In 1986, Bernard Hinault won his fifth Tour de France, the last coronation of a Frenchman on the Grande Boucle. If French men’s cycling suffers from a 40-year shortage, it is nevertheless surpassed by another sport: tennis. On June 5, 1983, Yannick Noah achieved the feat of winning Roland-Garros. The public did not yet know it, but this success was going to be the last of a Frenchman in the Grand Slam for several decades. However, France has never lacked talent, quite the contrary. Jo Wilfried Tsonga, Gaël Monfils, Richard Gasquet: three players who perfectly represent a generation full of talent, but which has never managed to break the glass ceiling.
43 years of famine: a legacy (too) heavy to bear?
In an interview given to FigaroYannick Noah spoke about the wait and the pressure weighing on the French shoulders at Roland-Garros: “Today, there are Sinner and Alcaraz, so to win a Grand Slam, it’s very hard… reconnaît Yannick Noah, “if at the end of his career, he was 4th in the world but never won a Grand Slam, it’s still a damn career.â€
According to him, the French mentality is also responsible for the players’ performances: “I think it’s a little unfair for a kid to arrive in France each time and we say: “But when does he win… We are all more or less responsible… he concludes.
Yannick Noah, who is now injured and practices para-tennis, praises the serenity of Carlos Alcaraz. A climate of trust that he finds pleasant and necessary: “A player who is good is a guy who is light… he explains, “I had the chance to spend time with Alcaraz, with him there is a kind of serenity. If you win, that’s good, but if you don’t win, we’re behind.â€
A different tournament: “Today is so different…
In 43 years, Roland-Garros has changed a lot: “It’s the modern Roland, with incredible improvements. The Central is a cathedral, it’s sublime. But it’s not my court anymore. He no longer has anything to do with the one I knew. But it’s time that passes, it’s very good… greets Yannick Noah. The 66-year-old tennis player remembers: “When I won Roland, my number was in the directory. Today, it’s something so different, the networks, all that. We have to manage that.â€
With the Internet, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), this “pressure” is further accentuated: “How do you live when you’re insulted by hundreds of thousands of people? How do you do it? Can you imagine your boyfriend or your kid that you have to throw in there… asks Yannick Noah.
Despite the differences between generations, Yannick Noah gets along well with “the young people” of French sport: “I’m a bit like their uncle, because they can’t call me grandpa yet.â€
