Philippe Washer

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.[2] His mother, Simone van der Straeten, was the daughter of Ernest Solvay, founder of Solvay International Chemical Group.[2] 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.[2] They were also the cousins of famous sportscar racer Olivier Gendebien.[3] Philippe started playing tennis at the age of six.[4] He was coached by his father.[4] 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.[4] In 1942 he won the French junior championships. [5]

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.[4] In 1952, he reached the semifinal of the Royal Belgian Tennis Federation Fiftieth Anniversary tournament.[5] In 1957, he reached the Inter-Zonal Zone Finals of the Davis Cup with the Belgium Davis Cup team.[4] The same year he won the Lebanon international tennis championships by defeating Warren Woodcock.[6] In 1967 he came back from retirement to win the Belgian National Covered Courts Championship doubles, partnering with Jacky Brichant.[4] Also after retirement, he won the Wimbledon Veterans' Doubles with Jaroslav Drobný four times from 1968 to 1971.[7]

Washer did not play in the 1960 Davis Cup match against Great Britain as he was competing in the Belgium Open golf championship.[8] 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.[9][10] He represented Belgium again in the 1964 Eisenhower Trophy.[11]

Washer retired from tennis in 1961 and moved to Switzerland.[12] 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.[3] After retiring he served as the president of the Royal Léopold Club between 1983 and 1994, which his family saved from bankruptcy in 1948.[5][13] He remained its major shareholder afterwards.[13] Washer died on 27 November 2015 at the age of 91.[14]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Philippe Washer.

• Philippe Washer at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Philippe Washer at the International Tennis Federation
• Philippe Washer at the Davis Cup