Sports journalist and 60 Minutes correspondent Jon Wertheim was honored Saturday night by the Tennis Hall of Fame, with the Eugene L. Scott Award for journalistic contributions to the sport of tennis.
His 60 Minutes’ colleague Bill Whitaker served as the emcee for the evening.
Named in honor of the late Tennis Hall of Famer and publisher of Tennis Week, the Scott Award “is presented annually to an individual who displays commitment to communicating honestly and critically about the sport—and who has a significant impact on tennis.”
Wertheim, in his acceptance remarks, said, “In Gene’s’spirit and honor, I want to toast the free press and independent media, this was a week in which a journalist was actually killed in Las Vegas simply for doing his job. An award like this isn’t just a media recognition but acknowledges the role of criticism and fair criticism, which I think is extra important these days so thank you … I sound like a player here, but I want to thank tennis. Like so many people in this room, this sport has given me so much more than I can ever repay. It’s a wonderful sport, this is a sport that will always thrive game, set and match.”
In addition to his role at 60, Wertheim is Sports Illustrated’s executive editor and has been a Tennis Channel commentator for more than a decade.
Wertheim joined the primetime newsmagazine in 2017 as a correspondent—and has reported on stories, ranging from local newsrooms being strained by budget-slashing financial firms to the Ritchie Boys, the secret U.S. unit bolstered by German-born Jews who helped the Allies beat Hitler, a profile of actress Viola Davis—and an interview with Rafael Nadal on his island home in Spain.