DARMON, PIERRE

DARMON, PIERRE (1934– ), tennis player. Born in Tunis, Darmon was a top-ranked tennis player in France from 1956 through the 1970s, including No. 1 from 1956 to 1964, except in 1958, and was ranked in the top ten worldwide by various tennis publications in 1958, 1963, and 1964. In 1963 he lost in the singles finals at the French Open and reached the semifinals there in 1964 and the quarterfinals in 1958, 1962, and 1967. At Wimbledon, he reached the finals in doubles in 1963 and the quarterfinal in 1958. Darmon was also a singles semifinalist at the Italian Championships in 1957, and a singles quarter-finalist at the 1965 Australian Championships. Darmon won the French Championship nine times between 1956 and 1969, and represented France in 68 matches in Davis Cup competitions from 1956 to 1967, holding France's record for most total wins with 47 and most singles victories with 44. In 2002, he was named recipient of the Davis Cup Award of Excellence from the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation. Darmon was the director of the European Tennis Bureau of the Association of Tennis Professionals (atp) in 1973, a member of the atp Board of Directors from 1974 to 1979, and a member of the Men's International Professional Tennis Council from 1974 to 1979. He also served as tournament director of the French Open at Roland Garros from 1969 through 1978.

[Elli Wohlgelernter (2^nd ed.)]