Yannick Noah
In-game article clicks load inline without leaving the challenge.
Yannick Noah (French pronunciation:[janiknɔa]; born 18 May 1960) is a French former professional tennis player and singer, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2005. Noah won the French Open in singles in 1983 and in doubles in 1984, and is a former captain of both France's Davis Cup and Billie Jean King Cup teams. During his nearly two-decade career, Noah captured 23 singles titles and 16 doubles titles, reaching a career-high singles ranking of world No. 3 in July 1986 and attaining the world No. 1 doubles ranking the following month. Since his retirement from the game, Noah has remained in the public eye as a popular music performer and as the co-founder, with his mother, of a charity organization for underprivileged children. He is commemorated each year at Roland-Garros with Yannick Noah's Day. Noah is also the father of former NBA player Joakim Noah.
Early life
Born in Sedan, in the north of France in 1960, Yannick Noah is biracial. His late father was Cameroonian footballer, Zacharie Noah, and his mother, Marie-Claire, was French. After a sports injury in 1963, Noah's father returned to Africa with his family. Yannick was living in Cameroon when he made his debut in tennis and was discovered at age 11 by Arthur Ashe. He soon showed an amazing talent that brought him to the French Tennis Federation's training center in Nice in 1971.
Tennis career
Noah turned professional in 1977 and won his first pro title on the Italian Spring Satellite in 1977 and his first top-level singles title in 1978 in Manila beating Peter Feigl in the final. He 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, Sweden's Mats Wilander, in straight sets in the final. Noah "boldly attacked the net and forced Wilander out of his baseline game". He remains the most recent Frenchman to have won the French Open men's singles title.
Noah won the French Open men's doubles title in 1984 (with compatriot and best friend Henri Leconte). He was also the men's doubles runner-up at the 1985 U.S. 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. At the end of 1986, Noah received the ATP Sportsmanship Award, as voted for by other ATP players. He reached the quarter-final stage or better on 10 occasions at Grand Slam level. He notably admitted using marijuana prior to matches in 1981, saying that amphetamines were the real problem in tennis as they were performance-enhancing drugs.
In 1992, Noah received the Legion of Honour medal. Noah was awarded the Philippe Chatrier Award (the ITF's highest accolade) in 2005 and was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame that same year. He remains France's highest male ranked player since the introduction of rankings in 1973. 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.
Davis Cup/Fed Cup captain success
In 1991, Noah captained the French team to its first Davis Cup victory in 59 years, defeating a heavily favoured US team 3–1 in the final. This feat was repeated in 1996, when Noah coached the French team to defeat Sweden 3–2 in the final held in Malmö. In 2017, Noah added a third Davis Cup win for France under his guidance as captain, defeating Belgium in the final in Lille. In 1997, he also captained France's Fed Cup team to its first ever win of that competition when they defeated the Dutch in the final.
Grand Slam singles performance timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | DNQ | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | SR | W–L | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | A/A | 1R | A | 1R | A | A | A | A | A | NH | QF | 4R | 1R | SF | 0 / 6 | 11–6 | 64.71 |
| French Open | 1R | 3R | 2R | 4R | QF | QF | W | QF | 4R | 4R | QF | 4R | 1R | 3R | 1 / 14 | 40–13 | 75.47 |
| Wimbledon | A | 2R | 3R | A | 1R | A | A | A | 3R | A | 2R | A | A | 1R | 0 / 6 | 6–6 | 50.00 |
| US Open | A | 1R | 4R | 4R | 4R | 4R | QF | A | QF | 3R | A | 2R | QF | 2R | 0 / 11 | 28–11 | 71.79 |
| Win–loss | 0–1 | 3–4 | 6–3 | 6–3 | 7–3 | 7–2 | 11–1 | 4–1 | 9–3 | 5–2 | 8–3 | 7–3 | 4–3 | 8–4 | 1 / 37 | 85–36 | 70.25 |
| Year-end ranking | 305 | 49 | 26 | 18 | 13 | 10 | 5 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 40 |
Grand Slam finals
Singles: 1 (1–0)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1983 | French Open | Clay | Sweden Mats Wilander | 6–2, 7–5, 7–6(7–3) |
Doubles: 3 (1–2)
| Result | Year | Championship | Surface | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Win | 1984 | French Open | Clay | France Henri Leconte | Czechoslovakia Pavel Složil Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd | 6–4, 2–6, 3–6, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 1985 | US Open | Hard | France Henri Leconte | United States Ken Flach United States Robert Seguso | 7–6(7–5), 6–7(1–7), 6–7(6–8), 0–6 |
| Loss | 1987 | French Open | Clay | France Guy Forget | Sweden Anders Järryd United States Robert Seguso | 7–6(7–5), 7–6(7–2), 3–6, 4–6, 2–6 |
Career finals
Singles: 36 (23 titles / 13 runners-up)
| Result | W–L | Date | Tournament | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 0–1 | Apr 1978 | Nice, France | Clay | Spain José Higueras | 3–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 1–1 | Nov 1978 | Manila, Philippines | Clay | Austria Peter Feigl | 7–6, 6–0 |
| Win | 2–1 | Dec 1978 | Calcutta, India | Clay | France Pascal Portes | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 3–1 | Mar 1979 | Nancy, France | Hard (i) | France Jean-Louis Haillet | 6–2, 5–7, 6–1, 7–5 |
| Win | 4–1 | Sep 1979 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | Spain Manuel Orantes | 6–3, 6–7, 6–3, 6–2 |
| Win | 5–1 | Oct 1979 | Bordeaux, France | Clay | United States Harold Solomon | 6–0, 6–7, 6–1, 1–6, 6–4 |
| Loss | 5–2 | May 1980 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Argentina Guillermo Vilas | 0–6, 4–6, 4–6 |
| Win | 6–2 | Feb 1981 | Richmond WCT, U.S. | Carpet | Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl | 6–1, 3–1 ret. |
| Win | 7–2 | Apr 1981 | Nice, France | Clay | Bolivia Mario Martinez | 6–4, 6–2 |
| Loss | 7–3 | Jul 1981 | Gstaad, Switzerland | Clay | Poland Wojciech Fibak | 1–6, 6–7 |
| Win | 8–3 | Feb 1982 | La Quinta, U.S. | Hard | Czechoslovakia Ivan Lendl | 3–6, 6–2, 7–5 |
| Loss | 8–4 | Apr 1982 | Nice, France | Clay | Hungary Balázs Taróczy | 2–6, 6–3, 11–13 |
| Win | 9–4 | Aug 1982 | South Orange, U.S. | Clay | Mexico Raúl Ramírez | 6–3, 7–6(7–2) |
| Win | 10–4 | Oct 1982 | Basel, Switzerland | Hard (i) | Sweden Mats Wilander | 6–4, 6–2, 6–3 |
| Win | 11–4 | Dec 1982 | Toulouse, France | Hard (i) | Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd | 6–3, 6–2 |
| Loss | 11–5 | Apr 1983 | Lisbon, Portugal | Clay | Sweden Mats Wilander | 6–2, 6–7(2–7), 4–6 |
| Win | 12–5 | May 1983 | Madrid, Spain | Clay | Sweden Henrik Sundström | 3–6, 6–0, 6–2, 6–4 |
| Win | 13–5 | May 1983 | Hamburg, West Germany | Clay | Spain José Higueras | 3–6, 7–5, 6–2, 6–0 |
| Win | 14–5 | Jun 1983 | French Open, Paris | Clay | Sweden Mats Wilander | 6–2, 7–5, 7–6(7–3) |
| Loss | 14–6 | Feb 1984 | La Quinta, U.S. | Hard | United States Jimmy Connors | 2–6, 7–6(9–7), 3–6 |
| Loss | 14–7 | Feb 1985 | Memphis, U.S. | Carpet | Sweden Stefan Edberg | 1–6, 0–6 |
| Win | 15–7 | May 1985 | Rome, Italy | Clay | Czechoslovakia Miloslav Mečíř | 6–3, 3–6, 6–2, 7–6(7–4) |
| Win | 16–7 | Jul 1985 | Washington, D.C., U.S. | Clay | Argentina Martín Jaite | 6–4, 6–3 |
| Win | 17–7 | Oct 1985 | Toulouse, France | Hard (i) | Czechoslovakia Tomáš Šmíd | 6–4, 6–4 |
| Loss | 17–8 | Oct 1985 | Basel, Switzerland | Hard (i) | Sweden Stefan Edberg | 7–6(9–7), 4–6, 6–7(5–7), 1–6 |
| Loss | 17–9 | Mar 1986 | La Quinta, U.S. | Hard | Sweden Joakim Nyström | 1–6, 3–6, 2–6 |
| Loss | 17–10 | Apr 1986 | Monte Carlo, Monaco | Clay | Sweden Joakim Nyström | 3–6, 2–6 |
| Win | 18–10 | May 1986 | Forest Hills, U.S. | Clay | Argentina Guillermo Vilas | 7–6(7–3), 6–0 |
| Loss | 18–11 | Oct 1986 | Basel, Switzerland | Hard (i) | Sweden Stefan Edberg | 6–7(5–7), 2–6, 7–6(9–7), 6–7(5–7) |
| Win | 19–11 | Nov 1986 | Wembley, England | Carpet | Sweden Jonas Svensson | 6–2, 6–3, 6–7(12–14), 4–6, 7–5 |
| Win | 20–11 | Feb 1987 | Lyon, France | Carpet | Sweden Joakim Nyström | 6–4, 7–5 |
| Loss | 20–12 | May 1987 | Forest Hills, U.S. | Clay | Ecuador Andrés Gómez | 4–6, 6–7(5–7), 6–7(1–7) |
| Win | 21–12 | Oct 1987 | Basel, Switzerland | Hard (i) | Haiti Ronald Agénor | 7–6(8–6), 6–4, 6–4 |
| Win | 22–12 | Feb 1988 | Milan, Italy | Carpet | United States Jimmy Connors | 4–4, ret. |
| Loss | 22–13 | Mar 1989 | Indian Wells, U.S. | Hard | Czechoslovakia Miloslav Mečíř | 6–3, 6–2, 1–6, 2–6, 3–6 |
| Win | 23–13 | Jan 1990 | Sydney Outdoor, Australia | Hard | West Germany Carl-Uwe Steeb | 5–7, 6–3, 6–4 |
Doubles: 25 (16 titles / 9 runners-up)
Music career
After retiring from playing tennis, Noah developed a career as a popular singer, performing throughout Europe. He began his music career in 1991 with the album Black & What, featuring the popular track "Saga Africa", which he made the stadium sing with his players after the famous Davis Cup final win. In 1993, he released the album Urban Tribu with the single "Get on Back", followed by the album Zam Zam in 1998.
With the encouragement of his manager Jean-Pierre Weiller, his musical career got a great boost in 2000 with his self-titled 4th album Yannick Noah, written by Erick Benzi and Robert Goldman. The single "Simon Papa Tara" was written by Robert Goldman. The album also contained songs by Bob Marley and the group Téléphone. In 2005, Noah performed at Bob Geldof's Live 8 concert, a fundraiser aimed at alleviating poverty in Africa. On 21 July 2009, Noah made his U.S. live debut, headlining a concert in front of a packed house at the popular free outdoor performing arts festival in New York City, Central Park SummerStage. The performance was part of France's global music celebration Fête de la Musique. In 2010, Yannick made a comeback with the release of Frontières, his eighth album, containing the single "Angela", a tribute to Angela Davis. It also contained a duet with Aṣa in "Hello". On 25 September 2010, he filled the Stade de France for an exceptional concert that was attended by close to 80,000 spectators.
Charity
Noah is active in charity work. He supports Enfants de la Terre, a charity created and run by his mother, Marie-Claire, in 1988. Noah also founded Fête le Mur in 1996, a tennis charity and adaptation for underprivileged children, especially in the poor areas and the banlieues. It is presided by Noah himself. He is also a spokesman for Appel des Enfants pour l'Environnement that was started by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
He took part in singing with Les Enfoirés to help Les Restos du Cœur. He also took part in telethons and sponsored the Téléthon 2005. He also sponsors the Association Terre-des-Hommes in Massongex (Suisse) and donated proceeds of his 2008 concert of Grands Gamins, to Sol En Si, an AIDS charity.
Noah has taken a particular interest in UN-SDG6, supporting the delivery of clean water through . He has supported the cause on numerous occasions, including hosting an exhibition at his resort Village Noah in Yaoundé, Cameroon
Partly because of his involvement in a number of charities, Noah topped the list of the most favourite French personalities according to a joint survey of Ifop and Le Journal du Dimanche in 2007.
Personal life
Noah first attended school in Yaounde (Cameroon), where his parents had settled after meeting and marrying in France. He then left Cameroon to attend a sports-and-study program in France under the sponsorship of the French Tennis Federation. He dropped out of the program at age 17 to move to full time tennis schedule.
Noah's father, Zacharie Noah, was a former professional Cameroonian football star who won the French Cup with Sedan in 1961. His mother, Marie-Claire, is a teacher and a former captain of France's basketball team.
Noah has six children, of whom two are from his first marriage in 1984 to Cécilia Rodhe (Miss Sweden 1978 and now a sculptor): Joakim (born in 1985) and Yelena (born in 1986). Joakim had a 13-year career in the NBA and represented France in international competitions. Yelena is a model and jewelry creator. With his second wife in 1995, British model Heather Stewart-Whyte, he has two daughters: Elijah (1996) and Jénayé (1997). After their divorce in 1999, Noah was awarded custody of his daughters from his second marriage by British courts. Then he married French TV producer Isabelle Camus, with whom he has a son named Joalukas (born 2004). He owns a restaurant in Saint Barthélemy in the French West Indies called Do Brazil. He then met Malika, who gave birth to his sixth child, a girl named Keelaani (born October 22, 2024).
On 15 July 1996, the French fiscal authorities demanded payment of 6,807,701 francs in back taxes for 1993–1994. The Paris administrative tribunal court confirmed the decision alleging that Noah kept three non-declared bank accounts in Switzerland, the Netherlands and the United States. Noah disputed the court decision as unconstitutional.
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Charts | Notes | Sales | Certifications | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FR | BEL (Fl) | BEL (Wa) | SWI | |||||
| 1991 | Black & What | Includes Saga Africa | ||||||
| 1993 | Urban Tribu | |||||||
| 1998 | Zaam Zam | |||||||
| 2000 | Yannick Noah | 1 | – | 2 | 26 | BEL: Platinum FRA: Diamond SWI: Gold | ||
| 2002 | Yannick Noah | 16 | – | 40 | 82 | |||
| 2003 | Pokhara | 1 | – | 2 | 23 | BEL: Gold FRA: 3× Platinum SWI: Gold | ||
| 2003 | Métisse(s) | 2 | – | 4 | 28 | BEL: Gold FRA: Platinum | ||
| 2006 | Charango | 1 | – | 1 | 7 | (including single Aux arbres citoyens) | BEL: Platinum SWI: Gold | |
| 2010 | Frontières | 1 | – | 1 | 4 | France: 585,000 | BEL: Platinum FRA: Diamond | |
| 2012 | Hommage | 1 | – | 1 | 19 | France: 120,000 | FRA: Platinum | |
| 2012 | Combats ordinaires | 1 | 162 | 2 | 20 | France: 115,000 | FRA: Platinum | |
| 2019 | Bonheur indigo | 5 | – | 6 | 40 | |||
| 2022 | La marfée | – | – | 20 | 69 |
Re-releases
- 2004: Yannick Noah / Live (2 CDs – FR #134)
- 2010: Charango / Pokhara (2 Cds – FR #103)
Singles
| Year | Single | Charts | Certification | Album | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FRA | BEL (Wa) | SWI | ||||
| 1991 | "Saga Africa (ambiance secousse)" | 2 | — | — | Black & What | |
| 1991 | "Don't Stay (Far Away Baby)" | 39 | — | — | ||
| 2000 | "Simon Papa Tara" | 12 | 32 | — | Yannick Noah | |
| 2001 | "La voix des sages (No More Fighting)" | 3 | 16 | — | ||
| 2002 | "Les lionnes" | 16 | — | — | ||
| 2002 | "Jamafrica" | 52 | — | — | ||
| 2003 | "Si tu savais" | 22 | 31 | 77 | Pokhara | |
| 2004 | "Ose" | 13 | 9 | 41 | ||
| 2004 | "Mon Eldorado (du soleil...)" | 19 | 23 | 59 | ||
| 2005 | "Métis(se)" (with Disiz La Peste) | 11 | 22 | 41 | Métisse(s) | |
| 2006 | "Donne-moi une vie" | 8 | 5 | 46 | Charango | |
| 2007 | "Aux arbres citoyens" | 1 | 2 | 41 | ||
| 2007 | "Destination ailleurs" | 8 | 19 | — | ||
| 2011 | "Ça me regarde" | 80 | 34 | — | Frontières | |
| 2012 | "Redemption Song" | 48 | 33 | — | Hommage | |
| 2014 | "On court" | 47 | 42 | — | Combats ordinaires | |
| 2019 | "Viens" | — | 17 | — | Bonheur indigo | |
| 2022 | "La vie c'est maintenant" | — | 49 | — | La marfée |
External links
- at theAssociation of Tennis Professionals
- atWorld Tennis
- at theDavis Cup(archived)
- atWimbledon
- at theInternational Tennis Hall of Fame
- at theWayback Machine(archived 12 April 2006), from Radio France Internationale
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| PrecededbyAlain Giresse | French Sportsperson of the Year 1983 | SucceededbyMichel Platini |
| PrecededbySweden Mats Wilander | Stefan Edberg Sportsmanship Award 1986 | SucceededbyCzechoslovakia Miloslav Mečíř |