Ian Froman (born 6 May 1937) is a South African-born Israeli former tennis player and tennis patron. He is known for playing in the

Wimbledon Championships The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is pla ...

in the 1950s, representing Israel in Davis Cup competition in the 1960s and 1970s, and playing a primary role in the founding of the Israel Tennis Centers in the 1970s and thereafter.

Early life

Froman, who is Jewish, was born in

Johannesburg, South Africa Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a Megacity#List of megacities, megacity, and is List of urban areas by p ...

. He became a dentist in Johannesburg, and then immigrated to Israel in 1964.

Tennis career

Froman played at Wimbledon in 1955, in the Men's singles. In the first two rounds he defeated Stefan Lazlo (9–11, 7–5, 6–4, 2–0, ret.), and Johannes (Hans) van Dalsum (3–6, 3–6, 6–2, 6–1, 6–4), before losing in the third round to eventual finalist

Kurt Nielsen Kurt Nielsen (19 November 1930 – 11 June 2011) was a Danish tennis player. He was born in Copenhagen, and was the first Danish tennis player ever to have played in a men's singles final in a Grand Slam tournament. Nielsen reached the singl ...

(6–3, 6–1, 6–2). Over a decade later, he played for the

Israel Davis Cup team The Israel men's national tennis team (Hebrew language, Hebrew: נבחרת גביע דייוויס של ישראל) represents Israel in Davis Cup tennis competition and is governed by the Israel Tennis Association. As of June 2020, Jonathan Erl ...

in Davis Cup competition in 1968, 1969, and 1971.

Israel Tennis Centers

In 1973, tennis in Israel was played primarily by tourists at beach hotels. That year, Froman conceived the idea for founding the Israel Tennis Centers (ITCs), Israel's countrywide tennis program. By 1974, met four Americans—Rubin Josephs, Harold Landesberg, Dr. William Lippy, and Joe Shane—and English tennis star Angela Buxton, who agreed to launch the necessary fundraising efforts and obtain the necessary sites to build the centers. They built a 14-court National Tennis Center on an old strawberry patch in

Ramat HaSharon Ramat HaSharon ( he, רָמַת הַשָּׁרוֹן, ''lit.'' '' Sharon Heights'', ar, رمات هشارون) is a city located on Israel's central coastal strip in the south of the Sharon region, bordering Tel Aviv to the south, Hod HaSharon ...

that was given to the ITC by the Israeli government. It was the first of 12 centers built in Israel—with the others being in Arad, Ashdod,

Ashkelon Ashkelon or Ashqelon (; Hebrew: , , ; Philistine: ), also known as Ascalon (; Ancient Greek: , ; Arabic: , ), is a coastal city in the Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border wit ...

, Beersheva,

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

, Jaffa,

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

Kiryat Shemona Kiryat Shmona ( he, קִרְיַת שְׁמוֹנָה, ''lit.'' Town of the Eight) is a city in the Northern District of Israel on the western slopes of the Hula Valley near the Lebanese border. The city was named after the eight people, includi ...

Ofakim Ofakim ( he, אֳפָקִים ''ʾŎfāqīm'', or אוֹפָקִים ''ʾŌfāqīm'', ''lit.'' "horizons") is a city in the Southern District of Israel, 20 kilometers (12.4 mi) west of Beersheba. It achieved municipal status in 1955. I ...

, and

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...

Tiberias Tiberias ( ; he, טְבֶרְיָה, ; ar, طبريا, Ṭabariyyā) is an Israeli city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. A major Jewish center during Late Antiquity, it has been considered since the 16th century one of Judaism's F ...

. Froman served as director of the center, and then starting in 2004 as its chairman. In 2005, he announced that he would not seek re-election when his term ended in 2006.

Honors

Froman was awarded the Israel Prize in 1989. In presenting it to him, Israeli President

Chaim Herzog Major-General Chaim Herzog ( he, חיים הרצוג; 17 September 1918 – 17 April 1997) was an Irish-born Israeli politician, general, lawyer and author who served as the sixth President of Israel between 1983 and 1993. Born in Belfast and ...

said: "You have created a virtual social revolution throughout Israel." He was also awarded the

International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame ( he, יד לאיש הספורט היהודי, translit=Yad Le'ish HaSport HaYehudi) was opened July 7, 1981 in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere arou ...

Pillar of Achievement Award.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Froman, Ian 1937 births South African male tennis players Tennis players from Johannesburg Israeli male tennis players Jewish tennis players Israeli Jews South African Jews South African emigrants to Israel Tennis in Israel Living people Israel Prize in sport recipients Jewish South African sportspeople