Nielsen Ratings Founder to Enter Tennis Hall of Fame

The late Arthur Nielsen, Sr., of Nielsen Ratings fame, had quite a career in tennis and will be recognized for it in February as an inductee of the United States Tennis Association’s Midwest Section Hall of Fame.

Nielsen’s television and radio rating service - Nielsen Media Research - became a major force in measuring audience size and composition of radio and television programming in the United States.

The Winnetka native’s impact on and off the tennis court was strong as well, succeeding both as a player and a financial contributor to the game.

He won the USTA National Father & Son Championships with his son Arthur Nielsen, Jr. in 1946 and 1948 - some three decades after captaining the team at the University of Wisconsin.

As a philanthropist, Nielsen donated an indoor and outdoor tennis facility (12 indoor courts and six outdoor tennis courts) to his alma mater in 1968 which was named the Nielsen Tennis Stadium and an eight-court indoor tennis facility to the Village of Winnetka which is called the A.C. Nielsen Tennis Center.

The Winnetka complex, which features eight indoor and 12 outdoor tennis courts, is ranked by the USTA as one of the finest tennis facilities.

Nielsen will be one of five honored at the 2015 USTA/Midwest Section Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place at the Chicago Renaissance Hotel during the USTA/Midwest Section’s 122nd Annual Meeting in February 2016.

“Arthur Nielsen, Sr., contributions to the sport of tennis as a philanthropist with a passion for tennis development and also as a competitive tennis player make him an excellent addition to the USTA/Midwest Section Hall of Fame,” said USTA/Midwest Section Hall of Fame Chair Ronald Brooks.

Nielsen was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1971.