ITF

OBITUARIES Paolo Angeli (ITA) ITF Honorary Life Counsellor Paolo Angeli died on 8 May aged 89. The Italian served on the ITF Board in the 1970s, overseeing the hiring of the ITF's first generation of staff, and looked after the Fed Cup and Davis Cup sponsorship deal with NEC. He was the first President of Tennis Europe from 1975-1978. Abdulsalem Aweeti (LBA) Abdulsalem Aweeti died on 16 May in Tunis. He had been President of the Libyan Arab Tennis and Squash Federation since 2007 and was responsible for implementing coaching courses and introducing wheelchair tennis to Libya. He played an important role in the creation of the Arab Tennis Federation. Giorgio Baldacci (BAH) Italian-born Giorgio Baldacci died on 10 November aged 78. He was heavily involved in the Bahamas Lawn Tennis Association in a number of roles - as President, Fed Cup captain, council member, coach and captain of national junior tennis teams. Olivier Breisacher (SUI) Swiss journalist Olivier Breisacher died on 12 August aged 44 in a swimming accident. He worked for the Geneva Tribune's sport section for over 12 years, specialising in ice hockey and tennis. He was a member of the International Tennis Writers' Association. Boris Breskvar (SLO) Slovenian Boris Breskvar died in Ljubljana on 3 December aged 71. He was captain of the Slovenian Davis Cup team from 1996-2005. As a coach while working in Germany Breskvar oversaw the development of Boris Becker and Steffi Graf. Jim Davies (KEN) Father of Kenyan tennis Jim Davies died on 26 June aged 83. In 1971 he became vice chairman of the Kenya Lawn Tennis Association, moving to the role of chairman in 1973. He was also chairman from 1991-1996, during which time Kenyan tennis underwent a period of tremendous growth. Tom Downie (AUS) Senior player Tom Downie died on 28 October aged 70. He represented Australia on a number of occasions, most notably as part of the winning team at the Britannia Cup in 2007. That year he also won the men's doubles at the ITF World Individual Championships with his friend Murray French. Lee Hamilton (USA) Former USTA Executive Director Lee Hamilton passed away on 13 June. He served the USTA as a volunteer, on their board and as President of the USTA Texas section. He was USTA Executive Director from 2003-2007 and played a leading role in the growth of the game. Mervin A. Heller Jr. (USA) Mervin A. Heller Jr. passed away on 21 August aged 65. He served on the ITF Board from 2001-2005, and as USTA President from 2001-2002. He trained as an attorney, and was a long-term volunteer in the sport of tennis, working tirelessly to make tennis more accessible. Wolfgang Hofer (GER) Germany's Wolfgang Hofer died on 16 January shortly before his 88th birthday. He was captain of Germany's Davis Cup 34 OBITUARIES team from 1971-1976, and served on Tennis Europe's Team Championships Committee from 1978-1990. He succeeded Gottfried von Cramm to become President of LTTC Rot-Weiss Berlin in 1976, a post he held for 20 years. Art Larsen (USA) Art "Tappy" Larsen died on 7 December in California at the age of 87. He represented USA in Davis Cup from 1951-1952, and was a finalist at the French Championships in 1954. Larson was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 1969. Barry MacKay (USA) Former player Barry MacKay died on 15 June in San Francisco aged 76. He competed for USA in Davis Cup from 1956-1969 including as part of the winning team in 1958. He also reached the semifinals of the 1959 Australian Open and Wimbledon. After finishing his playing career he became a tournament director, promoter and TV commentator. Stan Malless (USA) ITF Honorary Life Counsellor Stan Malless died at home in Indianapolis on 19 January aged 97. He served on the ITF Board of Directors between 1975-1983 and was USTA President from 1974-1976. In 1979 he was honoured by the ITF with the Samuel Hardy Award for his outstanding contribution to tennis. Margaret Osborne DuPont (USA) Grand Slam champion Margaret Osborne DuPont died on 24 October in Texas aged 94. During her long career from the 1940s to the 1960s DuPont won 37 Grand Slam tournament titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles, and lies fourth on the all-time record list. She was year-end No. 1 four times and led USA to eight Wightman Cup victories. Ajay Pathak (PHI) Philippines' Ajay Pathak died on 18 September aged 64. He held a number of positions at the Philippine Tennis Association and was heavily involved in Davis Cup, serving on the ITF's Asia/Oceania Davis Cup Committee from 19992001. He was also a member of the ITF Junior Competitions Committee from 2003, and was presented with an ITF Award for Services to the Game in 1995. Laurie Pignon (GBR) Journalist Laurie Pignon died on 1 April aged 93. He first covered Wimbledon in 1938 for an agency, and after active service in World War II he joined the Daily Sketch, which later became the Daily Mail. He became their 'tennis man' in 1971. He was a long-serving President of the Lawn Tennis Writers' Association. Harry Spilsbury (AUS) Australia's Harry Spilsbury died from cancer on 9 August aged 90. He served on the ITF Seniors Committee for a number of years in the 1990s, was Vice President of Tennis Australia from 1989-1992, and President of Tennis West from 1982-1990. He also served on the TA Council from 1982-1995. Nell Truman (GBR) Former player Nell Truman died on 8 April aged 66. Truman and her sister, Christine, helped Great Britain win the Wightman Cup in 1968. She also reached the final of the 1971 French Open doubles with Winnie Shaw, and the semifinals of the 1970 US Open mixed doubles event with Roger Taylor.

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