Benny Berthet

{{Short description|French tennis player and coach}}

{{Infobox tennis biography

| name = Benny Berthet

| image = Benny Berthet.JPG

| fullname = Benjamin Berthet

| country_represented = {{FRA}}

| birth_date = {{birth date|1910|09|18|df=yes}}

| birth_place = New York, United States

| death_date = {{death date and age|1981|01|20|1910|09|18|df=yes}}

| death_place = Paris, France

| height =

| plays = Right-handed

| careerprizemoney =

| singlesrecord =

| singlestitles =

| highestsinglesranking =

| AustralianOpenresult =

| FrenchOpenresult = QF (1931)

| Wimbledonresult = 1R (1931, 1950)

}}

Benjamin Berthet (18 September 1910 – 20 January 1981) was a French tennis player and coach.{{cite web |title=The Greatest Jewish Tennis Players of All Time Archives |url=http://www.worldtennismagazine.com/archives/tag/the-greatest-jewish-tennis-players-of-all-time |website=World Tennis Magazine |date=30 May 2015}}

Berthet was born to Polish-Jewish emigrants in New York and moved to France as a nine-year old.{{cite news |title=Benny Berthet, sauvé de la guerre par le tennis |url=https://www.lequipe.fr/Tennis/Article/Benny-berthet-le-tennis-et-les-camps/1021747 |work=L'Équipe |date=24 May 2019 |language=fr}}

In 1931 he made the singles quarter-finals of the French Championships, losing to the top seed Jean Borotra.{{cite news |title=Lott Has Last Yank in Net Play |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/635160820 |work=Fort Worth Star-Telegram |date=29 May 1931}}

Berthet's title wins included the Polish International Championships.{{cite web |title=Polish International Championships 1931 |url=https://www.tennisarchives.com/edition/?v=1357 |website=www.tennisarchives.com}}

A jeweller by profession, Berthet fought with the French Army in World War II and became a prisoner of war in 1941. During his captivity at Oflag IV-D he and other prisoners build tennis courts to play on.{{cite news |title=Benny ce héros et la magie du tirage au sort |url=http://www.grainedesportive.fr/2009/05/23/benny-ce-heros-et-la-magie-du-tirage-au-sort/ |work=Graine de Sportive |date=23 May 2009 |language=fr-FR}}

Berthet continued to compete after the war until his appointment as non playing captain of the France Davis Cup team in 1954. He held this role for a then record 11-years, before being replaced by Gérard Pilet after the 1955 campaign.