Darmon honoured with Golden Achievement Award
In a special ceremony hosted at the French Open this week, the International Tennis Hall of Fame and the International Tennis Federation partnered to pay tribute to longtime tennis leader Pierre Darmon, a former player turned dedicated off the court leader who served as Tournament Director at Roland-Garros during the early years of tennis’ Open Era.
“I am deeply honoured by this recognition, and I’m grateful to receive the award here at Roland-Garros which has so many special memories for me. I have been here every year since 1949, when I first played the under 16s. It is so special to receive this award here,” commented Darmon.
“Playing tennis was such a passion for me, but working in the sport also brought so much joy to my life. It’s really been my privilege to see the game evolve so tremendously from the way I knew it as a player to the massive global sport we know today. Tennis has been my life and I’m proud and grateful to have been part of that development.”
The award was presented by International Tennis Hall of Fame CEO Todd Martin, International Tennis Federation President David Haggerty, and Golden Achievement Award Committee Chairman Jane Brown Grimes.
The Golden Achievement Award is presented annually to an individual who has made significant contributions internationally to tennis in the fields of administration, promotion, or education, and who has devoted long and outstanding service to the sport.
Darmon, a lifelong tennis player, was France’s top-ranked player for more than a decade in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He was a finalist at Roland-Garros in 1963 and reached a career high ranking of world No. 8 that same year.
A dedicated representative of his country, Darmon still holds the record for most singles victories by a French Davis Cup player, retiring with a record of 44-17.
Immediately upon retiring from competition in 1968, Darmon took on a leadership role in the sport, and for nearly three decades, Darmon dedicated himself to leading tennis as it evolved from an amateur game to an international professional sport at the dawn of the Open Era.
He served as the Tournament Director at the French Open from and 1969 – 1978, overseeing the major event during the pivotal transition time. He first served in the role as a volunteer position, only being paid after five years.
Darmon was involved in all aspects of growing the event, including early iterations of the sponsorship with BNP Paribas, which remains a major funder of the event today. Darmon was also integral to the early years of the ATP, serving as a founding board member in 1973 and eventually taking on the role of Vice President for ATP Europe.
In the 1980s, he worked with ProServ, a management company that represented top players and events, and retired from the business side of tennis in 1996 after six years as Chief Executive of the ATP Europe office.
“We are pleased to partner with the International Tennis Federation to honour Pierre’s great dedication to tennis on and off the court. He has committed a lifetime to the sport—first as accomplished player and then as a dedicated leader, particularly during tennis’ transition to the Open Era.
He has always worked in a manner that displays great passion for our sport and a desire to see that the sport grow as a whole, and is richly deserving of tennis’ Golden Achievement Award,” commented Todd Martin, CEO of the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
The Golden Achievement Award is selected from a pool of nominations submitted by tennis federations and individuals from the around the world. The annual honouree is selected by the Golden Achievement Award Committee, which is comprised of tennis administrators.