Donald Dell
Donald Dell at the Legg Mason Tennis Tournament in August 2009
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| Full name | Donald L. Dell |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) | United States |
| Born |
June 17, 1938 Savannah, Georgia, United States |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Turned pro | 1954 (amateur tour) |
| Retired | 1969 |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2009 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 25–26 |
| Highest ranking | No. 5 (1961 U.S. ranking) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| French Open | 2R (1965) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1961) |
| US Open | QF (1961) |
| Career record | 4–11 |
Donald Dell (born June 17, 1938 in Savannah, Georgia, United States) is an attorney and was a professional tennis player, U.S. Davis Cup captain, and administrator. Dell was one of the first professional sports agents, having represented professional tennis players Arthur Ashe, Stan Smith, Jimmy Connors, and Ivan Lendl during pro tennis' golden age (1975 to 1985). He was also the founder of Professional Services (ProServ), one of the nation's first sports marketing firms established in 1970 with co-founder, Frank Craighill, a fellow law partner. His younger brother, Dick, worked for ProServ managing US Open champion Gabriela Sabatini, and played Number One Singles for the University of Michigan. He was Big Ten #1 Singles Champion in 1969.
Dell is considered one of the fathers of sports marketing and the sports agent business with IMG's Mark McCormack. Based on his vast experience, Dell wrote a book in 2009 entitled: "Never Make the First Offer."
Dell, was also very instrumental in establishing the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) in 1972 with Jack Kramer and Cliff Drysdale, according to Kramer in his book The Game: My 40 years in Tennis (1979). Clients of ProServ dominated the leadership roles of the ATP in its formative years. ProServ and one of its young agents, David Falk, would go on to represent professional basketball players such as: Patrick Ewing, John Lucas.and Michael Jordan selected Dell's ProServ and Falk as his first sports agent after leaving the University of North Carolina.
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