By Sports Reporter

Zimbabwe’s former world number one doubles tennis player Cara Black has won the fan vote poll to be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022.

The 42-year-old tennis legend has, according to results released on Tuesday received overwhelming support from tennis fans all over the world and will get a boost to her support from the official voting group.

Black, who hails from a tennis family where his late father Don and brothers Wayne and Byron were all tennis professionals is the first African-born woman nominated for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

During her successful professional tennis career, she won five women’s doubles Grand Slam titles, including three at Wimbledon, and another five major trophies in mixed doubles. She spent 163 weeks at No. 1 in women’s doubles.

Black will receive three bonus percentage points for the final tally in this election.

Italy’s Flavia Pennetta was next in the fan vote and gets two bonus points, while Ana Ivanovic of Serbia was third and gets one bonus point.

The other three nominees are Juan Carlos Ferrero, Carlos Moya and Lisa Raymond.

The official voting group includes tennis journalists, historians and Hall of Famers.

The Class of 2022 will be announced early next year.

The ceremony at the Rhode Island-based International Tennis Hall of Fame induction ceremony is scheduled for July 16.