Richard Akel (born February 12, 1962) is an American former professional tennis player.

Akel grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas and comes from a family which has origins in Palestine.

[1] A left-handed player, Akel won two state championships during his high school career and played collegiate tennis at Clemson University, where he was a member of three Atlantic Coast Conference championship teams.

[1] On the professional tour he had a best singles world ranking of 345 and appeared in qualifying draws for grand slam tournaments.

He reached a career high doubles ranking 182 in the world and won one title at ATP Challenger level.