Ian Froman

{{Short description|South African-born Israeli tennis player and patron (1937–2024)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}} {{Use South African English|date=July 2012}} {{Infobox person | honorific_prefix = | name = Ian Froman | honorific_suffix = | native_name = איאן פרומן | native_name_lang = he | image = Ian_Froman.jpg | alt = | caption = | birth_name = | birth_date = {{Birth date|df=yes|1937|5|6}} | birth_place = Johannesburg, South Africa | disappeared_date =  | disappeared_place = | disappeared_status = | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=yes|2024|9|8|1937|5|6}} | death_place = | death_cause = | body_discovered = | resting_place = | resting_place_coordinates =  | monuments = | other_names = | citizenship = | education = | alma_mater = | occupation = Dentist | years_active = | employer = | organization = | known_for = Playing tennis in the Wimbledon Championships, representing Israel in Davis Cup competition, and playing a primary role in the founding of the Israel Tennis Centers | website =  | footnotes = }}

'''Ian Froman''' ({{Langx|he|איאן פרומן}}; 6 May 1937 – 8 September 2024) was a South African-born Israeli tennis player and tennis patron.<ref name="jewishsports1">{{cite web|author=Ian Froman |url=http://www.jewishsports.net/PillarAchievementBios/IanFroman.htm |title=Ian Froman |publisher=Jewishsports.net |access-date=4 November 2011}}</ref><ref name="atpworldtour1">{{cite web|url=http://www.atpworldtour.com/Tennis/Players/Fr/I/Ian-Froman.aspx |title=Tennis Players – Ian Froman |publisher=ATP World Tour |date=31 October 2011 |access-date=4 November 2011}}</ref>

Froman is known for having played in the Wimbledon Championships 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.<ref name="jewishsports1"/>

==Early life== Froman, who was Jewish, was born in Johannesburg, South Africa.<ref name="jewishsports1"/> He became a dentist in Johannesburg, and then immigrated to Israel in 1964.<ref name="jewishsports1"/><ref name="google1">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_gMyUlkTEo8C&q=Ian+Froman+-drummer+tennis |title=The Bazak Guide to Israel, 1990–1991 |publisher=HarperCollins Canada, Limited|isbn=0-06-096443-X |year= 1990|access-date=4 November 2011}}</ref>

==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 (3–6, 1–6, 2–6). Over a decade later, he played for the Israel Davis Cup team in Davis Cup competition in 1968, 1969, and 1971.<ref name="jewishsports1"/><ref name="atpworldtour1"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.daviscup.com/en/players/player/profile.aspx?playerid=10003491 |title=Player profile – Ian Froman (ISR) |publisher=Davis Cup |access-date=4 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tennisarchives.com/coureurfiche.php?coureurid=2655 |title=Ian Froman |publisher=Tennisarchives.com |date=6 May 1937 |access-date=4 November 2011}}</ref>

==Israel Tennis Centers== thumb|upright=2|The National Tennis Center (Canada Stadium); 2008 In 1973, tennis in Israel was played primarily by tourists at beach hotels. That year, Froman conceived the idea of founding the Israel Tennis Centers (ITCs), Israel's countrywide tennis program.<ref name="jewishsports1"/> By 1974, he 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.<ref name="jewishsports1"/><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IEgef80OISkC&dq=Froman+&pg=PA291 |title=I shall not die!: a personal memoir |author=Hart N. Hasten |publisher=Gefen Publishing House Ltd |year=2003 |isbn=9789652293022 |access-date=4 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://straightsets.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/13/the-seeds-of-israels-davis-cup-victory/ |title=The Seeds of Israel's Davis Cup Victory |work=The New York Times |date=13 July 2009 |access-date=4 November 2011}}</ref> They built a 14-court National Tennis Center on an old strawberry patch in Ramat HaSharon that was given to the ITC by the Israeli government.<ref name="jewishsports1"/><ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite news|author=Franz Lidz |url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1987/10/12/a-young-tennis-star-rises-in-an-ancient-land/ |title=A Young Tennis Star Rises in an Ancient Land |work=Sports Illustrated |date=12 October 1987 |access-date=27 March 2010 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206091156/http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1066544/index.htm |archive-date=6 December 2008 }}</ref> It was the first of 12 centers built in Israel—with the others being in Arad, Ashdod, Ashkelon, Beersheva, Haifa, Jaffa, Jerusalem, Kiryat Shemona, Ofakim, and Tel Aviv, Tiberias.<ref name="jewishsports1"/>

Froman served as director of the center, and then starting in 2004 as its chairman.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JMuCAAAAMAAJ&q=%22Ian+Froman%22+-drummer+tennis |title=The Jewish athlete: a nostalgic view |author=Leible Hershfield |year=1980 |access-date=4 November 2011}}</ref><ref name="jpost1">{{cite news|last=Peress |first=Naim |url=https://www.jpost.com/Sports/Article.aspx?id=1372 |title=Froman to leave ITA post |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=31 May 2011 |access-date=4 November 2011}}</ref> In 2005, he announced that he would not seek re-election when his term ended in 2006.<ref name="jpost1"/>

==Death== Froman died on 8 September 2024, at the age of 87.<ref>[https://www.ynetnews.com/article/syr4qqnha Dr. Ian Froman, a founder of Israel Tennis Centers, dies at 87]</ref>

==Honors== Froman was awarded the Israel Prize in 1989.<ref name="jewishsports1"/><ref name="google1"/> In presenting it to him, Israeli President Chaim Herzog said: "You have created a virtual social revolution throughout Israel."<ref name="jewishsports1"/> He was also awarded the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Pillar of Achievement Award.<ref name="jewishsports1"/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== *{{sports links}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Froman, Ian}} Category:1937 births Category:2024 deaths Category:South African male tennis players Category:Tennis players from Johannesburg Category:Israeli male tennis players Category:Jewish tennis players Category:Jewish Israeli sportspeople Category:South African emigrants to Israel Category:Tennis in Israel Category:Israel Prize in sport recipients Category:Jewish South African sportspeople Category:20th-century Israeli sportsmen Category:20th-century South African sportsmen