The event took place at the Pavillon Cambon Capucines amid the ongoing 2017 French Open.

Casal and Sanchez received the award for their services to the game as players and coaches.

They first teamed up in 1984 and were one of the leading men's doubles partnerships of their era, winning 44 tournaments together including two Grand Slam titles.

They also won the silver medal at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games.

The Spaniards finished among the top 10 doubles teams for 10 out of 11 years from 1985 to 1995, achieving the year-end number one ranking in 1987.

In 1998, the pair opened the Sanchez-Casal Academy in Barcelona to "provide a complete education" with a school on the same site as tennis courts.

Since 2012, they have opened two more academies in Florida and Nanjing.

They have help produce many elite players, including current men's world number one Sir Andy Murray of Great Britain, two-time Grand Slam champion Svetlana Kuznetsova of Russia, Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov, Daniela Hantuchova of Slovakia and Argentina's Juan Monaco.

"We are delighted to present Sergio Casal and Emilio Sanchez with the Philippe Chatrier Award for their contributions to tennis as a successful doubles team and in the field of coaching," said ITF President David Haggerty.

"Their on-court achievements paved the way for further Spanish success, and in founding a successful coaching academy, they have shaped the careers of several prominent players and the lives of many more."

The Philippe Chatrier Award, named after the former ITF President, was launched in 1996 and has been presented to some of the top names in tennis, including Billie Jean King, John McEnroe and Martina Navratilova.

The event also celebrated the 2016 ITF World Champions.

Murray was awarded the men's honour after another emphatic year.

He won his second Olympic title at Rio 2016, his second Wimbledon crown and the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) World Tour Finals event in London.

The 30-year-old finished runner-up at the French and Australian Opens and managed to wrestle the world number one ranking from Serbia's Novak Djokovic.

Germany's Angelique Kerber, the winner of two Grand Slam titles last year, won the women's prize.

Sir Andy's brother, Jamie Murray, and his doubles partner Bruno Soares of Brazil, were also honoured along with the French women's doubles pairing of Caroline Garcia and Kristina Mladenovic. 

Junior champions Miomir Kecmanovic of Serbia and Russia's Anastasia Potapova also won prizes.

Wheelchair champions Gordon Reid of Britain and The Netherlands' Jiske Griffioen were honoured as well as the Davis Cup and Fed Cup champions, Argentina and the Czech Republic, respectively.