Yannick Noah

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Yannick Noah (May 18 1960, Sedan, Ardennes, France) is a former professional tennis player from France. He is best remembered for winning the men's singles title at the French Open in 1983, and as a highly-successful captain of France's Davis Cup and Fed Cup teams. Since his retirement from the game, Noah has remained in the public eye as a popular music performer and as the founder of a charity organization for underprivileged children. In a song titled "Métis(se)" Noah refers to being a métis, which in French-speaking Africa (or generally France as well), is used to describe someone who is of both white European and black African ancestry (though Noah had made a point of his mixed ethnicity long before the song's production). He is of Cameroonian and French descent.

1 Tennis career
2 Post-tennis career
3 Family
4 Grand Slam singles finals
- 4.1 Wins (1)
5 Grand Slam record
6 Singles titles (23)
7 External links

[edit] Tennis career

Noah turned professional in 1977, and won his first top-level singles title in 1978 in Manila.

Noah became France's most prominent tennis hero in 1983, becoming the first Frenchman in 37 years to win the French Open. He dropped only one set during the two-week long tournament, and defeated the defending-champion Mats Wilander in straight sets in the final 6-2, 7-5, 7-6. Noah also became only the second black male to win a Grand Slam singles event (after Arthur Ashe).

Especially endearing to French (and indeed many other) spectators was Noah's penchant for one particular tactic: when he was at the net and a lob was hit over his head, he would turn his back to the net, race back and attempt – often successfully – to hit the ball between his legs with his back still towards the net. [1] Even today, when a player attempts such a move in a televised tournament, commentators often mention Noah's name.

During his career, which spanned almost two decades, Noah captured a total of 23 singles titles and 16 doubles titles. His career-high singles ranking was World No. 3 in 1986.

Noah won the French Open men's doubles title in 1984 (with compatriot Henri Leconte). He was also the men's doubles runner-up at the 1985 US Open (with Leconte), and the 1987 French Open (with compatriot Guy Forget). In August 1986, Noah attained the World No. 1 doubles ranking, which he would hold for a total of 19 weeks. He remains the last native to have won the French Open men's singles title.

Noah played on France's Davis Cup team for eleven years, with an overall win-loss record of 39-22 (26-15 in singles, and in 13-7 doubles). In 1982, he was part of the French team which reached the Davis Cup final, where they were defeated 4-1 by the United States.

Nine years later, in 1991, Noah captained the French team which won the Davis Cup for first time in 59 years, defeating a heavily-favoured US team 3-1 in the final. This feat was repeated in 1996, when France defeated Sweden 3-2 in the final.

In 1997, Noah captained France's Fed Cup team to its first-ever victory in that competition.

Noah was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005

[edit] Post-tennis career

Since retiring from playing tennis, Noah has developed a career as a popular singer, performing throughout Europe. He began his music career in 1991 with the album Black or What, featuring the popular track "Saga Africa".

Noah made music news in the summer of 1997 with a new single entitled "Oh Rêve". His audacious adaptation of "La Marseillaise" – originally written by Rouget de Lisle in 1792 and adopted as the French national anthem – succeeded in ruffling a few feathers. The pacifist reworking of the strongly patriotic message of "La Marseillaise" led to protests from several war veterans' associations.

In collaboration with Jean-Jacques Goldman, Noah released a second album in 2000 entitled simply Yannick Noah, and in October 2006, scored a major French radio airplay hit with the single Donne-moi une vie from a new album entitled Charango.

In 2005, Noah performed at Bob Geldof's Live 8 concert – a fundraiser aimed at alleviating poverty in Africa.

Noah is very active in charity work. He supports 'Enfants de la Terre', a charity run by his mother, Marie-Claire, and founded 'Fête le Mur' in 1996, a tennis charity for underprivileged children.

[edit] Family

Yannick is the son of Zacharie Noah, a former Cameroonian football star who played professionally for Sedan Torcy (France) in the 1960s, and Marie-Claire, a former captain of the French national women's basketball team.

From his former marriage to Cécilia Rhode (Miss Sweden 1978), Yannick has two children, Joakim and Yélena. Joakim plays basketball for the 2006 NCAA national champions, the University of Florida Gators.

From his former marriage to model Heather Stewart-Whyte, Noah has two children named Elijah and Jénayé. He has also a son, Joalukas, with producer Isabelle Camus.

[edit] Grand Slam singles finals

[edit] Wins (1)

Year	Championship	Opponent in Final	Score in Final
1983	French Open	Image:Flag of Sweden.svg Mats Wilander	6-2, 7-5, 7-6

[edit] Grand Slam record

Australian Open

Singles semi-finalist: 1990

French Open

Singles champion: 1983
Doubles champion: 1984 (partnering Leconte)
Doubles runner-up: 1987 (partnering Forget)

Wimbledon

Singles 3rd Round: 1985

US Open

Singles quarter-finalist: 1983, 1985, 1989
Doubles runner-up: 1985 (partnering Leconte)

[edit] Singles titles (23)

1978 – Manila, Calcutta

1979 – Nancy, Madrid, Bordeaux

1981 – Richmond WCT, Nice

1982 – La Quinta, South Orange, Basel, Toulouse

1983 – Hamburg, Madrid, French Open

1985 – Rome, Washington, Toulouse

1986 – Forest Hills, Wembley

1987 – Lyon, Basel

1988 – Milan

1990 – Sydney Outdoor

[edit] External links

French members of the International Tennis Hall of Fame
Jean Borotra (1976) \| Jacques Brugnon (1976) \| Philippe Chatrier (1992) \| Henri Cochet (1976) \| Francoise Durr (2003) \| Pierre Etchebaster (1978) \| René Lacoste (1976) \| Suzanne Lenglen (1978) \| Yannick Noah (2005)