Ronald Agénor
 | |
| Country (sports) |
  |
|---|---|
| Residence | Beverly Hills, California, USA |
| Born |
November 13, 1964 Rabat, Morocco |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Turned pro | 1983 |
| Retired | 2012 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Prize money | $2,014,601 |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 221–257 (at ATP Tour, Grand Prix tour and Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 3 |
| Highest ranking | No. 22 (May 8, 1989) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1990) |
| French Open | QF (1989) |
| Wimbledon | 2R (1989, 1993) |
| US Open | 4R (1988) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Olympic Games | 1R (1984DE, 1988, 1996) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 26–58 (at ATP Tour, Grand Prix tour and Grand Slam level, and in Davis Cup) |
| Career titles | 0 |
| Highest ranking | No. 111 (July 14, 1986) |
Ronald Jean-Martin Agénor (born November 13, 1964) is a former professional tennis player who represented Haiti during his playing career. He is the only Haitian to have ever earned a Top 25 world ranking in singles, reaching as high as World No. 22 in May 1989.
Agénor is the son of a former Haitian Diplomat at the United Nations and Minister of Agriculture of Haiti. He is the youngest of a family of six children and learned how to play tennis in Congo (Ex Zaire) in 1974 and discovered competitive tennis in Bordeaux, France in 1978 under the wing of his brother, Lionel. He trained with the French Tennis Federation training program during one year at the Ligue de Guyenne in Bordeaux and was ranked #8 junior player in the world in 1982. He turned pro in 1983 and retired from Professional tennis in 2002 and opened the Ronald Agenor Tennis Academy in Los Angeles, California.
In a career spanning 19 years, he reached the quarter finals at the French Open in 1989 by beating Carl Limberger, Tim Mayotte, Claudio Pistolesi and Sergi Bruguera before losing to champion Michael Chang. He also got to the fourth round of both the US Open and French Open in 1988. He represented Haiti in the Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984, in Seoul in 1988, and in Atlanta in 1996 and won 3 ATP Tour World titles in Athens, Genoa, and Berlin. At the French Open in 1994, he defeated David Prinosil, 14/12 in the fifth set and broke the previous record of the longest match in the number of games in the history of the French Open since the open era previously held by Emilio Sanchez. In 1987, his final against Yannick Noah from France, was the first ATP World Tour tennis final between two players of color in men's professional tennis history. After a break from the pro circuit, Agénor made a comeback in 1999 becoming, at 35 years of age, the oldest player to reach top 100 (ATP ranked #88) in the world since Jimmy Connors did it in 1991. In 2000, he represented and led the Lido Luzern Tennis Club in Switzerland to its first Swiss National title in 100 years. In 2001, at 37 years of age, he finished the year ATP ranked #186 appearing in a final against David Nalbandian from Argentina. In 2010, Agénor played an exhibition match with John McEnroe, competed against Pat Cash, and defeated Patrick Rafter at the Delray Beach Champions Tour Event and was featured on the ATP Uncovered Video Series "Ronald Agenor Uncovered". The interview was broadcast on ESPN and all the major TV Channels around the world. He participated in various Charity and Fundraising Events for Haiti such as the "Hit For Haiti" in Indian Wells. In 2011, he defeated legend Bjorn Borg, and Pat Cash at the Marbella Masters in Spain.
Ronald was once Honorary Consul of Haiti in Bordeaux, France (1989) and speaks several languages fluently. He is today an ambassador for Peace and Sport, an organization under the High Patronage of Prince Albert II of Monaco. In 1989, he was Honorary Consul of Haiti in Bordeaux, France. In 2006, the city of Castelnau de Médoc, in wine country region of Bordeaux in France, named its newly built tennis facility after Ronald "Salle Ronald Agénor". In 2018, he was inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame in a ceremony held at George Washington University, in Washington DC, and the tennis court “Court Ronald Agénor” was inaugurated in the Bordeaux Wine region, at Sainte Terre Tennis Club, France. During the inauguration, Ronald was also officially made member for life of the “Confrérie de la Lamproie”. Ronald is also a passionate musician and has been playing the guitar since the age of 15, he had made several recordings and his new album "22" is available for preview on iTunes and CD Baby. Today, Ronald, whose life seems to be based on strings, spends most of his time between coaching the game of tennis at his Tennis Academy in Le Teich and around the world, his family, and music.
Tennis career
Juniors
He was ranked the No. 8 junior in the world in 1982, turning professional the following year.
Pro tour
In 1989, Agénor reached the quarter-finals of the French Open (where he was knocked-out by eventual-champion Michael Chang), and won his first top-level singles title at Athens. In 1990, Agénor won two further tour singles titles at Berlin and Genoa.
He competed in three Summer Olympic Games, in 1984 (a demonstration event), 1988 and 1996.
In 1999, Agénor finished the year ranked World No. 98 and became the first player aged over 35 to finish in the top-100 since Jimmy Connors in 1992.
Agénor competed in his propreantepenultimate ATP-sanctioned tour event in July 2006 at the Aptos Futures event after a four-year layoff from tour tennis, losing 3–6, 4–6 in the first round.
In 2009, he entered qualifying for the Genova Challenger in singles, but retired in the first round, trailing 2–4.[1]
In 2012, Agénor entered the doubles draw of Futures events in Casablanca,[2] Innisbrook,[3] and Edwardsville.[4] Partnering Takanyi Garanganga, he came up short in his final match 4–6, 2–6.
Career finals
Singles (3 titles, 5 runner-ups)
|
|
| Outcome | No. | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1. | 6 July 1987 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay |  |
2–6, 3–6, 6–7 |
| Runner-up | 2. | 13 July 1987 | Bordeaux, France | Clay | |
7–5, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 3. | 5 October 1987 | Basel, Switzerland | Hard (i) |  |
6–7, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 4. | 25 July 1988 | Bordeaux, France | Clay |  |
3–6, 3–6 |
| Runner-up | 5. | 5 July 1993 | Båstad, Sweden | Clay | |
5–7, 6–1, 0–6 |
| Winner | 6. | 16 April 1989 | Athens Open, Greece | Clay |  |
6–3, 6–4 |
| Winner | 7. | 24 June 1990 | Genoa, Italy | Clay | |
3–6, 6–4, 6–3 |
| Winner | 8. | 14 October 1990 | Berlin, Germany | Carpet (i) |  |
4–6, 6–4, 7–6 |
After tennis
Agénor has also recorded music as a rock musician .
He is a member of the 'Champions for Peace' club, a group of more than 90 famous elite created by Peace and Sport, a Monaco-based international organization placed under the High Patronage of H.S.H Prince Albert II. This group of top level champions, wish to make sport a tool for dialogue and social cohesion. http://www.peace-sport.org/our-champions-of-peace/
References
- ↑ http://www.protennislive.com/posting/2009/1763/qs.pdf
- ↑ http://www.itftennis.com/procircuit/tournaments/men's-tournament/info.aspx?tournamentid=1100026560
- ↑ http://www.itftennis.com/procircuit/tournaments/men's-tournament/info.aspx?tournamentid=1100026130
- ↑ http://www.itftennis.com/procircuit/tournaments/men's-tournament/info.aspx?tournamentid=1100026962