Simonne Mathieu
Full nameSimonne Emma Henriette Passemard-Mathieu
Country (sports) France
Born(1908-01-31)31 January 1908
Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Died7 January 1980(1980-01-07) (aged 71)
Chatou, France
PlaysRight–handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF2006 (member page)
Singles
Highest rankingNo. 3 (1932, A. Wallis Myers)
Grand Slam singles results
French OpenW (1938, 1939)
WimbledonSF (1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1936, 1937)
US OpenQF (1938)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
French OpenW (1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939)
WimbledonW (1933, 1934, 1937)
US OpenF (1938)
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French OpenW (1937, 1938)
WimbledonF (1937)

Simonne Mathieu (French pronunciation: [simɔn matjø] née Passemard; spelled "Simone" in many sources)[1] (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.

During World War II, she created and led the Corps of French Volunteers in the Free French Forces, the first female unit in the military history of France.

Tennis career

Mathieu is best remembered for winning two major singles titles 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.

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 21 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 10 from 1929 through 1939 (no rankings were issued from 1940 through 1945), reaching a career high of world No. 3 in 1932.[2]

The winners' trophy of the women's doubles event at the French Open is named in her honour as the Coupe Simonne-Mathieu.[3]

World War II

During World War II, Captain Mathieu was founder of the Corps Féminin Français, the women's volunteer branch of the Free French Forces, similar to the British Auxiliary Territorial Service.[4] Mathieu was succeeded in that position by Captain Hélène Terré.[5] For their service, each woman was named an Officer of the Legion of Honor.[6]

Honours

She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006.[7]

In November 2017, the French Tennis Federation (FFT) announced that the third show-court at Roland Garros will be named Court Simonne-Mathieu in her honor.[8]

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 8 (2 titles, 6 runner-ups)

Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss1929French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Helen Wills3–6, 4–6
Loss1932French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Helen Wills5–7, 1–6
Loss1933French ChampionshipsClayUnited Kingdom Margaret Scriven2–6, 6–4, 4–6
Loss1935French ChampionshipsClayNazi Germany Hilde Krahwinkel2–6, 1–6
Loss1936French ChampionshipsClayNazi Germany Hilde Krahwinkel3–6, 4–6
Loss1937French ChampionshipsClayNazi Germany Hilde Krahwinkel2–6, 4–6
Win1938French ChampionshipsClayFrance Nelly Landry6–0, 6–3
Win1939French ChampionshipsClaySecond Polish Republic Jadwiga Jędrzejowska6–3, 8–6

Doubles: 13 (9 titles, 4 runner-ups)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1930French ChampionshipsClayFrance Simone BarbierUnited States Elizabeth Ryan
United States Helen Wills
3–6, 1–6
Win1933French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Elizabeth RyanFrance Sylvie Jung Henrotin
France Colette Rosambert
6–1, 6–3
Win1933Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Elizabeth RyanUnited Kingdom Freda James
United Kingdom Billie Yorke
6–2, 9–11, 6–4
Win1934French ChampionshipsClayUnited States Elizabeth RyanUnited States Helen Jacobs
United States Sarah Palfrey
3–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win1934Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassUnited States Elizabeth RyanUnited States Dorothy Andrus
France Sylvie Jung Henrotin
6–3, 6–3
Loss1935Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassGermany Hilde KrahwinkelUnited Kingdom Freda James
United Kingdom Kay Stammers
1–6, 4–6
Win1936French ChampionshipsClayUnited Kingdom Billie YorkePoland Jadwiga Jędrzejowska
United Kingdom Susan Noel
2–6, 6–4, 6–4
Win1937French ChampionshipsClayUnited Kingdom Billie YorkeUnited States Dorothy Andrus
France Sylvie Jung Henrotin
3–6, 6–2, 6–2
Win1937Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassUnited Kingdom Billie YorkeUnited Kingdom Phyllis King
United Kingdom Elsie Goldsack
6–3, 6–3
Win1938French ChampionshipsClayUnited Kingdom Billie YorkeFrance Nelly Adamson
France Arlette Halff
6–3, 6–3
Loss1938Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassUnited Kingdom Billie YorkeUnited States Sarah Palfrey
United States Alice Marble
2–6, 3–6
Loss1938US ChampionshipsGrassPoland Jadwiga JędrzejowskaUnited States Sarah Palfrey
United States Alice Marble
8–6, 4–6, 3–6
Win1939French ChampionshipsClayPoland Jadwiga JędrzejowskaKingdom of Yugoslavia Alice Florian
Kingdom of Yugoslavia Hella Kovac
7–5, 7–5

Mixed doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)

Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1937French ChampionshipsClayFrance Yvon PetraGermany Marie-Luise Horn
France Roland Journu
7–5, 7–5
Loss1937Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrassFrance Yvon PetraUnited States Alice Marble
United States Don Budge
1–6, 4–6
Win1938French ChampionshipsClayKingdom of Yugoslavia Dragutin MitićAustralia Nancye Wynne Bolton
France Christian Boussus
2–6, 6–3, 6–4
Loss1939French ChampionshipsClayKingdom of Yugoslavia Franjo KukuljevićUnited States Sarah Palfrey
United States Elwood Cooke
6–4, 1–6, 5–7

Grand Slam singles performance timeline

Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# DNQ A NH
(W) winner; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (DNQ) did not qualify; (A) absent; (NH) not held; (SR) strike rate (events won / competed); (W–L) win–loss record.
Tournament19251926192719281929193019311932193319341935193619371938193919401941 – 1944194519461Career SR
Australian Open A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A A NH NH A 0 / 0
French Championships 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
US Championships 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.

1In 1946, the French Championships were held after Wimbledon.

See also

References

  1. "Who is the real Simonne? – Roland-Garros – The 2022 Roland-Garros Tournament official site". Roland Garros. 15 May 2019. Retrieved 9 March 2022.
  2. 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 978-0-942257-41-0.
  3. "An A to Z of Roland Garros". rolandgarros.com. Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT). Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
  4. Hammerton, John, ed. (10 April 1941). "Free French 'A.T.S.'". The War Illustrated. London: William Berry (Volume 4, issue no. 84): 384. Retrieved 19 October 2008.
  5. "» Les volontaires féminines de la France Libre" (in French). 2 July 2019. Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  6. Franck Lehodey (December 2010 – January 2011). "Simonne Mathieu, libre arbitre" (PDF). Tennis Info (in French) (428): 24. ISSN 0221-8127.
  7. "Hall of Famers – Simonne Mathieu". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 13 August 2010.
  8. "Simonne Mathieu, more than just a tennis great". rolandgarros.com. Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT). 23 November 2017.
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