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Françoise Durr (b. December 25, 1942 in Algiers, Algeria)
is a former tennis player from France. She is best remembered for winning
the women's singles title at Roland Garros in 1967. She also won 11 Grand
Slam doubles titles.
Durr won both the women's singles and the women's doubles
titles at Roland Garros in 1967. (She was the last Frenchwoman to win the
coveted singles trophy until 2000, when Mary Pierce ended a 33-year drought.)
It was the first of a record five consecutive women's doubles titles at the
event for Durr (the record has since been equaled by Martina Navratilova
and Gigi Fernandez). She also claimed the mixed doubles title in 1968, 1971
and 1973.
Durr also won the women's doubles at the US Open in 1969
and 1972, and the mixed doubles at Wimbledon in 1976.
Durr was an integral member of France's Fed Cup team in the
1960s and 70s, and then served as Team Captain in 1996.
Over the course of her career, Durr won 26 singles titles
and 42 doubles titles. She was ranked the World No. 3 woman player in 1967,
and as was ranked in the world's top-10 a total of nine times between 1965
and 1976. Her titles were won using unorthodox grips and strokes, giving
way to pinpoint accuracy. Durr was also the first woman to travel the tennis
circuit with her dog, named Topspin, who became a star by carrying Durr's
racquet onto court.
Durr received the WTA Tour's Honorary Membership Award in
1988 for her contributions to the founding, development and direction of
women's professional tennis. In 1993, she was appointed the first Director
of Women's Tennis for the French Tennis Federation.
In 2003, Durr was inducted into the International Tennis
Hall of Fame. In 2005, she received the International Tennis Federation/International
Tennis Hall of Fame Fed Cup Award of Excellence.
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