Simonne Mathieu
 | |
| Full name | Simonne Passemard-Mathieu |
|---|---|
| Country (sports) |
 France |
| Born |
31 January 1908 Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France |
| Died | 7 January 1980 (aged 71) |
| Plays | Right–handed |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2006 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Highest ranking | No. 3 (1932, A. Wallis Myers) |
| Grand Slam Singles results | |
| French Open | W (1938, 1939) |
| Wimbledon | SF (1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1936, 1937) |
| Doubles | |
| Grand Slam Doubles results | |
| Wimbledon | W (1933, 1934, 1937) |
| US Open | F (1938) |
| Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results | |
| French Open | W (1937, 1938) |
| Wimbledon | F (1937) |
Simonne Mathieu (French pronunciation: [simɔn matjø]; 31 January 1908 – 7 January 1980) was a female tennis player from France, born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine who was active in the 1930s. Her first name is spelled "Simone" in many sources.
Career
Mathieu is best remembered for winning the singles title at the French Championships in 1938 and 1939 and for reaching the final of that tournament an additional six times, in 1929, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1936, and 1937. In those finals, she lost three times to Hilde Krahwinkel Sperling, twice to Helen Wills Moody, and once to Margaret Scriven-Vivian.
Mathieu won 11 Grand Slam doubles championships: three women's doubles titles at Wimbledon (1933–34, 1937), six women's doubles titles at the French Championships (1933–34, 1936–39), and two mixed doubles titles at the French Championships (1937–38). She completed the rare triple at the French Championships in 1938, winning the singles, women's doubles, and mixed doubles titles.
Mathieu's 13 Grand Slam titles are second only to Suzanne Lenglen's 31 among French women.
According to A. Wallis Myers and John Olliff of The Daily Telegraph and the Daily Mail respectively, Mathieu was ranked in the world top ten from 1929 through 1939 (no rankings were issued from 1940 through 1945), reaching a career high of world No. 3 in 1932.[1]
The winners' trophy of the Women's Doubles event at the French Open is named in her honour as the Coupe Simone-Mathieu.[2]
During the Second World War, Mathieu was head of the Corps Féminin Français, the women's branch of the Free French Forces, similar to the British Auxiliary Territorial Service.[3] She received the title of Officier de la Légion d'honneur.[4]
She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006.[5]
Grand Slam tournaments finals
Singles: 8 (2 titles, 6 runners-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Surface | Opponent | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Runner-up | 1929 | French Championships | Clay | .svg.png){kind=small} Helen Wills | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 1932 | French Championships | Clay | Helen Wills | 5–7, 1–6 |
| Runner-up | 1933 | French Championships | Clay |  Margaret Scriven | 2–6, 6–4, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 1935 | French Championships | Clay | .svg.png){kind=small} Hilde Krahwinkel | 2–6, 1–6 |
| Runner-up | 1936 | French Championships | Clay | Hilde Krahwinkel | 3–6, 4–6 |
| Runner-up | 1937 | French Championships | Clay | Hilde Krahwinkel | 2–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 1938 | French Championships | Clay | Nelly Landry | 6–0, 6–3 |
| Winner | 1939 | French Championships | Clay |  Jadwiga Jędrzejowska | 6–3, 8–6 |
Doubles: 13 (9 titles, 4 runners-up)
Mixed doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runners-up)
| Outcome | Year | Championship | Partner | Opponents | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winner | 1937 | French Championships | Yvon Petra | Marie-Luise Horn Roland Journu | 7–5, 7–5 |
| Runner-up | 1937 | Wimbledon Championships | Yvon Petra | Alice Marble Don Budge | 1–6, 4–6 |
| Winner | 1938 | French Championships |  Dragutin Mitić |  Nancye Wynne Bolton Christian Boussus | 2–6, 6–3, 6–4 |
| Runner-up | 1939 | French Championships | Franjo Kukuljević | Sarah Palfrey Elwood Cooke | 6–4, 1–6, 5–7 |
Grand Slam singles tournament timeline
| W | F | SF | QF | #R | RR | Q# | A | NH |
| Tournament | 1925 | 1926 | 1927 | 1928 | 1929 | 1930 | 1931 | 1932 | 1933 | 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 – 1944 | 1945 | 19461 | Career SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | NH | NH | A | 0 / 0 |
| France | QF | QF | 3R | A | F | QF | QF | F | F | SF | F | F | F | W | W | NH | R | A | A | 2 / 14 |
| Wimbledon | A | 1R | 2R | A | 3R | SF | SF | SF | QF | SF | QF | SF | SF | QF | QF | NH | NH | NH | 1R | 0 / 14 |
| United States | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | A | QF | 1R | A | A | A | A | 0 / 2 |
| SR | 0 / 1 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 0 / 2 | 1 / 3 | 1 / 3 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 0 | 0 / 1 | 2 / 30 |
R = tournament restricted to French nationals and held under German occupation.
SR = the ratio of the number of Grand Slam singles tournaments won to the number of those tournaments played.
1In 1946, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon.
See also
References
- ↑ Collins, Bud (2008). The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book. New York, N.Y: New Chapter Press. pp. 695, 701–2. ISBN 0-942257-41-3.
- ↑ "An A to Z of Roland Garros". www.rolandgarros.com. Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT).
- ↑ Hammerton, John (editor) (10 April 1941). "Free French 'A.T.S.'". The War Illustrated. London: William Berry (Volume 4, issue no. 84): 384. Retrieved 2008-10-19.
- ↑ Franck Lehodey (December 2010 – January 2011). "Simonne Mathieu, libre arbitre" (pdf). Tennis Info (in French) (428): 24. ISSN 0221-8127.
- ↑ "Hall of Famers – Simonne Mathieu". International Tennis Hall of Fame.