Thomas Bach was IOC President for 12 years between 2013 and 2025, but his relationship with Olympic tennis goes back more than four decades, and his own tennis story all the way back to his childhood.

“It started with my mother, who was a passionate tennis player, and I played tennis as a junior – I was the proud junior champion of my tennis club, which was a very small one,” Bach reflected ahead of receiving the World Tennis Philippe Chatrier Award in London on Saturday.

The award is World Tennis’s highest honour, given each year to individuals who have made a significant contribution to the sport.

Despite his early promise, Bach – a native of Wurzburg, Germany – chose fencing over tennis and went on to win a foil team gold medal for his country at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

He noted in his acceptance speech that he wonders sometimes if he made the right choices, having fenced with his right hand but played tennis with his left.

“I always have been dreaming what it could have been in tennis if I would have played with the right hand. But I’m pretty sure my passion was greater than my talent. So, it’s all good and I’ve made my peace with this decision!”

Post-fencing, Bach continued to play tennis in his leisure time and, as he carved out a professional career as a lawyer, his love for the sport grew as he watched Steffi Graf and Boris Becker take German tennis to new levels in the mid-1980s. He saw the effect this unprecedented success had on his country and beyond, and the impact that sport has on people’s lives.

Bach went on to become promotions director at Adidas, building good relationships with Graf and her fellow tennis superstars Ivan Lendl and Stefan Edberg among others.

And as the 72-year-old explained on Saturday, “I was somehow, not directly involved, but also connected for bringing tennis back to the Olympic programme.”

The sport made its comeback first as a demonstration event at Los Angeles 1984, and then as a full medal sport at Seoul 1988, with Bach’s friend Graf topping the women’s podium at both.

Tennis’ return to the Olympics after a 64-year absence was spearheaded by Philippe Chatrier, at that time ITF (now World Tennis) President. Chatrier became a good friend of Bach’s, so receiving the award that bears his name is very meaningful for him.

“As a lifelong fan of tennis, also having been a passionate tennis player, and having followed tennis during all my career, and having been a good friend of Philippe Chatrier, it’s a very emotional evening for me.”

When Bach became IOC President in 2013 he was the first Olympic champion to take the role. It gave him a fresh view, and he recognised the athlete’s vital role in shaping sport and worked to integrate athletes into IOC leadership. He also amended the IOC’s governance structure during his tenure and worked to increase diversity in the organisation.

With tennis by that time a well-established Olympic sport, Bach continued to be a passionate fan and advocate of the sport, both within the Games and beyond.

“As President, I could always try and make sure that tennis enjoys the place in the Olympic Games it deserves – at the very top.”

He cites his best Olympic tennis memories as being from 1984, when he watched Graf win the demonstration event and repeat the feat four years later with gold in Seoul.

And also seeing Novak Djokovic finally triumph at Paris 2024: “Knowing how much he was striving for this gold medal, and then to see him relieved and overwhelmed on the court, and being able then to award him the gold medal after – this is really one of the most emotional moments for me in tennis and also in my career as IOC President.”

As a lifelong follower of the sport, Bach understands the importance of tennis’s global governing body transitioning from ITF to World Tennis. “The new name with World Tennis is very significant, because it demonstrates that tennis is not just an international sport, but it’s a global sport.”

Bach received the Philippe Chatrier Award from World Tennis President David Haggerty at the climax of the World Tennis Champions Awards, an event which also celebrates the very best players of last season who were named 2025 World Tennis Champions.

In the stunning surroundings of London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, Horacio Zeballos was on hand to receive the men’s doubles World Tennis Champion award he won with Marcel Granollers.

Kristina Penickova and Ivan Ivanov were honoured as junior World Tennis Champions, also bringing their families along to soak up the moment with them.

And in an evening which celebrated 50 years of wheelchair tennis, Niels Vink, Yui Kamiji and Tokito Oda received their awards as the best-performing wheelchair players of 2025.

Double World Champions Sara Errani and Jasmine Paolini were also honoured, as were singles World Champions Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner.