Pierre Darmon
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| Pierre Darmon | |
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| Born | January 14, 1934  Tunis |
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Pierre Darmon (born January 14, 1934 in Tunis, Tunisia) was a French tennis player.
In 1963, he reached his highest world ranking, # 8. He was also ranked in the top 10 worldwide in 1958 and 1964.
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[edit] Tennis career
A schoolboy tennis prodigy, Darmon was the top-ranked tennis star in France from 1957 to 1969 (he shared # 1 in ’57 and ’69).
He was French national junior champion in 1950.
Darmon won the French national singles championship a record 9 times, his first title in 1957 and last in 1968. He also won the French national doubles championship in 1961 (with Pintail) and 1966 (with Francois Jauffret).
In 1963, he was French Open Singles runner-up, losing the Grand Slam final to Roy Emerson 6–3, 1–6, 4–6, 4–6. That same year, he reached the Wimbledon Doubles finals with partner Jean Claude Barclay, before falling to Mexico’s Antonio Palafox and Rafael Osuna in the title match.
He was international veterans mixed double champion with his wife Rosy Darmon in 1961, and in 1968 and 1975 with Gail Chanfreau.
[edit] Davis Cup
Darmon was a member of France’s Davis Cup Team from 1956-67. He played 68 Davis Cup matches, winning 44.[1] Darmon holds France’s record for the most wins and most singles victories. He played in 34 Davis Cup ties for France, second only to compatriot Francois Jauffret who played one more.
[edit] Career after Competition
Off the court, Darmon was Tournament Director of the French Open at Roland Garros from 1969 through 1978; and, Director of the European Tennis Bureau of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in 1973, a member of the ATP Board of Directors 1974-79, and a member of the Men's International Professional Tennis Council 1974-79.
In 1979 Darmon took on the position of European Director for ProServ, where he stayed until 1990; whereupon he returned to ATP Europe as its Chief Executive through 1996.[2]
[edit] Hall of Fame and Award
Darmon, who is Jewish, was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 1997.[3]
In November 2002, The International Tennis Hall of Fame and International Tennis Federation honored Darmon with the Davis Cup Award of Excellence, awarded to individuals who represent the ideals and spirit of Davis Cup competition.[4]
