'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The French Open has been one of the premier titles in tennis history and has had many famous champions. The French public have always been passionate about tennis and have supported their players with great fanfare. However, it has been a while since any French player lifted the La Coupe des Mousquetaires.
We take a look back at the last French player on the men's and women's circuits to win the French Open.
Yannick Noah won the French Open in 1983
Yannick Noah was the last man from France to win the French Open. He beat Mats Wilander, then the defending champion, in 1983. Roland Garros was the only singles Grand Slam title he won. Beating Wilander was unexpected, as the Swede was the firm favorite to defend his title. But Noah won the final in style, producing an acrobatic performance to beat Wilander 6-2, 7-5, 7-6(3). The Frenchman was moved to tears and remembered the win fondly, as he described it to CNN in 2014.
“It’s right here in my heart forever. I have my best moment on tape of my life, so every time I see it, every time I think about it I am complete,” he said.
Noah was a charismatic presence on the tennis court and played the sport with passion. Arthur Ashe discovered Noah in Cameroon playing tennis with a board instead of a racquet! The eleven-year-old board wielding Noah impressed Ashe so much that he arranged for him to train with the French Tennis Federation.
Yannick Noah represented France in the Davis Cup for 11 years and was the captain in 1991 when the French won the Davis Cup after 59 years.
Mary Pierce won the French Open in 2000
Mary Pierce won the 2000 French Open by beating Conchita Martinez 6-2, 7-5 in the final. She thus became the first French woman to win at Roland Garros since 1967. Francoise Durr, the legendary French player, was the last Frenchwoman to win the French Open in 1967. The duo of Mary Peirce and Martina Hingis also won the doubles title that same year.
Pierce, who suffered bouts of intense cramps in the semifinals, was rendered speechless after winning her only Roland Garros title, saying words could not describe how she felt.
“There are not words to describe what it feels like,” Pierce said.
Mary Pierce is the last French player to have tasted success at Roland Garros. Born in Montreal to a French mother and an American father, she eventually decided to play for France. Pierce played in six singles Grand Slam finals, winning two - the 1995 Australian Open and Roland Garros in 2000.
Also Check Out :- French Open 2022 Results
