Male & Female
Although French tennis players no longer dominate the game as they did in the 1920s, France still produces world-class players and is home to Roland Garros, one of four Grand Slam tournaments.
This guide pays tribute to France’s most famous male and female tennis players. It showcases their many accomplishments, including Grand Slam champs, former No. 1s, and the best active players currently competing on the ATP and WTA.
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Active Players
Male Tennis Players
Female Tennis Players
Greatest of All Time
Grand Slam Champions
World No. 1s
Although no active French professional tennis players have won a Grand Slam or achieved a No. 1 ranking, a handful of them has hugely influenced the game over the past few years.
Seventeen male French tennis players actively rank in the ATP Tour’s top 200. Here are some essential stats to help you get familiar with them.
Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Richard Gasquet, Gilles Simon, and Gaël Monfils are the three most successful male French tennis players.
Each has won over ten titles and achieved a top ten ranking, so they’re easily the most famous and recognizable names.
Twelve female French tennis players actively rank in the WTA Tour’s top 200. I’ve included a handful of helpful stats to get to know them.
Alizé Cornet, Caroline Carcia, and Kristina Mladenovic have each achieved significant success during their careers.
Despite only winning one title, Kristina Mladenovic managed to gain a top 10 ranking due to her consistent performance on tour.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Some of the most famous female French tennis players competed and achieved success more recently, so you may be familiar with their names.
However, to track down one of history’s most celebrated French tennis players, we have to step back to the early 1900s.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia
Known as the greatest female tennis player during the Open Era, i.e., before 1968, Suzanne Lenglen is one of the game’s most highly accomplished and best-known athletes.
Nicknamed La Divine, she became the inaugural world No. 1 in 1921 and held that position until 1926. Much of her success came at Wimbledon, where she won singles and doubles six times from 1919 to 1925.
One of her most intriguing wins was against prominent American tennis player Helen Wills in the United States, dubbed the Match of the Century, which she won. Suzanne is also well-known for helping lay the foundation for the professional tours before the Open Era began in 1968.
She earned 83 singles and 74 doubles titles throughout her career, and at the 1920 Olympic Games, she won gold in singles and mixed doubles and bronze in women’s doubles.
Photo Credit: @usopen
The most recent world No 1. on our list of women tennis players from France, Amélie Mauresmo, competed until December 2009.
In 2004, she ascended to world No. 1, becoming the first French tennis player to hit the mark since the WTA tracked rankings on computers. Uniquely, she did so without having won a Grand Slam title.
Of course, all that would change in 2006 when she logged a hugely successful year that included titles at the Australian Open and Wimbledon.
Post-retirement, Mauresmo has continued to make a name for herself coaching a range of successful tennis players, including Michaël Llodra,
Victoria Azarenka, Marion Bartoli., Andy Murray, and Lucas Pouille.
In 2022, Amiélie Mauresmo became the first female tennis director at the French Open, solidifying her as one of the most famous French players to ever step on a court.
Photo Credit: @marypierce_75
The last French tennis player, male or female, to win the French Open, Mary Pierce, achieved a high level of success during her career.
In 1995 she ascended to a career-high world No. 2, and she claimed four total Grand Slam titles, two in singles, 1 in doubles, and 1 in mixed doubles. In total, she won 18 singles and ten doubles titles.
Born in Canada to her French mother and American father, she has citizenship in all three countries. However, she chose to represent France in team competitions, including the Fed Cup, in which she helped lead the team to wins in 1997 and 2003.
Photo Credit: @bartolimarion
Known for her unique style of play, using two hands for her forehand and backhand, Marion Bartoli became one of the most famous French tennis players on the women’s side of the game.
During her career, she reached the quarter-finals of every Grand Slam event but only managed to win one at Wimbledon in 2013, defeating Sabine Lisicki in straight sets.
Unfortunately, shortly after her victory, Marion retired from tennis due to ongoing pain and injuries from her time in the sport. Although she attempted a comeback in 2018, it didn’t go super well as injuries continued to set her back.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia
A successful French tennis player in the early 1900s, Jeanne Matthey is a four-time French Open Champion in singles and doubles. She won all of her titles in consecutive years from 1909 to 1912.
After being wounded in World War I serving as a nurse on the front lines, she gave up tennis, but her success remains noteworthy.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia
French tennis player Kate Gillou goes down in history as a four-time winner of the French Championships from 1904 to 1908.
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Grand Slams: 4 singles
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The first-ever winner at the French Championships, Adine Masson, claimed five wins at the tournament, even though two were uncontested in 1898 and 1899. In 1907, she won in doubles as well.
Although no French tennis player makes my list of the greatest tennis players of all time, two are worth noting as the best French tennis players ever for their significant accomplishments.
Of all the players I’ve covered, Suzanne Lenglen stands alone with the most comprehensive and impressive achievements, which makes her the best French tennis player, male or female, ever.
Suzanne’s highly decorated career includes the No. 1 ranking, 22 Grand Slam titles, nine in singles, eight in doubles, and five in mixed doubles. She also medaled in every discipline during the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerp, with gold in singles and mixed doubles and bronze in doubles.
Throughout her career, she virtually never lost. With 83 singles titles and 74 doubles titles, and 93 mixed doubles titles, she had winning percentages of 97.9%, 97.7%, and 95.5%, respectively. She only logged 31 losses out of her total 967 matches played.
Although her achievements came well before the Open Era in 1968, she didn’t just succeed. Instead, she dominated the field like no other player and ushered in a dynamic style of play akin to the men’s game, which was a drastic departure from conventional women’s tennis.
Although his name isn’t as widely recognized as René Lacoste, Henri’s achievements on the court far surpass Lacoste’s and cement him as the most successful male French tennis player of all time.
Beyond achieving a world No. 1 ranking, Cochet won seven Grand Slam titles in singles, five in doubles, and three in mixed doubles. He also helped lead the French Davis Cup team to wins for six straight years and won Olympic silver in singles and doubles.
Of course, he achieved all of that success before he turned professional in 1933, where he competed until the second world war. Toward the end of his career, the French Tennis Association allowed him back as an amateur, where he’d finish playing, retiring in 1958.
There are four Grand Slam tournaments, including the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon, and US Open. These prestigious tournaments offer the highest prize money and are the hardest for a player to win due to the size of the draw and depth of field.
As a result, it’s incredibly significant when a player manages to win one, and they tend to achieve considerable fame for their success. The following is a comprehensive list of French Grand Slam champions.
Achieving a world No. 1 ranking is no easy task as it requires consistent performance from a player. Only a handful of French tennis players have reached a No. 1 ranking in history. I’ve listed all of them below.
The Open Era started in 1968 when professional players were allowed to compete alongside amateurs, forever changing the sport.
Since then, Amélie Mauresmo has been the only male or female French tennis player who has achieved a No. 1 ranking.
Whether you’re a fan of French tennis or scouting the best players for an upcoming tournament, I hope this resource helped provide some insight into noteworthy players from the country.
If you think I’ve missed anyone or would like to share any thoughts on some of the players listed, I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
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