Ronald Agénor

Ronald Jean-Martin Agénor was born in Rabat, Morocco, and played tennis for Haiti. Agénor played professionally from 1983 to 2002. Through 2022 Agénor was the only Haitian tennis player to be ranked in the top 25, when he was ranked 22 in the world in May 1989. He won three singles titles on the ATP Tour.

Agénor’s father was a Haitian diplomat at the United Nations. Ronald Agénor learned how to play tennis while in Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Zaire). Under the guidance of his brother, Agénor played competitive tennis in Bordeaux, France, in 1978. By 1982 he was ranked as the number eight junior player in the world, winning two junior titles.

After turning professional in 1983, Agénor played in the singles tournaments at three Olympic Games. At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, tennis was a demonstration sport, with Agénor losing his first-round match to Swedish tennis legend Stefan Edberg. He was also the flag bearer for Haiti at the Opening Ceremony of the 1984 Games. Agénor competed at the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, losing both of his first-round matches.

Agénor achieved his career-best ranking of 22 in May 1989. The following month, he recorded his best result at a Grand Slam, reaching the quarter finals of the French Open. After his retirement in 2002, Agénor opened the Ronald Agénor Tennis Academy in Los Angeles, California. In 2018 he was inducted into the Black Tennis Hall of Fame.