Philippe Washer
Washer in 1950 | |
Country (sports) | Belgium |
---|---|
Born | (1924-08-06)6 August 1924 Brussels, Belgium |
Died | 27 November 2015(2015-11-27) (aged 91) Knokke, West Flanders, Belgium |
Turned pro | 1940 (amateur tour) |
Retired | 1961 |
Singles | |
Career record | 324-178 |
Career titles | 16 |
Highest ranking | 8 (1957)[1] |
Grand Slam singles results | |
French Open | QF (1957) |
Wimbledon | 4R (1948, 1949, 1954) |
US Open | 4R (1952) |
Doubles | |
Grand Slam doubles results | |
Wimbledon | SF (1953) |
Grand Slam mixed doubles results | |
French Open | SF (1954) |
Wimbledon | 4R (1947, 1948, 1952) |
Philippe Washer (French pronunciation: [filip waʃe]; 6 August 1924 – 27 November 2015) was a Belgian tennis player. He competed in the Davis Cup a number of times, from 1946 to 1961.[2] He was ranked world No. 8 in 1957.
Early life and family
Philippe Washer was born on 6 August 1924 in Brussels. He was the son of Jean Washer, another Belgian tennis player and textile industry mogul.[3] His mother, Simone van der Straeten, was the granddaughter of Ernest Solvay, founder of Solvay International Chemical Group.[3] Philippe had three brothers: Paul Washer, president of the Chemical Industry Federation of Belgium and director of the Solvay company; Jacques Washer, antiquarian who died in the Swissair Flight 316 crash; and Edouard.[3] They were also the cousins of famous sportscar racer Olivier Gendebien.[4] Philippe started playing tennis at the age of six.[5] He was coached by his father.[5] He won his first tournament on 9 May 1940 in La Rasante just one day before the Battle of Belgium during which he volunteered to join the Belgian Army.[5] In 1942, he won the French junior championships.[6]
Tennis career
Washer won the Belgian National Championships nine times between 1945–1954, the only exception being 1950 when he was forced to retire from the competition due to illness.[5] In 1952, he reached the semifinal of the Royal Belgian Tennis Federation Fiftieth Anniversary tournament.[6]
In 1953, Washer won the Coupe Albert Canet, defeating Władysław Skonecki in the close four set final.
In 1957, he reached the Inter-Zonal Zone Finals of the Davis Cup with the Belgium Davis Cup team.[5] The same year, he won the Lebanon international tennis championships by defeating Roger Becker, Ham Richardson, and Warren Woodcock.[7]
In 1967, he came back from retirement to win the Belgian National Covered Courts Championship doubles, partnering with Jacky Brichant.[5] Also after retirement, he won the Wimbledon Veterans' Doubles with Jaroslav Drobný four times from 1968 to 1971.[8]
Golf career
Washer did not play in the 1960 Davis Cup match against Great Britain as he was competing in the Belgium Open golf championship.[9] Later in 1960 he played for the Rest of Europe against the British Isles in the St Andrews Trophy and for Belgium in the 1960 Eisenhower Trophy.[10][11] He represented Belgium again in the 1964 Eisenhower Trophy.[12]
Personal life
Washer retired from tennis in 1961 and moved to Switzerland.[13] In 1955, he lent his own Ferrari 250 Europa GT Pinin Farina Coupe car to Olivier Gendebien who drove it in the Liège–Rome–Liège rally and finished third.[4] After retiring, he served as the president of the Royal Léopold Club from 1983 to 1994, which his family saved from bankruptcy in 1948.[6][14] He remained its major shareholder afterwards.[14] Washer died on 27 November 2015 at the age of 91.[15]
Footnotes
- ^ "Around The World". World Tennis. Vol. 5, no. 8. New York. January 1958. p. 50.
- ^ "Philippe Washer". daviscup.com.
- ^ a b c Meuwissen 1992.
- ^ a b Chauvin 2010, p. 54.
- ^ a b c d e f Tasso 2002.
- ^ a b c Royal Léopold Club website.
- ^ Lebanon international tennis website.
- ^ The Telegraph, 2001.
- ^ "Hopes of British Lawn Tennis victories". The Times. 9 June 1956. p. 20.
- ^ "British Golf supremacy over Rest of Europe". The Times. 22 October 1956. p. 4.
- ^ "British Isles' Big Win over Rest of Europe". The Glasgow Herald. 22 October 1956. p. 4.
- ^ 1964 WAGTC.
- ^ Leonardi 1997.
- ^ a b MIG. T. 2007.
- ^ "Belgisch Davis Cup-icoon Philippe Washer overleden". HLN (in Dutch).
Works cited
- Tasso, Miguel (2002). "Philippe Washer préfère les filles" [Philippe Washer prefers girls]. La Libre Belgique (in French). Brussels, Belgium. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- MIG. T. (2007). "Philippe Washer:"Je regarde toujours devant moi"" [Philippe Washer: "I always look forward"]. La Dernière Heure (in French). Brussels, Belgium: Groupe IPM. ISSN 1780-0412. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- "obituaries – Jaroslav Drobny". The Daily Telegraph. London, United Kingdom. 2001. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- Meuwissen, Eric (1992). "Waterloo: Washer lotit" [Waterloo: Washer subdivides]. Le Soir (in French). Brussels, Belgium. ISSN 1186-4583. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- Chauvin, Xavier (February 2010). "Dossier: Ferrari Belrinetta" (PDF). Rétroviseur (in French) (253). Fontainebleau, France: Éditions LVA: 54. ISSN 0992-5007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- "History" (in French). Brussels, Belgium: Royal Léopold Club. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014.
- Nohad Victor Schoucair. "1957 / April 7". Lebanon: Lebanon International Tenis. Archived from the original on 15 July 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- Leonardi, Paolo (1997). "Le tennis etait presque aussi populaire que le football" [Tennis was almost as popular as football]. Le Soir (in French). Brussels, Belgium. ISSN 1186-4583. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
- 1964 World Amateur Golf Team Championships Record Book (PDF) (in French). 1964. p. 12. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
External links
- Philippe Washer at the Association of Tennis Professionals
- Philippe Washer at the International Tennis Federation
- Philippe Washer at the Davis Cup
- v
- t
- e
- 1928 Louis Crooy and Victor Groenen
- 1929 Georges Ronsse
- 1930 Hyacinte Roosen
- 1931 René Milhoux and Jules Tacheny
- 1932 not awarded
- 1933 Jef Scherens
- 1934 Union SG
- 1935 Count Arnold de Looz-Corswarem
- 1936 Ernest Demuyter
- 1937 Joseph Mostert
- 1938 Hubert Carton de Wiart
- 1939 Commandant Henry de Menten de Horne
- 1940 Fernande Caroen
- 1941 Jan Guilini
- 1942 Pol Braekman
- 1943 Prince Albert de Ligne
- 1944 not awarded
- 1945 Flying personnel of the Belgian Royal Air Force-section
- 1946 Gaston Reiff
- 1947 Micheline Lannoy and Pierre Baugniet
- 1948 Étienne Gailly
- 1949 Feru Moulin
- 1950 Briek Schotte
- 1951 Johnny Claes and Jacky Ickx
- 1952 André Noyelle
- 1953 Crew of the Yacht Omoo (Mr. and Mrs. Van de Wielle and Fred Debels)
- 1954 Adolph Verschueren
- 1955 Roger Moens
- 1956 Gilberte Thirion
- 1957 Jacques Brichant and Philippe Washer
- 1958 René Baeten
- 1959 Belgium men's national field hockey team
- 1960 Flory Van Donck
- 1961 Rik Van Looy
- 1962 Gaston Roelants
- 1963 Aurèle Vandendriessche
- 1964 Joël Robert
- 1965 First jachtwing of the Belgian Air Component
- 1966 Raymond Ceulemans
- 1967 Ferdinand Bracke and Eddy Merckx
- 1968 Jacky Ickx
- 1969 Serge Reding
- 1970 Freddy Herbrand
- 1971 Emiel Puttemans
- 1972 Karel Lismont
- 1973 Roger De Coster
- 1974 Paul Van Himst
- 1975 Jean-Pierre Burny
- 1976 Ivo Van Damme
- 1977 Gaston Rahier
- 1978 Anderlecht
- 1979 Robert Van de Walle
- 1980 Belgium national football team
- 1981 Annie Lambrechts
- 1982 Ingrid Berghmans
- 1983 Eddy Annys
- 1984 André Malherbe
- 1985 not awarded
- 1986 William Van Dijck
- 1987 Ingrid Lempereur
- 1988 Eric Geboers
- 1989 Michel Preud'homme
- 1990 Jan Ceulemans
- 1991 Jean-Michel Saive
- 1992 Annelies Bredael
- 1993 Vincent Rousseau
- 1994 Brigitte Becue
- 1995 Fred Deburghgraeve
- 1996 Johan Museeuw
- 1997 Luc Van Lierde
- 1998 Ulla Werbrouck
- 1999 Gella Vandecaveye
- 2000 Joël Smets
- 2001 Kim Clijsters and Justine Henin
- 2002 Marc Wilmots
- 2003 Stefan Everts
- 2004 Axel Merckx
- 2005 Tom Boonen
- 2006 Kim Gevaert and Tia Hellebaut
- 2007 Belgian Women's 4×100 metres relay team
- 2008 not awarded
- 2009 Philippe Gilbert
- 2010 Philippe Le Jeune
- 2011 Kevin Borlée
- 2012 Evi Van Acker
- 2013 Frederik Van Lierde
- 2014 Daniel Van Buyten
- 2015 Belgian men's 4 × 400 metres relay team
- 2016 Nafissatou Thiam
- 2017 David Goffin
- 2018 Nina Derwael
- 2019 Belgium men's national field hockey team
- 2020 Wout van Aert
- 2021 Bashir Abdi
- 2022 Remco Evenepoel
- 2023 Bart Swings