French Male Tennis Players
There are plenty of active French tennis players on the men’s side of the game, but some of the country’s most successful and famous players are now retired.
During the 1920s, one group of men nicknamed The Four Musketeers had a significant and lasting impact on the game. They included doubles specialist Jean Borotra and singles players Jacques Brugnon, Henri Cochet, and René Lacoste.
Beyond their success, the four also helped lead the French Davis Cup team to victory over the United States in 1927, resulting in the country building out a new venue in Paris, now the location of Roland Garros a.k.a, the French Open.
Keep reading to learn about 11 influential male French tennis players that are well worth knowing as a tennis fan.
René Lacoste

Photo Credit: Wikimedia
Although he’s not the most successful French tennis player ever, his legacy extends far beyond the court as a businessman whose name is the best known of any on this list.
He is responsible for the start of the iconic fashion brand with the crocodile logo and created the first patented steel tennis racquet with tubes instead of solid metal. This frame became known as the T-2000, famously used by Jimmy Connors and Bill Jean King during their careers.
Of course, René wasn’t a slouch on the court, and he’s undoubtedly one of the best to come out of France. Having reached world No. 1, he won seven singles and three doubles Grand Slam titles.
At the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, he claimed a Bronze medal in doubles with Jean Borotra, and as one member of the Four Musketeers, he helped France win the 1927 and 1928 Davis Cup.
Birthday | July 2, 1904 |
Retired | 1932 |
Highest Rank | 1 |
Career Titles | 24 singles |
Grand Slam Titles | 7 singles / 3 doubles |
Olympic Medals | Bronze doubles |
Henri Cochet

Photo Credit: Wikimedia
By far the most successful male tennis player to come out of France, Henri Cochet’s resume speaks for itself.
During his career, he reached world No. 1, earned seven singles, five doubles, and three mixed doubles Grand Slam titles, and helped France win the Davis Cup for six years straight from 1927 to 1932. He also earned a silver medal in singles and doubles with René Lacoste at Paris’ 1924 Olympic Games.
In 1933, Henri moved from amateur to professional, so it’s likely he would have achieved more success at Grand Slam tournaments which the pros weren’t allowed to play until 1968, well after he retired.
Birthday | December 14, 1901 |
Retired | 1958 |
Highest Rank | 1 |
Career Titles | 90 singles |
Grand Slam Titles | 7 singles / 5 doubles |
Olympic Medals | Silver singles and doubles |
Jean Borotra

Photo Credit: Wikimedia
Another member of the Four Musketeers, Jean, only reached world No. 2, but his success on the court goes down as one of the best.
He achieved plenty of success in singles with four Grand Slam titles, but he was also a highly accomplished doubles player with nine additional Grand Slam titles and five in mixed-doubles.
Jean’s legacy lives on with the Jean Borotra Sportsmanship Award, given annually since 1998 at the Wimbledon Championships in London.
Birthday | August 13, 1898 |
Retired | 1956 |
Highest Rank | 2 |
Career Titles | 69 singles |
Grand Slam Titles | 4 singles / 9 doubles |
Olympic Medals | Bronze doubles |
Max Decugis

Photo Credit: Wikimedia
Up until 2014, Max Decugis held more titles at the French Championships, now known as the French Open, than any other player, with eight. Rafael Nadal surpassed this record and currently has 13 wins.
However, it’s worth noting that the tournament was only open to French club members up until 1925, so logically the record books don’t consider Max’s wins Grand Slam titles.
Beyond his 41 titles throughout his career, Max also achieves more success at the Olympics than any French player. He has gold in mixed doubles and silver and bronze in doubles.
Birthday | September 24, 1882 |
Retired | 1926 |
Highest Rank | 10 |
Career Titles | 41 singles |
Grand Slam Titles | 1 doubles |
Olympic Medals | Gold singles, Gold doubles, Bronze doubles |
André Gobert

Photo Credit: Wikimedia
In 1909, André Gobert joined the amateur tour, and throughout his career, he’d win 26 titles. He never managed to win a Grand Slam in singles, but he did reach the finals of Wimbledon in 1912, losing to Arthur Gore of Great Britain in four sets.
The year prior, Gobert did manage to claim a doubles Grand Slam title at Wimbledon with his partner and fellow Frenchman Max Decugis.
Perhaps André’s crowning achievement was his double Gold medals in singles and doubles at the 1912 Stockholm Olympics.
Birthday | September 30, 1890 |
Retired | 1926 |
Highest Rank | 3 |
Career Titles | 26 singles |
Grand Slam Titles | 1 doubles |
Olympic Medals | Gold singles, Gold doubles |
Yannick Noah

Photo Credit: Wikimedia
One of France’s most celebrated tennis players is Yannik Noah, who won the French Open in 1983, breaking a 37-year drought for a male tennis player to win the tournament.
Of course, his success extended far beyond his sole Grand Slam singles crown in France. Yannick won 23 titles throughout his career and achieved a career-high world ranking of No. 3 in 1986.
He also attained a world No. 1 ranking in doubles that same year and won the French Open in doubles in 1984.
Since retiring, Yannick has achieved moderate success as a singer, having released several albums, and he continues to perform.
Birthday | May 18, 1960 |
Retired | 1996 |
Highest Rank | 3 |
Career Titles | 23 singles / 16 doubles |
Grand Slam Titles | 1 singles / 1 doubles |
Olympic Medals | – |
Jacques Brugnon

Photo Credit: Wikimedia
The fourth member of the Four Musketeers, Jacques Brugnon, was a successful singles player with 21 titles and a career-high ranking of No. 9. However, he primarily goes down in the history books as a doubles specialist who won ten Grand Slam titles for the discipline.
Jacques also helped lead the French team to five Davis Cup titles from 1927 to 1932, missing out only in 1929.
Birthday | May 11, 1895 |
Retired | – |
Highest Rank | 9 |
Career Titles | 21 singles |
Grand Slam Titles | TBD singles / 10 doubles |
Olympic Medals | Silver doubles |
Yvon Petra

Photo Credit: Wikimedia
Until Yannik Noah’s triumph at the French Open in 1983, Yvon was the last Frenchman to win the title at the Grand Slam in 1946. Soon after, in 1948, Yvon turned pro, so he couldn’t contest additional Grand Slam events as they were exclusively for amateurs.
At the end of his career, he had claimed 18 titles and reached a career-high world No. 4 ranking in 1946.
Birthday | March 8, 1916 |
Retired | 1955 |
Highest Rank | 4 |
Career Titles | 18 singles / TBD doubles |
Grand Slam Titles | 1 singles / 2 doubles |
Olympic Medals | – |
André Vacherot
During his career as a tennis player, André won the French Championships four times in 1894, 1895, 1896, and 1901. However, it’s worth noting that the tournament was only open to French club members until 1925.
Birthday | June 5, 1877 |
Retired | Unknown |
Highest Rank | Unknown |
Career Titles | Unknown |
Grand Slam Titles | 4 singles / 2 doubles |
Olympic Medals | – |
Paul Aymé
Like André Vacherot, Paul Aymé won the French Championships four times during his career. However, what distinguished his results from André’s is that he did it consecutively from 1897 to 1900.
Birthday | July 29, 1869 |
Retired | Unknown |
Highest Rank | Unknown |
Career Titles | Unknown |
Grand Slam Titles | 4 singles |
Olympic Medals | – |
Maurice Germot

Photo Credit: Wikimedia
Maurice is a three-time French Championship winner and doubles Gold medalist from the 1912 Stockholm Olympic Games. That year he partnered with countryman Max Decugis.
Birthday | November 15, 1882 |
Retired | Unknown |
Highest Rank | Unknown |
Career Titles | Unknown |
Grand Slam Titles | 3 singles |
Olympic Medals | Gold doubles |
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!