JOHN KARL “DOC” HOSBACH VIMAL PATEL PAUL VARGA
NOMINATED TO THE KENTUCKY TENNIS HALL OF FAME
Louisville, Kentucky – September 18, 2020 - The United States Tennis Association (USTA) Kentucky and the Raise a Racquet Foundation announce the nomination of John Karl “Doc” Hosbach, Vimal Patel and Paul Varga into the Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame. Induction Ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, January 30, 2021 in Louisville.
A committee of 11 from all areas of the state, chaired by John English, 2008 member of the Hall of Fame has selected the 2020 Kentucky Tennis Hall of Fame nominees.
John Karl “Doc” Hosbach, Henderson, KY given posthumously. Doc was a 1918 Barrett High graduate and is considered the father of tennis in Henderson.
Doc received numerous awards for his work with youth including a National Pop Warner Youth Award presented by the Women's Club of Henderson. He was selected as an Honorary Member of the Rotary Club of Henderson. In 1966, the YMCA recognized Doc for his volunteer service. His portrait continues to hang in the lobby.
He was the Distinguished Citizen of the Year in 1961 by the local Chamber of Commerce. And honored as part of the inaugural class of the Henderson County Sports Hall of Fame in 1988 as the leading vote getter.
As a result of his cooperative work with the city and schools, the public tennis complex was named in his honor by the city in the 1960's and in 2013 a monument was constructed and dedicated to Doc.
The Henderson Tennis Club continues to award an annual scholarship to a local high school senior in his name and hosts an annual tournament where the champion is given a brick. Yes, there is a Doc story to this.
He taught tennis to thousands for over 55 years When asked how many players he has instructed during that time, Doc was quoted as saying "Oh, that would be hard to say, mighty hard. But it would be up in the thousands. Probably 10,000 or so."
Vimal Patel, Naples, FL originally from Owensboro, KY where he attended Owensboro Catholic High School and had an incredible junior tennis career ranked as high as number one in the state, number two in the South, and number two Nationally through multiple age groups U12-U18.
Vimal won and placed in many Local, Sectional, and National championships. He competed in International competitions in South Africa, Brazil, Canada, and Great Britain as a junior under 18 tennis player. Vimal accepted a tennis scholarship to attend Stanford University in 1990 where he was a four-year letterman, three time All American and was on the 1992 National Championship Team, 1992 Indoor National Championship Team, and the 1994 National Runner Up Team.
He is one of only five players in Stanford Tennis history to have at least three seasons of 20 or more dual match wins with play under Hall of Fame coach Dick Gould.
Vimal competed professionally around the world in 20 countries and received an ATP ranking in both singles and doubles.
As Director of Tough Tennis Academy in Naples for the past 23 years, Vimal is highly regarded as one of the top developmental coaches in Southwest Florida and has coached some of the nation’s top talent including UK standout Jesse Witten ATP #160.
His parents are Dr Amrit and Urmila Patel of Owensboro, Ky. Dr Patel was a professor of Chemistry at University of Louisville for 15 years. Vimal resides with his wife Lori and two boys Chase and Caden in Naples.
Paul Varga, Louisville, KY played tennis for the University of Kentucky from 1981-1985 and still today is the second winningest player in the school’s history. He was a two-time All-SEC performer (both athletically and academically) and became UK’s second player to ever qualify for NCAA singles competition. After school, Paul had a successful 31-year career at Brown-Forman Corporation serving the last 15 years as its Chief Executive Officer. Paul is a charter member of the UK Tennis Hall of Fame, UK’s Gatton School of Business Hall of Fame, and a recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award from UK’s Lewis Honors College. He is the son of Dr. Donald and Shirley Varga, both of whom have made significant contributions to the sport of tennis at the state, Southern (STA) and National (USTA) levels. Paul’s father Donald was inducted to the Kentucky Tennis Hall in 2005 and the Southern Tennis Hall of Fame in 2012.
“I am of course honored by this wonderful recognition”, Varga stated. “Our Mom and Dad made tennis a family affair and I wouldn’t have accomplished much without them. So, it’s extra special to receive a recognition that was similarly awarded to my Dad.”