Just a few days before future San Diego Tennis Hall of Famers Taylor Fritz and Brandon Nakashima worked their way into the middle weekend of the US Open both winning three rounds, the San Diego District Tennis Association took time out to honor six of its finest as a new Hall of Fame class was inducted in an afternoon ceremony at the Balboa Tennis Club. 

The husband-and-wife tandem of Jack McGrory and Una Davis led the way and were joined by senior legend Carolyn Nichols, elite coach Skip Redondo, former Grand Slam champion Abigail Spears and longtime touring pro turned TV commentator Alexandra Stevenson.

The following is a brief capsule look at each of the inductees:

UNA DAVIS is a former college tennis star who played on the pro tour and was a teammate with all-time great Martina Navratilova in one season of World TeamTennis. But Davis is mostly known for his philanthropic work and giving back. She helped the Women’s National Tennis Association by advocating for more women’s master and adult tournaments. She has donated to the Balboa Tennis Club helping with new LED lights on 25 courts and is also an avid contributor to the USTA SoCal Foundation. Davis serves on the board of the USTA Billie Jean King Girls’ Nationals and helped to bring in necessary funding used to support the WTA 500 and ATP 250 tournaments in San Diego.

JACK McGRORY has always been all about community service. Instrumental in the funding and helping start the Barnes Tennis Center, McGrory serves as the President of Youth Tennis San Diego and has contributed to the resurfacing of tennis courts and provided youth tennis programming in deprived areas of San Diego. As a co-char of the WTA 500 at Barnes TC, McGrory is responsible for helping find sponsors, and he played a key role in bringing the Davis Cup to San Diego in 2015 at Petco Stadium. 

SKIP REDONDO is the third Redondo to be inducted following siblings Marita and Walter. The oldest of nine, Skip has a full coaching resume that include stops at San Diego State, the Weil Tennis Academy in Ojai, head coach for junior development at La Costa Resort and Spa, head coach of Men’s Tennis at Oakland Hills Tennis Club and owner/director at ISA Tennis Academy, Rancho Santa Fe. Some of his past students include Alexandra Stevenson, Kelly Jones, Amber Liu, brother Walter and son Ryan.  

CAROLYN NICHOLS enters the Hall for her prowess on the court as a senior tennis player and is one of the top age-group players in the world. She has earned an amazing 45 USTA National Championships (Gold balls) including 11 singles titles and nine father/daughter titles. She was also the ITF World Singles Champion in 2015 and 2024 (60s & 65s respectively) and 2007, 2010, 2014, 2015 and 2024 ITF World Doubles Champion. She has been a member of 23 USA Cup teams, 17 of which won the Cup (plus four finalists; two third-place finishes) and was ranked No. 1 by the ITF in 2021, 2015-16 and 2013 in singles and No. 1 in doubles in 2014, 2015. “I have such a passion for tennis. I love it,” she says. Nichols also runs and updates her popular senior tennis blog at: carolynnichols.com.

ABIGAIL SPEARS grew up in San Diego as one of the nation’s top junior players being ranked in the top 10 nationally in singles and No. 1 in doubles. She played at UCLA before turning pro where she enjoyed a run of 20 years playing on the WTA tour. Spears won 21 doubles tournaments around the world including: Doha, Carlsbad, Seoul, Quebec City, Cincinnati, Stanford, and Nottingham. A two-time finalist in mixed doubles at the US Open, Spears finally broke through and won her maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open in 2017. 

ALEXANDRA STEVENSON was, like Spears, a junior standout who grew up in La Jolla. Coached by Angel Lopez, Stevenson was a CIF Champion and league MVP playing for La Jolla Country Day. It was just two short years later when she made worldwide headlines becoming the first qualifier to make the semifinals at Wimbledon. Stevenson reached No. 18 in the world in 2002 and won a doubles title with Serena Williams in Germany. She is now seen on TV as a commentator on Tennis Channel.