can volley, he can hit kick serves, he can slice the ball and his ground stokes are good.

“I don’t think he’s going to win Wimbledon but, if he does, he is going to be even more special than we already think he is.”

Should Alcaraz indeed triumph at Wimbledon he will follow in the footsteps of many an illustrious player, including Smith who this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of his own triumph at the All England Club.

That was a hugely symbolic moment in a career which sparkled – indeed dazzled – and tonight the entirety of Smith’s achievements will be marked and lauded as he receives the ITF Philippe Chatrier Award. Congratulations, Stan.

Further information about the ITF Philippe Chatrier Award, including a list of past winners, can be found here.