TennisWorthy: Yannick Noah Turns A Lonely Sport Into A Community

It’s one thing to excel on your own. But a different kind of approach is needed to harness the disparate talents of others and bring out their collective best. In tennis, most players are independent and guarded. To excel on those rare occasions when they join forces, they need a push from someone they trust.

Yannick Noah has shown he has what it takes, both solo and as a leader.

The winner of 23 singles titles with a career-high ranking of No. 3 in the world, the Hall of Famer has also been the captain of his country’s Davis Cup squad on three separate occasions over the last quarter-century. He has led the team to victory all three times, lifting the trophy for tennis’ premier international team competition for men in 1991, 1996 and 2017. He also captained the French Fed Cup team in 1997, bringing the country its first-ever win in the leading international team event for women.

“Although you try to be as good as you can,” said Noah, “it doesn’t matter how good you are, it’s about sharing.” Outside of doubles play, teamwork in tennis is rare. Noah’s perseverance, passion and grace have made him the sport’s ultimate community builder.

The key to Noah’s success in working with others is not so much his technical knowledge of forehands and backhands, but his understanding of the emotions of the game.

One evening in the 1990s, prior to playing a pair of matches versus John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, Noah expressed a rare view of competition.

“We all love each other,” said Noah. “We don’t admit it, not Jimmy, not John, but it’s true, it is a fact.”

It was this spirit of camaraderie that perhaps led him to 16 doubles titles, including nine with his countryman Guy Forget and three – including the 1984 French Open – with another compatriot, Henri Leconte. And it’s of little surprise that he received the ATP Sportsmanship Award in 1986.

Even with his success as a solo athlete, Noah’s finest moments as a player came when he saw himself as part of something much bigger like the greater glory of a French victory. In 1982, Noah was the driver behind France reaching the Davis Cup finals for the first time since 1933. To get that far, the team had to win nine matches; Noah was on the court for seven of them.

It was also on his home country’s soil where Noah earned his one Grand Slam singles title. At the 1983 French Open, Noah’s focus was superb. Never was this more apparent than in the finals. Up against defending champion Mats Wilander, Noah thoroughly committed himself to charging the net. Winning the first two sets, Noah began to wilt in the third, but he continued to attack, taking that final set in a tiebreaker. He immediately rushed into the arms of his father, Zacharie.

““I am doubly happy because I did not win this alone,” he said that day. “It was with my family, my friends and the French Federation. It is our victory.”

Noah’s capacity for collaboration with his countrymen made him a natural team leader. When he took the reins as captain in 1991, it had been 59 years since France had won the Davis Cup. The opposition in the finals was imposing: an American team with all-time greats as its two singles players: Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi. France pinned its singles hopes on a pair of left-handers, Forget and Leconte.

But as all would acknowledge later, the X factor in this was Noah. Greatly inspired by Noah’s passion and belief, Leconte and Forget each earned wins over Sampras, with Forget’s victory the clincher.

“Yannick gave me this will to exceed, this taste for risking things, for going beyond my capabilities,” said Forget.

Once it was over, a jubilant Noah led a conga line, dancing across the court in communal celebration.

“If Noah and company were to have this scene bottled,” read the New York Times report of the French win, “in the best of local traditions, the essence of the moment would probably be labeled the French Tennis Federation’s version of ‘Ode to Joy.’”

Five years later, Noah returned to the captaincy with France, earning a Davis Cup finals victory over Sweden. In the wake of that triumph, Noah still thought of others, literally elevating one of his competitors.

One of Sweden’s players was the former world number one, Stefan Edberg, who was playing the last tennis of his distinguished career that weekend. Seeking out Edberg once the final had ended, Noah hoisted him upon his shoulders, celebrating his longstanding rival’s brilliance, took Edberg on a lap of honor around the court.

In the years that followed, Noah continued to coach others to be their best, from Sandrine Testud in France’s 1997 Fed Cup victory (“He always believed in me”) to Lucas Pouille in 2017, giving France its first Davis Cup win since 2001.

And now, in 2018, Noah has once again led France to the finals – and the opportunity to win the Cup two straight years for the first time since 1932. With his announcement that he will step down after this weekend, he cements his legacy as a leader.

As a player, he has built a reputation as a compelling presence. As a coach, he has channeled his wisdom and passion as well as insight and intensity to propel the members of his team to victories.

“The important thing,” he once said, “is staying together if you want to do something special.”

All you need is a push from someone you trust.

By Joel Drucker, ITHF Historian-At-Large