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Simonne Mathieu

French tennis player (1908–1980)

Field	Value
name	Simonne Mathieu
image	Simonne Mathieu 1926.jpg
caption
fullname	Simonne Emma Henriette Passemard-Mathieu
country_represented
birth_date
birth_place	Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France
death_date
death_place	Chatou, France
plays	Right–handed (one-handed backhand)
tennishofyear	2006
tennishofid	simonne-mathieu
singlesrecord	510-94 (84.4%)
singlestitles	147
highestsinglesranking	No. 3 (1932, A. Wallis Myers)
FrenchOpenresult	W (1938, 1939)
Wimbledonresult	SF (1930, 1931, 1932, 1934, 1936, 1937)
USOpenresult	QF (1938)
FrenchOpenDoublesresult	W (1933, 1934, 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939)
WimbledonDoublesresult	W (1933, 1934, 1937)
USOpenDoublesresult	F (1938)
FrenchOpenMixedresult	W (1937, 1938)
WimbledonMixedresult	F (1937)

Simonne Mathieu ( Passemard;) (31 January 1908 – 7 January 1980) was a tennis player from France, born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, who was active in the 1930s. She won the French Championships singles title in 1938 and 1939.

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.

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

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. Mathieu was succeeded in that position by Captain Hélène Terré. For their service, each woman was named an Officer of the Legion of Honour.

Honours

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

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.

Grand Slam finals

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

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Loss	1929	French Championships	Clay	USA Helen Wills	3–6, 4–6
Loss	1932	French Championships	Clay	USA Helen Wills	5–7, 1–6
Loss	1933	French Championships	Clay	GBR Margaret Scriven	2–6, 6–4, 4–6
Loss	1935	French Championships	Clay	Nazi Germany Hilde Krahwinkel	2–6, 1–6
Loss	1936	French Championships	Clay	Nazi Germany Hilde Krahwinkel	3–6, 4–6
Loss	1937	French Championships	Clay	Nazi Germany Hilde Krahwinkel	2–6, 4–6
Win	1938	French Championships	Clay	FRA Nelly Landry	6–0, 6–3
Win	1939	French Championships	Clay	Second Polish Republic Jadwiga Jędrzejowska	6–3, 8–6

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

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents
Loss	1930	French Championships	Clay	FRA Simone Barbier	USA Elizabeth Ryan
USA Helen Wills	3–6, 1–6
Win	1933	French Championships	Clay	USA Elizabeth Ryan	FRA Sylvie Jung Henrotin
FRA Colette Rosambert	6–1, 6–3
Win	1933	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	USA Elizabeth Ryan	GBR Freda James
GBR Billie Yorke	6–2, 9–11, 6–4
Win	1934	French Championships	Clay	USA Elizabeth Ryan	USA Helen Jacobs
USA Sarah Palfrey	3–6, 6–4, 6–2
Win	1934	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	USA Elizabeth Ryan	USA Dorothy Andrus
FRA Sylvie Jung Henrotin	6–3, 6–3
Loss	1935	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	GER Hilde Krahwinkel	GBR Freda James
GBR Kay Stammers	1–6, 4–6
Win	1936	French Championships	Clay	GBR Billie Yorke	POL Jadwiga Jędrzejowska
GBR Susan Noel	2–6, 6–4, 6–4
Win	1937	French Championships	Clay	GBR Billie Yorke	USA Dorothy Andrus
FRA Sylvie Jung Henrotin	3–6, 6–2, 6–2
Win	1937	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	GBR Billie Yorke	GBR Phyllis King
GBR Elsie Goldsack	6–3, 6–3
Win	1938	French Championships	Clay	GBR Billie Yorke	FRA Nelly Adamson
FRA Arlette Halff	6–3, 6–3
Loss	1938	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	GBR Billie Yorke	USA Sarah Palfrey
USA Alice Marble	2–6, 3–6
Loss	1938	US Championships	Grass	POL Jadwiga Jędrzejowska	USA Sarah Palfrey
USA Alice Marble	8–6, 4–6, 3–6
Win	1939	French Championships	Clay	POL Jadwiga Jędrzejowska	Kingdom 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
Win	1937	French Championships	Clay	FRA Yvon Petra	GER Marie-Luise Horn
FRA Roland Journu	7–5, 7–5
Loss	1937	Wimbledon Championships	Grass	FRA Yvon Petra	USA Alice Marble
USA Don Budge	1–6, 4–6
Win	1938	French Championships	Clay	Kingdom of Yugoslavia Dragutin Mitić	AUS Nancye Wynne Bolton
FRA Christian Boussus	2–6, 6–3, 6–4
Loss	1939	French Championships	Clay	Kingdom of Yugoslavia Franjo Kukuljević	USA Sarah Palfrey
USA Elwood Cooke	6–4, 1–6, 5–7

Grand Slam singles performance timeline

Tournament	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929	1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939	1940	1941 – 1944	1945	19461	Career 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.

Notes

References

(2019-05-15). "Who is the real Simonne? – Roland-Garros – The 2022 Roland-Garros Tournament official site".
Collins, Bud. (2008). "The Bud Collins History of Tennis: An Authoritative Encyclopedia and Record Book". New Chapter Press.
"An A to Z of Roland Garros". [[Fédération Française de Tennis]] (FFT).
(10 April 1941). "Free French 'A.T.S.'". [[William Berry, 1st Viscount Camrose.
(2 July 2019). "» Les volontaires féminines de la France Libre".
(December 2010 – January 2011). "Simonne Mathieu, libre arbitre". Tennis Info.
"Hall of Famers – Simonne Mathieu". International Tennis Hall of Fame.
(23 November 2017). "Simonne Mathieu, more than just a tennis great". [[Fédération Française de Tennis]] (FFT).

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