Yannick Noah

Published : Jun 07, 2003 00:00 IST

YANNICK NOAH says there will be no celebration to mark the 20th anniversary of his French Open title — and he does not expect a new French winner either.

Noah, who beat Swede Mats Wilander in 1983, is the last home winner of the men's title. Only Henri Leconte has come close since when he reached the final in 1988.

Far from being upset at what some might think of a lack of respect, however, Noah is not losing any sleep about it. "Nothing will happen," he said in an interview. "It sounds incredible but it's true. But you know I don't care about my own birthday so the 20th anniversary of my victory, I couldn't care less.

"I won Roland Garros in 1983. Most people my age know it. But the kids don't care. Nothing was done for my 10 years (anniversary) so I can't see why they should do anything about my 20 years."

Noah, now a successful musician, said a proposed concert on the Suzanne Lenglen Court had been scrapped by the French Federation because of fears over noise but T-shirts will be sold in aid of his Children of the Earth association.

The extrovert Noah says he does not watch much tennis these days, blaming the draconian rules that were unheard of in the days of the ranting John McEnroe and the cheeky Jimmy Connors, to mention just a few.

"They should give up the code of conduct. That's the worst thing that happened to tennis," said Noah. "You should be allowed to scream and break your racket. To me, that's what tennis needs. I heard that players nowadays have no personality. I don't think so. They have as much personality as players in the 80s. They play much better than we did and nobody knows who they are. It's frustrating for the spectator I am now." Noah says he likes the look of 16-year-old home hope Richard Gasquet, although he says none of the French players have the staying power to win this year's title.

"Most of them are players with limited physical potential who give it their best shot. They cannot be at their best all the time," he said. "If Gasquet can make it into the top 10, he will have had a great career though."

More stories from this issue

Sign in to unlock all user benefits
  • Get notified on top games and events
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign up / manage to our newsletters with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early bird access to discounts & offers to our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide to our community guidelines for posting your comment