Françoise Dürr

1. Playing Style

Françoise Dürr was noted for her distinctive and unorthodox tennis techniques. Her backhand was particularly unique, characterized by an Eastern forehand grip and an index finger extended up the handle of the racquet. Her serve was also noted for being unorthodox, described as one that "might not have registered on a radar gun", highlighting its unconventional nature rather than speed.

2. Playing Career

Françoise Dürr's professional tennis career spanned over two decades, marked by numerous titles and a consistent presence among the world's top players.

2.1. Early Career and Milestones

Born in Algiers, French Algeria, Dürr began her career as a junior player, winning the Junior Singles Champion of France in both 1959 and 1960. She turned professional in 1968, coinciding with the start of the Open Era in tennis. Throughout her career, Dürr won 50 singles titles and over 60 doubles titles. Her highest world ranking in singles was No. 3 in 1967. She was ranked in the world top ten from 1965 through 1967, from 1970 through 1972, and from 1974 through 1976. In 1971, she finished second in prize money earnings only to Billie Jean King. Her last official match was at the French Open in 1984.

2.2. Grand Slam Achievements

Dürr achieved significant success in Grand Slam tournaments, reaching a total of 27 finals across singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles, from which she secured 12 titles.

She is most notably known for winning the singles title at the 1967 French Championships, where she defeated Maria Bueno in the quarterfinals and Lesley Turner in the final.

In women's doubles, Dürr won seven Grand Slam titles. She achieved a record-tying five consecutive French Open women's doubles titles from 1967 to 1971. This record is shared with Martina Navratilova and Gigi Fernández, all of whom achieved it with separate partners. Her partners for these wins included Gail Sherriff Chanfreau (1967, 1970, 1971) and Ann Haydon-Jones (1968, 1969). She also won two US Open women's doubles titles, in 1969 with Darlene Hard and in 1972 with Betty Stöve. Dürr was a runner-up in 11 Grand Slam women's doubles events, including the French Open (1965, 1973, 1979), Wimbledon Championships (1965, 1968, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1975), and US Open (1971, 1974).

In mixed doubles, Dürr secured four Grand Slam titles. She won three French Open mixed doubles titles with Jean-Claude Barclay (1968, 1971, 1973) and the Wimbledon mixed doubles title in 1976 with Tony Roche. She was a runner-up in four Grand Slam mixed doubles events at the French Open (1969, 1970, 1972) and the US Open (1969).

At the Australian Open, Dürr had fewer appearances, playing there only three times (1965, 1967, 1969). She reached the singles quarterfinals in 1965 and 1967, and the doubles semifinals in 1969 with Ann Jones.

2.3. Other Tournaments and Team Competitions

Beyond the Grand Slams, Françoise Dürr achieved significant success in various other tournaments. She was the French Singles Champion in the National (closed) Championship in 1962, 1964, 1965, and 1966. She also won the French National Championship in ladies doubles eight times between 1961 and 1970 with various partners, and five times in mixed doubles between 1964 and 1970, mainly partnered by Jean-Claude Barclay.

Other notable singles titles include the Wimbledon Ladies Plate in 1963, the South African (East London) singles championship in 1965, the Dutch Open (1965, 1966), the Turkish in Istanbul (1965), Saint-Moritz (1965), Swiss Open (1965, 1966, 1969, 1971), Caracas (1965), Colombia (1965), Monte Carlo (1965), Perth, Western Australia (1966), British Grass Court Championship at Queens Club London (1966), German Open (1967), Pacific Southwest (1967), Kitzbuehel (1967), Canberra (1967), New Zealand Open (1967), Kingston (1967), and Båstad (1967). She also achieved significant victories against top players like Evonne Goolagong at the Canada Masters in 1971 and Billie Jean King at the 1971 U.S. Clay Court International Tennis Championships.

Françoise Dürr with a trophy at Hilversum, Netherlands, 1965.

In doubles, Dürr and Ann Haydon-Jones won the Italian Open in 1969. With Rosemary Casals, she won the Gstaad doubles in 1970, the Canadian Open doubles in 1971, the 1976 Virginia Slims of Houston Doubles Championship, and the 1976 U.S. Indoor Doubles Championships. With Betty Stöve, she won the 1975 Swedish Open Doubles Championship, the 1979 Avon Masters in New York, and the 1979 Bridgestone World Doubles Championship, with the pair named WTA year-end Doubles Champions in 1979. With Virginia Wade, she won the 1977 Colgate Series Championship Doubles.

Dürr was a member of the World Team Tennis circuit champion Denver Racquets in the 1974 season and played consistently on the circuit from 1974 to 1978.

She was an integral member of the France Fed Cup team from 1963 to 1967, 1970, 1972, and 1977 to 1979, accumulating a career win-loss record of 31-17 (16-8 in singles and 15-9 in doubles) over 27 ties.

3. Contribution to Women's Professional Tennis

Françoise Dürr played a pivotal role in the professionalization and development of women's tennis, particularly during the formative years of the Open Era. In 1968, at the very beginning of the Open Era, Dürr, alongside Ann Haydon-Jones, Billie Jean King, and Rosemary Casals, were among the first women to sign professional contracts and organize their own tours, laying the groundwork for a more structured professional circuit.

In 1970, a commitment to play her French Tennis Nationals prevented her from joining Gladys Heldman's Original 9, a group of female players who famously broke away to form their own professional tour, which eventually led to the WTA. However, Dürr remained a foundational figure. In 1973, she was a founding member of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA), an organization that revolutionized women's professional tennis, and served as the WTA's secretary, with Billie Jean King as president.

Dürr was also known for her unique travel companions; she was the first female player to travel the tennis circuit with her dog, named Topspin. Topspin became a minor celebrity, even serving as a mascot for the Denver Racquets in World Team Tennis and carrying Dürr's racquet onto the court. She was also the first woman to play 100 events on the Virginia Slims Tour by 1978.

4. Post-Playing Career

After retiring from professional play, Françoise Dürr continued to contribute significantly to the tennis world through various administrative and leadership roles.

4.1. French Tennis Federation Roles

In 1993, Dürr was appointed the first Technical Director of Women's Tennis for the French Tennis Federation (FFT), a groundbreaking position that underscored her commitment to the development of the sport in France. She also served as the captain of the French Fed Cup team from 1993 through 1996. In 1997, she co-captained the team with Yannick Noah, leading France to its historic first-ever Fed Cup victory. She retired from her roles at the FFT in February 2002.

4.2. Awards and Honors

Françoise Dürr has received numerous accolades and honors for her distinguished career and profound impact on tennis. In 1988, she was presented with the WTA Tour's Honorary Membership Award in recognition of her vital contributions to the founding, development, and direction of women's professional tennis. In 2003, her extraordinary career, particularly her success in doubles and her French Championships singles title, was formally recognized with her induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. In 2005, she received the Fed Cup Award of Excellence, a joint presentation by the International Tennis Federation and the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Further recognition came in April 2010 when she was awarded a French national honor, receiving the Medal and title of Officer of the National Order of Merit (Officier de l'Ordre national du Mérite, France^French), acknowledging her significant contributions to sport and the advancement of women in sport.

5. Personal Life

Françoise Dürr married Boyd Browning, an American radio executive, in 1975. Following their marriage, she moved to the United States, where she resided for 10 years. Her son, Nicholas, was born in 1980, followed by her daughter, Jessica, in 1985. In 1992, Dürr returned to France to live near Paris.

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1967	French Championships	Clay	Lesley Turner	4-6, 6-3, 6-4

6.1.2. Women's doubles: 18 (7 titles, 11 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1965	French Championships	Clay	Janine Lieffrig	Margaret Court
Loss	1965	Wimbledon	Grass	Janine Lieffrig	Maria Bueno
Win	1967	French Championships	Clay	Gail Chanfreau	Annette Van Zyl
Loss	1968	Wimbledon	Grass	Ann Haydon-Jones	Rosemary Casals
Win	1968	French Open	Clay	Ann Haydon-Jones	Rosemary Casals
Win	1969	French Open	Clay	Ann Haydon-Jones	Nancy Richey
Win	1969	US Open	Grass	Darlene Hard	Margaret Court
Win	1970	French Open	Clay	Gail Chanfreau	Rosemary Casals
Loss	1970	Wimbledon	Grass	Virginia Wade	Rosemary Casals
Win	1971	French Open	Clay	Gail Chanfreau	Helen Gourlay Kerry Harris	6-4, 6-1
Loss	1971	US Open	Grass	Gail Chanfreau	Rosemary Casals
Loss	1972	Wimbledon	Grass	Judy Tegart	Billie Jean King
Win	1972	US Open	Grass	Betty Stöve	Margaret Court
Loss	1973	French Open	Clay	Betty Stöve	Margaret Court
Loss	1973	Wimbledon	Grass	Betty Stöve	Rosemary Casals
Loss	1974	US Open	Grass	Betty Stöve	Rosemary Casals
Loss	1975	Wimbledon	Grass	Betty Stöve	Ann Kiyomura
Loss	1979	French Open	Clay	Virginia Wade	Betty Stöve

6.1.3. Mixed doubles: 8 (4 titles, 4 runner-ups)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents
Win	1968	French Open	Clay	Jean-Claude Barclay	Billie Jean King
Loss	1969	French Open	Clay	Jean-Claude Barclay	Margaret Court
Loss	1969	US Open	Grass	Dennis Ralston	Margaret Court
Loss	1970	French Open	Clay	Jean-Claude Barclay	Billie Jean King
Win	1971	French Open	Clay	Jean-Claude Barclay	Winnie Shaw
Loss	1972	French Open	Clay	Jean-Claude Barclay	Evonne Goolagong
Win	1973	French Open	Clay	Jean-Claude Barclay	Betty Stöve
Win	1976	Wimbledon	Grass	Tony Roche	Rosemary Casals

6.2. Grand Slam Performance Timelines

The following tables detail Françoise Dürr's year-by-year performance in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles at all Grand Slam tournaments.

6.2.1. Singles

Tournament	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	Win-loss
Australia	A	A	A	A	A	QF	A	QF	A	2R	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	6-3
France	3R	3R	4R	4R	2R	QF	QF	W	4R	3R	3R	QF	SF	SF	A	A	A	A	A	1R	40-15
Wimbledon	A	A	A	2R	2R	4R	QF	3R	QF	2R	SF	QF	QF	4R	3R	2R	4R	3R	3R	2R	35-17
U.S. Championships	A	A	3R	A	3R	QF	QF	SF	3R	3R	QF	3R	3R	1R	2R	2R	4R	1R	A	1R	28-16

Note: The Australian Open was held twice in 1977, in January and December.

6.2.2. Doubles

Tournament	1960	1961	1962	1963	1964	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	Win-loss
Australia	A	A	A	A	A	QF	A	QF	A	SF	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	5-3
France	2R	2R	QF	QF	1R	F	QF	W	W	W	W	W	SF	F	A	A	A	A	A	F	1R	2R	A	A	2R	43-12
Wimbledon	A	A	A	1R	2R	F	1R	QF	F	3R	F	SF	F	F	QF	F	QF	SF	SF	SF	A	A	A	A	A	51-17
U.S. Championships	A	A	A	A	A	A	SF	A	SF	W	SF	F	W	QF	F	SF	QF	QF	SF	1R	A	A	A	A	A	39-11