We are deeply saddened to report that Mr. Juan María Tintoré, Founder and President of the Centenary Tennis Clubs Association, passed away on 5th February 2020 in Barcelona, Spain, at the age of 92.
A lifelong advocate of tennis, he worked tirelessly to provide opportunities for players of all ages and abilities. His passion, dedication and energy were an inspiration to all of us at the CTC.
Mr. Tintoré first joined the Board of the Real Club de Tenis Barcelona-1899 in 1949 and would go on to be the Club’s President from 1993-2008, and Honorary President thereafter. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Spanish Tennis Federation from 1974-1985 and 1994-2005, and served on the Committee of Management of the European Tennis Federation from 1981-1990 and represented Spain at the International Tennis Federation from 1977-1984.
In 1985 he began chairing the International Club of Spain and in 1996 founded and became President of the Centenary Tennis Clubs Association, roles in which he continued to serve until his passing. He created a junior tournament in Sarajevo following the war in the former Yugoslavia, which has grown to become a top-tier international event on the Tennis Europe Junior Tour.
Among the many honours he received were the Golden Achievement Award presented jointly by the International Tennis Federation and International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2008, the gold medal from the city of Barcelona (Medalla d’or de la Cuitat de Barcelona) in 2008, the prize for best sports leader (Millor Dirigent de l’any) from the Catalan Association of Sports Leaders in 2009, an award from the Union of Sports Federations of Catalonia (Forjador de l’Esport Català) in 2010, the Tennis Europe Award for services to European tennis in 2011, and the recognition of the Fundación de Fomento Europeo in 2018.
