Ferry Sonneville

Ferdinand Alexander "Ferry" Sonneville (3 January 1931 – 20 November 2003) was an Indonesian badminton player noted for his touch, consistency, tactical astuteness, and coolness under pressure. He won numerous international singles titles from the mid-1950s through the early 1960s and his clutch performances helped Indonesia to win its first three Thomas Cup (men's world team) titles consecutively in 1958, 1961, and 1964, setting the pattern for his country's continued formidable presence in world badminton. Sonneville's playing career ended on a sour note in the 1967 Thomas Cup final in Jakarta when, past his prime, he was roundly booed by his countrymen after dropping singles matches in Indonesia's controversial loss to Malaysia.

Sonneville inherited his sports talents from his parents. His father was Dirk Jan Sonneville (1906-1944), a local tennis champion in the 1930s, and Leonij Elisabeth de Vogel (later Hubeek) (1908-1989), a badminton champion between 1935 and 1945, who taught him the game in the 1940s. His father was a brigade major of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army in the war and was executed by the Japanese. Sonneville married Yvonne Theresia de Wit in September 1954 and had 3 children, called Ferdinand Rudy Jr. (who died at the age of 21), Genia Theresia, and Cynthia Guedolyn. Sonneville also had two grandchildren. His religion was Catholic.