Taghi Akbari ( fa, تقی اکبری; born 1945) is an Iranian former tennis player.

Career

Akbari was a member of Iran Davis Cup team from 1958 to 1975, where he was captain since 1974. He appeared at 15

Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is run by the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and is contested annually between teams from competing countries in a knock-out format. It is described by the organis ...

campaigns for Iran, which is a national record.Davis Cup profile
/ref> His 17 singles wins is also an Iranian Davis Cup record, that was equaled by Anoosha Shahgholi in 2011. He also won three doubles rubbers during his career. In 1962 he was a quarter-finalist at the Lebanon International Championships. His only career singles title win came at the Lebanese National Championships held in

Brummana Brummana ( ar, برمانا) is a town in the Matn District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate in Lebanon. It is located east of Beirut, overlooking the capital and the Mediterranean. Brummana has long been a summer destination for visitors and loca ...

, Lebanon in 1965. In 1966 he reached the quarter-finals of the Philippines Championships. He won a bronze medal in the men's singles event at the

1966 Asian Games The 1966 Asian Games (), also known as the V Asiad, were a continental multi-sport event that was held from 9 to 20 December 1966, in Bangkok, Thailand. A total of 142 events in 16 sports were contested by athletes during the games. Taiwan and Isr ...

and a silver medal at the

1974 Asian Games The 7th Asian Games ( fa, بازی‌های آسیایی ۱۹۷۴) were held from 1 to 16 September 1974 in Tehran, Imperial State of Iran. The Aryamehr Sports Complex was built for the Games. The Asian Games were hosted in the Middle East for th ...

, where he lost in the gold medal playoff to

Toshiro Sakai is a former tennis player from Japan. Career Sakai, a student of Waseda University, competed in the 1970 Summer Universiade, which was held in Turin, Italy. He and Jun Kamiwazumi won the doubles gold medal for Japan. When the Japanese Davis C ...

. In 1966 he was a semi-finalist at the Iranian International Championships in Tehran, where he lost to

Bob Hewitt Robert Anthony John Hewitt (born 12 January 1940) is a former professional tennis player from Australia. In 1967, after marrying a South African, he became a South African citizen. He has won 15 major titles and a career Grand Slam in both men' ...

. Akbari managed to qualify for the

1967 Wimbledon Championships The 1967 Wimbledon Championships took place on the outdoor grass courts at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, London, United Kingdom. The tournament was held from Monday 26 June until Saturday 8 July 1967. It was the 81st ...

but was beaten by

Sergei Likhachev Sergei Likhachev (20 March 1940, Baku, Azerbaijan SSR — 18 October 2016, Moscow, Russia) was a Soviet tennis player and tennis coach. He competed in the Davis Cup The Davis Cup is the premier international team event in men's tennis. It is r ...

in the first round. He is the first Iranian Tennis player who played at Roland Garros without having had to play any qualification rounds. He competed in the

1969 French Open The 1969 French Open was a tennis tournament that was held at the Stade Roland Garros in Paris in France from May 26 through June 8, 1969. It was the 73rd edition of the French Open, the 39th to be open to foreign competitors, and the second Grand ...

and lost again in the opening round, but did manage to take Phil Dent into a fifth set. His brother,

Mohammad Hossein Akbari Mohammad Hossein Akbari (born 1950) is a former tennis player from Iran. Career He was introduced to Tennis at age of 6. His first Tennis competitive match was in 1961 where he defeated Iran's runner up Nemat Nemati. At age of 16 he became the ...

, also played in the 1969 French Open. The same year he reached the quarter-finals of the All India Hard Court Championships. Akbari received

Commitment Award for his 15 years honorific representing his country in Davis Cup. He is Iran's all-time highest-ranked player, ranking 146 (3 June 1974).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Akbari, Taghi Asian Games bronze medalists for Iran Asian Games medalists in tennis Asian Games silver medalists for Iran Iranian male tennis players Living people 1945 births Tennis players at the 1966 Asian Games Tennis players at the 1974 Asian Games Medalists at the 1966 Asian Games Medalists at the 1974 Asian Games Sportspeople from Tehran