Simonne Mathieu

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.

Simonne Mathieu
Full nameSimonne 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)

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.[1]

The winners' trophy of the women's doubles event at the French Open is named in her honour as the Coupe Simonne-Mathieu.[2]

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.[3] Mathieu was succeeded in that position by Captain Hélène Terré.[4] <For their service, each woman was named an Officer of the Legion of Honor.[5]

She was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2006.[6]

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.[7]

Grand Slam tournaments finals

Singles: 8 (2 titles, 6 runner-ups)
Result Year Championship Surface Opponent Score
Loss1929French ChampionshipsClay Helen Wills3–6, 4–6
Loss1932French ChampionshipsClay Helen Wills5–7, 1–6
Loss1933French ChampionshipsClay Margaret Scriven2–6, 6–4, 4–6
Loss1935French ChampionshipsClay Hilde Krahwinkel2–6, 1–6
Loss1936French ChampionshipsClay Hilde Krahwinkel3–6, 4–6
Loss1937French ChampionshipsClay Hilde Krahwinkel2–6, 4–6
Win1938French ChampionshipsClay Nelly Landry6–0, 6–3
Win1939French ChampionshipsClay Jadwiga Jędrzejowska6–3, 8–6

Doubles: 13 (9 titles, 4 runner-ups)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Loss1930French ChampionshipsClay Simone Barbier Elizabeth Ryan
Helen Wills		3–6, 1–6
Win1933French ChampionshipsClay Elizabeth Ryan Sylvie Jung Henrotin
Colette Rosambert		6–1, 6–3
Win1933Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrass Elizabeth Ryan Freda James
Billie Yorke		6–2, 9–11, 6–4
Win1934French ChampionshipsClay Elizabeth Ryan Helen Jacobs
Sarah Palfrey		3–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win1934Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrass Elizabeth Ryan Dorothy Andrus
Sylvie Jung Henrotin		6–3, 6–3
Loss1935Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrass Hilde Krahwinkel Freda James
Kay Stammers		1–6, 4–6
Win1936French ChampionshipsClay Billie Yorke Jadwiga Jędrzejowska
Susan Noel		2–6, 6–4, 6–4
Win1937French ChampionshipsClay Billie Yorke Dorothy Andrus
Sylvie Jung Henrotin		3–6, 6–2, 6–2
Win1937Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrass Billie Yorke Phyllis King
Elsie Goldsack		6–3, 6–3
Win1938French ChampionshipsClay Billie Yorke Nelly Adamson
Arlette Halff		6–3, 6–3
Loss1938Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrass Billie Yorke Sarah Palfrey
Alice Marble		2–6, 3–6
Loss1938US ChampionshipsGrass Jadwiga Jędrzejowska Sarah Palfrey
Alice Marble		8–6, 4–6, 3–6
Win1939French ChampionshipsClay Jadwiga Jędrzejowska Alice Florian
Hella Kovac		7–5, 7–5

Mixed doubles: 4 (2 titles, 2 runner-ups)
Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win1937French ChampionshipsClay Yvon Petra Marie-Luise Horn
Roland Journu		7–5, 7–5
Loss1937Wimbledon ChampionshipsGrass Yvon Petra Alice Marble
Don Budge		1–6, 4–6
Win1938French ChampionshipsClay Dragutin Mitić Nancye Wynne Bolton
Christian Boussus		2–6, 6–3, 6–4
Loss1939French ChampionshipsClay Franjo Kukuljević Sarah Palfrey
Elwood Cooke		6–4, 1–6, 5–7

Grand Slam singles performance timeline
Key
W  F  SF QF #R RR Q# A NH
(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)
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.
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
  1. 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.
  2. "An A to Z of Roland Garros". www.rolandgarros.com. Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT). Archived from the original on 2 April 2015.
  3. Hammerton, John (editor) (10 April 1941). "Free French 'A.T.S.'". The War Illustrated. London: William Berry (Volume 4, issue no. 84): 384. Retrieved 19 October 2008.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  4. "» Les volontaires féminines de la France Libre" (in French). Retrieved 12 February 2020.
  5. Franck Lehodey (December 2011 – January 2011). "Simonne Mathieu, libre arbitre" (pdf). Tennis Info (in French) (428): 24. ISSN 0221-8127.
  6. "Hall of Famers – Simonne Mathieu". International Tennis Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on 13 August 2010.
  7. "Simonne Mathieu, more than just a tennis great". www.rolandgarros.com. Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT). 23 November 2017.
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