Noah, Yannick
Yannick Noah
Born: May 18, 1960
Hometown: Sedan, France
Citizenship: France
Handed: Right
Inducted: 2005
Grand Slam Record
Australian Open
Singles Quarterfinalist - 1987
Roland Garros
Singles Winner - 1983
Singles Quarterfinalist - 1981, 1982, 1984, 1987
Doubles Winner - 1984 (w/Leconte)
Doubles Finalist - 1987 (w/Forget)
US Open
Singles Quarterfinalist - 1982, 1984, 1989
Doubles Finalist - 1985 (w/Leconte)
Career Singles Titles (23); Finalist (13).
Career Doubles Titles (16); Finalist (9).
In 1983 Yannick Noah became France’s next tennis hero, as he descended upon Roland Garros serving and volleying his way to the singles crown. Dropping only one set during the fortnight, he became the first Frenchman in 37 years to capture the men’s singles title.
During his 12-year career he captured 23 singles titles and 16 doubles titles, and had an overall singles Grand Slam event win-loss record of 85-35. He reached his career high singles ranking of No. 3 in 1986, and was ranked in the World Top 10 six times (1982-87).
In doubles, Noah won the 1984 title at Roland Garros (w/Leconte); he also reached the 1985 US Open doubles final (w/Leconte) and the 1987 French doubles final (w/Guy Forget); in August of 1986 he earned the No. 1 doubles ranking, holding it for a total of 19 weeks (non-consecutive).
Born May 18, 1960 in Sedan, France, Noah was a member of France’s Davis Cup team for eleven years, playing in 22 ties and posting an overall 39-22 win-loss record (26-15 singles; 13-7 doubles).
In 1991, Noah captained France’s Davis Cup team to victory, as the French reclaimed the Cup after 59 years, and then won again in 1996. In 1997, Noah also captained France’s Fed Cup team to their first-ever Fed Cup victory.
Currently, Noah has a career as a popular singer, performing throughout Europe. He began his music career in 1993 with the album Urban Tribu, featuring the popular track Saga Africa. In collaboration with Jean-Jacques Goldman, he released a second album in 2000 called simply Yannick Noah. Noah also remains active in charity work, having created Enfants de la Terre and Fête le Mur, a tennis association for underprivileged children.
Yannick Noah has two children, Yelena and Joakim. Joakim, a junior at the University of Florida, is a standout 6’11” forward for the Florida Gators who won the NCAA Basketball Championships in 2006.
Joakim was named MVP of the 2006 NCAA Tournament’s Minneapolis Regional, after leading the Gators over top-seeded Villanova in the final (21 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 blocks). On April 3, 2006, Joakim led the Gators to a 73-57 win over UCLA.
This win gave the Gators their first NCAA Basketball Championship. In the final game, Joakim posted 16 points, 9 rebounds, and a championship game record 6 blocks. Joakim Noah was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four.
In 2007, Joakim and his Gator teammates successfully defended their National Championship defeating Ohio State 84-75 in the final. With this championship win, the Gators became the first team to capture back-to-back titles since Duke in 1992. However, they became the first team in NCAA history to repeat with the same starting five players.
