Françoise Dürr (born 25 December 1942; sometimes referred to by English writers as Frankie Durr) is a retired French tennis player. She won 50 singles titles and over 60 doubles titles.
Durr played with an unorthodox backhand, which she played with an Eastern forehand grip and her index finger extended up the handle. She is also noted for having an unorthodox serve that "might not have registered on a radar gun" according to her official Tennis Hall of Fame biography.[1]
According to Lance Tingay, Bud Collins, and the Women's Tennis Association, Dürr was ranked in the world top ten from 1965 through 1967, from 1970 through 1972, and from 1974 through 1976, reaching a career high of world No. 3 in those rankings in 1967.[2] She finished second to Billie Jean King in prize money earnings in 1971.
Dürr reached a total of 27 Grand Slam finals – one in singles, 18 in women's doubles, and eight in mixed doubles. She won twelve of them.
Personal life
Françoise Dürr married Boyd Browning, an American radio executive, in 1975 and later moved to the United States where she stayed for 10 years. Her son Nicholas was born in 1980, her daughter Jessica in 1985. In 1992 she returned to live near Paris.[3]
Career
Dürr is best known for winning the singles title at the 1967 French Championships. She defeated Maria Bueno in a quarterfinal and Lesley Turner in the final. In addition to her singles championship, Dürr won seven Grand Slam women's doubles titles and four Grand Slam mixed doubles titles. She was the runner-up in 11 Grand Slam women's doubles events and four Grand Slam mixed doubles events.
She won two doubles titles at the US Open. She won the women's doubles title in 1969 with Darlene Hard and in 1972 with Stöve. Dürr was the runner-up in that event in 1971 with Chanfreau and in 1974 with Stöve. Dürr was the runner-up in mixed doubles in 1969, teaming with Dennis Ralston.
She won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 1976 with Tony Roche. She was the runner-up in women's doubles at Wimbledon in 1965 with Lieffrig, 1968 with Jones, 1970 with Wade, 1972 with Judy Tegart Dalton, and 1973 and 1975 with Stöve. Additionally, Dürr was a singles semifinalist at the Championships in 1970.
Dürr was rarely a participant at the Australian Championships and Australian Open, as she appeared there three times, in 1965, 1967, and 1969. She reached the singles quarterfinals in 1965 and 1967 and the doubles semifinals with Jones in 1969.
Dürr and Betty Stöve won the 1979 WTA Tour Championships in doubles against Sue Barker and Ann Kiyomura, beating them 7–6, 7–6 in the final. She played the French Open ladies doubles event a last time in 1984, reaching the second round and then retired from Grand Slam competition.
She played for the France Fed Cup team 14 times, finishing her career with a 31–17 record. She played 27 ties, with a 16–8 singles record and a 15–9 doubles record.
Dürr played her last official match in 1984 at the French Open, and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2003 for her extraordinary career in doubles and for winning the French Championships in singles.
French Singles Champion in the National (closed) Championship, 1962, 1964, 1965 and 1966.
French National Champion in ladies doubles eight times between 1961 and 1970, with various partners.
French National Champion five times in mixed doubles between 1964 and 1970, mainly partnered by Jean-Claude Barclay.
Winner of the Wimbledon Ladies Plate in 1963.
South African (East London) singles champion, 1965; other singles titles in 1965 were the Dutch Open, the Turkish in Istanbul, Saint-Moritz, Swiss Open, Caracas, Colombia and Monte Carlo.
Dürr defeated Judy Tegart in the final to win the 1966 British Grass Court Championship at Queens Club London; other singles titles in 1966 were the Dutch Open (defended), Swiss Open (defended) and Perth, Western Australia.
German Open singles champion, 1967; other singles titles in 1967 were the Pacific Southwest, Kitzbuehel, Canberra, New Zealand Open, Kingston and Båstad.
Swiss Open singles champion, 1969.
Italian Open doubles champion with Ann Jones, 1969.
Losing finalist with Ann Jones in the 1969 Pacific Southwest Doubles Championship to King and Casals, 6–8, 8–6, 11–9.
Italian Open doubles losing finalist with Virginia Wade 1970, winners King and Casals, 6–2, 3–6, 9–7.
Losing finalist in the Swiss Open in Gstaad in 1970, 6–2, 5–7, 6–2 to Rosemary Casals.
Doubles champion with Rosemary Casals in Gstaad 1970, defeated Helga Niessen and Betty Stöve, 6–2, 6–2.
British Indoor singles champion at the Albert Hall, London, 1970.
Losing finalist in the 1975 Swedish Open in Stockholm to Virginia Wade 6–3, 4–6, 7–5.
Dürr and Stöve defeated Wade and Goolagong 6–3, 6–4 to win the 1975 Swedish Open Doubles Championship.
Dürr and Casals defeated Evert and Navratilova to win the 1976 Virginia Slims of Houston Doubles Championship.
Dürr and Casals defeated Wade and Stöve 6–0, 6–4 to win the 1976 U.S. Indoor Doubles Championships held in Atlanta.
Losing finalist against Chris Evert at Palm Springs in the Colgate Inaugural Singles Championships 1976. In the semifinal she had beaten Martina Navratilova (who was then ranked number 2 in the world) 6–1, 6–1; four months earlier at Wimbledon Dürr had lost to Navratilova in the fourth round of the singles 2–6, 6–3, 7–5 having held match points.
Dürr and Wade won the 1977 Colgate Series Championship Doubles at Palm Springs defeating Helen Gourlay-Cawley and Joanne Russell 6–1, 4–6, 6–4 in the final.
Dürr and Wade were runners up in the 1977 Family Circle Hiltonhead Doubles won by Casals and Evert 1–6, 6–2, 6–3.
Dürr and Navratilova were runners up in the 1977 Virginia Slims of Seattle Doubles, won by Casals and Evert 6–4, 3–6, 6–3.
Losing finalist with Virginia Wade in the 1978 Virginia Slims of Hollywood Doubles, won by Casals and Turnbull 6–2, 6–4.
Dürr lost in the final of the 1978 World Tennis Classic in Montreal to Caroline Stoll 6–3, 6–2.
Dürr and Stöve won the 1979 Avon Masters in New York defeating Barker and Kiyomura 7–6, 7–6.
Dürr and Stöve won the 1979 Bridgestone World Doubles Championship defeating Barker and Kiyomura 7–5, 7–6.
Dürr and Stöve were WTA year end Doubles Champions in 1979.
Dürr won over 60 major doubles titles in her career with various partners and featured in many more finals and semifinals. She featured in many major singles finals and semifinals in a career spanning over 20 years. She was French No. 1 for almost all that time. Dürr was an integral member of France's Fed Cup team in 1963–1967, 1970, 1972, and 1977–1979. Her career win–loss record was 16–8 in singles and 15–9 in doubles.
Dürr, Ann Jones, Billie Jean King and Rosemary Casals were the first women to sign professional contracts and organise their own tours at the start of the open era in 1968. In 1970, Dürr had a commitment to play her French Tennis Nationals and went back to France, which prevented her from signing up with Gladys Heldman's Original 9 like Stöve too.[5][6] Dürr was a founding member of the Women's Tennis Association in 1973 and became the WTA's secretary with Billie Jean King elected as president.[7] Dürr was the first woman to play 100 events on the Virginia Slims Tour (1978). Dürr played consistently on the World Team Tennis circuit from 1974 to 1978. Dürr was the first female player to travel the tennis circuit with her dog named Topspin. The dog also became a star because she carried Dürr's racquet onto the tennis court and was the mascot for the World Team Tennis Denver Racquets.[8][9]
Career and awards after retiring from the tour
In 1993, Dürr was appointed the first Technical Director of Women's Tennis for the French Tennis Federation (FFT). She was the captain of the French Fed Cup team from 1993 through 1996 and the co-captain of the team with Yannick Noah in 1997 when they won the first Fed Cup for France. She retired from the FFT in February 2002.
She 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 2003, Dürr was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. She received the Fed Cup Award of Excellence in 2005, presented jointly by the International Tennis Federation and the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In April 2010 a French national honour was presented to Françoise Dürr in recognition of her contribution to sport and the advancement of women in sport. She received the Medal and title of Officer of the National Order of Merit (Officier de l'Ordre national du Mérite, France).[10]
Grand Slam performance timelines
Key
W
F
SF
QF
#R
RR
Q#
DNQ
A
NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
^Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: an authoritative encyclopedia and record book. New York, N.Y: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 703–04. ISBN978-0-942257-41-0.
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