Johan Haanes

Johan Clausen Haanes (30 April 1912 – 21 March 2000) was a Norwegian tennis player, ski jumper, bandy player and track and field athlete. He was among Norway's best tennis players of all time. Several of his brothers were also sportsmen. His brothers Hans Jacob and Thorgny were tennis players, both National Champions in double (with Johan). His brother Sigurd was an excellent ski jumper who placed fourth at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 1937. His brother, Reidar Haanes, became an acclaimed sports journalist, who also wrote the book ‘Store dager i norsk idrett’ and ‘Njårds historie’

Career Haanes won 39 National titles in tennis from 1932 to 1953. Of these were 21 in single, 13 in double, and five in mixed double. He won one Scandinavian Championship. He played for the club Njård, of which he was a co-founder. His book 1001 tenniskamp, issued in 1942, was subsequently forbidden. Haanes continued his active career after the war. His book Spill bedre tennis was published in 1946. He won his last National Championship in 1953. He was president of Norges Tennisforbund from 1956 to 1958. In 1985 he won an unofficial title at the World Championships for veterans in Marbella. He died in Oslo in 2000.