Bernard Destremau
Bernard Destremau in 1951 | |
Country (sports) | France |
---|---|
Born | (1917-02-11)11 February 1917 Paris, France |
Died | 6 June 2002(2002-06-06) (aged 85) Neuilly-sur-Seine, France |
Turned pro | 1934 (amateur tour) |
Retired | 1963 |
Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
Singles | |
Grand Slam singles results | |
French Open | SF (1937) |
Wimbledon | 4R (1951) |
US Open | 4R (1937) |
Doubles | |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
French Open | W (1938) |
Wimbledon | 3R (1946, 1950, 1951) |
Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
Wimbledon | 4R (1946) |
Bernard Destremau (French pronunciation: [bɛʁnaʁ dɛstr.mɔ]; 11 February 1917 – 6 June 2002) was a French tennis player, tank officer, diplomat and politician.
Biography
Born in Paris into a military family, the third son of a WW I cavalry general, his success in accommodating competitive tennis with academic, military, diplomatic and political pursuits is distinctive.
A precocious French junior tennis champion in the mid-1930s, Destremau reached the singles semifinals at Roland Garros in 1937 (losing to winner Henner Henkel) and the quarterfinals in 1936 and 1938 before winning the 1938 French Championships doubles (with Yvon Petra, beating Don Budge-Gene Mako). During those years he graduated from HEC (Hautes Etudes Commerciales). Destremau also won the 1941 and the 1942 Tournoi de France which in war-time was not counted as a grand slam event and later, won several national titles including the 1951 and 1953 French National singles championships. He remained an amateur, devoted his tennis mostly to the Davis Cup, the King of Sweden Cup and other French team matches and was ranked Nr. 1 in France for several years. As a veteran he won the Wimbledon over-45 doubles event with Bill Talbert, in 1964. He had been a Wimbledon familiar with numerous Championships' entries (from 1934 to 1955), Davis Cup ties and other fixtures.
At the outbreak of World War II he sailed from New York back to France to be drafted into officer training. In May and June 1940 as a junior liaison officer he saw but little action, fell back with his motorised unit to Montauban and witnessed helplessly the Fall of France and the Armistice. Returning to civil life, Destremau resumed his studies and with a diplomatic career in view, graduated from Sciences Po. He played occasional tennis tournaments in France, North Africa, Spain and Portugal as travel permitted. After the American landing in North Africa he decided to re-enlist and succeeded in escaping through the well-guarded Pyrenees into Spain and thence to Morocco. After joining the Free French forces as a tank platoon officer he submitted to long months of training in various Algerian camps. His platoon landed in Provence in July 1944 as an element of the 1st Army under De Lattre de Tassigny. He fought in Provence, Burgundy, Alsace and the Black Forest, was shot in the back in La Valette-du-Var on the road to the critical port of Toulon and was wounded on two separate engagements by hand-grenade shrapnel. He was awarded the Legion of Honour during the campaign from the hands of De Lattre and the croix de guerre.[1]
After the war, still playing tennis for France, he became a diplomat and was posted to Egypt during the Suez Canal crisis, to South Africa and to Belgium. Venturing into politics he was elected député for Versailles in 1967 and held the seat until 1978, became Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in 1974, and retired in 1981 after a last post as ambassador to Argentina. In politics he entertained a marked friendship with President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
A prolific writer of books on history and politics, he became a member of the French Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques in 1996. He wrote his autobiography, Le Cinquième Set, and biographies of General Weygand and Marshal de Lattre.
Destremau married Diane de Pracomtal in 1954 and fathered a daughter and two sons. His wife died in December 2016.
His son Christian has written books on WWII intelligence (Garbo; Ce que savaient les Alliés; Le Moyen-Orient pendant la Seconde Guerre Mondiale), a biography of Laurence of Arabia, Churchill et la France, a book about the lifetime relations of Winston Churchill and the French and a biography of Ian Fleming, the inventor of James Bond. None of these works have yet been translated into English.
Sébastien Destremau, the sailing professional who has competed internationally (Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race, Vendée Globe, Route du Rhum) is his great-nephew.[2]
Grand Slam finals
Doubles : 1 title
Result | Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents | Score |
Winner | 1938 | French Championships | Yvon Petra | Don Budge Gene Mako | 3–6, 6–3, 9–7, 6–1 |
References
External links
- Bernard Destremau at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Bernard Destremau at the International Tennis Federation
- Bernard Destremau at the Davis Cup
- v
- t
- e
(national)
- 1891: B. Desjoyau / T. Legrand
- 1892: Diaz Albertini / J. Havet
- 1893: J. Goldsmith / Jean Schopfer
- 1894: Gérard Brosselin / J. Lesage
- 1895: André Vacherot / Christian Winzer
- 1896: Francky Wardan / Wynes
- 1897: Paul Aymé / Paul Lebreton
- 1898: Xenophon Casdagli / Marcel Vacherot
- 1899: Paul Aymé / Paul Lebreton
- 1900: Paul Aymé / Paul Lebreton
- 1901: André Vacherot / Marcel Vacherot
- 1902: Max Decugis / Jacques Worth
- 1903: Max Decugis / Jacques Worth
- 1904: Max Decugis / Maurice Germot
- 1905: Max Decugis / Jacques Worth
- 1906: Max Decugis / Maurice Germot
- 1907: Max Decugis / Maurice Germot
- 1908: Max Decugis / Maurice Germot
- 1909: Max Decugis / Maurice Germot
- 1910: Marcel Dupont / Maurice Germot
- 1911: Max Decugis / Maurice Germot
- 1912: Max Decugis / Maurice Germot
- 1913: Max Decugis / Maurice Germot
- 1914: Max Decugis / Maurice Germot
- 1915–1919: No competition (World War I)
- 1920: Max Decugis / Maurice Germot
- 1921: André Gobert / William Laurentz
- 1922: Jacques Brugnon / Marcel Dupont
- 1923: Jean-François Blanchy / Jean Samazeuilh
- 1924: Jean Borotra / René Lacoste
(international)
- 1925: Jean Borotra / René Lacoste
- 1926: Vincent Richards / Howard Kinsey
- 1927: Henri Cochet / Jacques Brugnon
- 1928: Jean Borotra / Jacques Brugnon
- 1929: René Lacoste / Jean Borotra
- 1930: Henri Cochet / Jacques Brugnon
- 1931: George Lott / John Van Ryn
- 1932: Henri Cochet / Jacques Brugnon
- 1933: Pat Hughes / Fred Perry
- 1934: Jean Borotra / Jacques Brugnon
- 1935: Jack Crawford / Adrian Quist
- 1936: Jean Borotra / Marcel Bernard
- 1937: Gottfried von Cramm / Henner Henkel
- 1938: Bernard Destremau / Yvon Petra
- 1939: Don McNeill / Charles Harris
- 1940–1945: No competition (World War II)
- 1946: Marcel Bernard / Yvon Petra
- 1947: Eustace Fannin / Eric Sturgess
- 1948: Lennart Bergelin / Jaroslav Drobný
- 1949: Pancho Gonzales / Frank Parker
- 1950: Bill Talbert / Tony Trabert
- 1951: Ken McGregor / Frank Sedgman
- 1952: Ken McGregor / Frank Sedgman
- 1953: Lew Hoad / Ken Rosewall
- 1954: Vic Seixas / Tony Trabert
- 1955: Vic Seixas / Tony Trabert
- 1956: Don Candy / Bob Perry
- 1957: Mal Anderson / Ashley Cooper
- 1958: Ashley Cooper / Neale Fraser
- 1959: Nicola Pietrangeli / Orlando Sirola
- 1960: Roy Emerson / Neale Fraser
- 1961: Roy Emerson / Rod Laver
- 1962: Roy Emerson / Neale Fraser
- 1963: Roy Emerson / Manuel Santana
- 1964: Roy Emerson / Ken Fletcher
- 1965: Roy Emerson / Fred Stolle
- 1966: Clark Graebner / Dennis Ralston
- 1967: John Newcombe / Tony Roche
- 1968: Ken Rosewall / Fred Stolle
- 1969: John Newcombe / Tony Roche
- 1970: Ilie Năstase / Ion Țiriac
- 1971: Arthur Ashe / Marty Riessen
- 1972: Bob Hewitt / Frew McMillan
- 1973: John Newcombe / Tom Okker
- 1974: Dick Crealy / Onny Parun
- 1975: Brian Gottfried / Raúl Ramírez
- 1976: Fred McNair / Sherwood Stewart
- 1977: Brian Gottfried / Raúl Ramírez
- 1978: Gene Mayer / Hank Pfister
- 1979: Gene Mayer / Sandy Mayer
- 1980: Victor Amaya / Hank Pfister
- 1981: Heinz Günthardt / Balázs Taróczy
- 1982: Sherwood Stewart / Ferdi Taygan
- 1983: Anders Järryd / Hans Simonsson
- 1984: Henri Leconte / Yannick Noah
- 1985: Mark Edmondson / Kim Warwick
- 1986: John Fitzgerald / Tomáš Šmíd
- 1987: Anders Järryd / Robert Seguso
- 1988: Andrés Gómez / Emilio Sánchez
- 1989: Jim Grabb / Patrick McEnroe
- 1990: Sergio Casal / Emilio Sánchez
- 1991: John Fitzgerald / Anders Järryd
- 1992: Jakob Hlasek / Marc Rosset
- 1993: Luke Jensen / Murphy Jensen
- 1994: Byron Black / Jonathan Stark
- 1995: Jacco Eltingh / Paul Haarhuis
- 1996: Yevgeny Kafelnikov / Daniel Vacek
- 1997: Yevgeny Kafelnikov / Daniel Vacek
- 1998: Jacco Eltingh / Paul Haarhuis
- 1999: Mahesh Bhupathi / Leander Paes
- 2000: Todd Woodbridge / Mark Woodforde
- 2001: Mahesh Bhupathi / Leander Paes
- 2002: Paul Haarhuis / Yevgeny Kafelnikov
- 2003: Bob Bryan / Mike Bryan
- 2004: Xavier Malisse / Olivier Rochus
- 2005: Jonas Björkman / Max Mirnyi
- 2006: Jonas Björkman / Max Mirnyi
- 2007: Mark Knowles / Daniel Nestor
- 2008: Pablo Cuevas / Luis Horna
- 2009: Lukáš Dlouhý / Leander Paes
- 2010: Daniel Nestor / Nenad Zimonjić
- 2011: Max Mirnyi / Daniel Nestor
- 2012: Max Mirnyi / Daniel Nestor
- 2013: Bob Bryan / Mike Bryan
- 2014: Julien Benneteau / Édouard Roger-Vasselin
- 2015: Ivan Dodig / Marcelo Melo
- 2016: Feliciano López / Marc López
- 2017: Ryan Harrison / Michael Venus
- 2018: Pierre-Hugues Herbert / Nicolas Mahut
- 2019: Kevin Krawietz / Andreas Mies
- 2020: Kevin Krawietz / Andreas Mies
- 2021: Pierre-Hugues Herbert / Nicolas Mahut
- 2022: Marcelo Arévalo / Jean-Julien Rojer
- 2023: Ivan Dodig / Austin Krajicek