Yannick Noah: the darling of the French turns 60
Yannick Noah is one of the great favorites of the French. Today the former tennis professional and today's musician turns 60.
by SID
last edit: May 17, 2020, 02:11 pm
Yannick Noah recently rummaged through his old belongings. The corona pandemic also forced the French darling to stay at home. So the former tennis star opened old boxes - and came across some "pearls".
"I clean up, I clean, I rediscover things," wrote Noah on Instagram, the social network, where he sometimes shows himself with a pillow in front of his body.
Now Noah presented no funny snapshots from the Corona period, but the results of his browsing. Shortly before his 60th birthday, he showed some almost 37-year-old fan letters. With sometimes bizarre content. He had received it after his great moment, which happened on June 5, 1983.
Noah and Roland Garros: "Knew the gardeners and their children"
Flashback: Paris, Stade Roland Garros. The man with the rasta mane has match ball. Serve through the middle, Mats Wilander's return flies out. Noah slumps on his knees, for the first time since Marcel Bernard in 1946, a Frenchman triumphed at the Grand Slam tournament at home. "I was at home. I lived in this stadium, I knew the gardeners, their children," Noah recently told Le Matin about his great emotions.
Noah played and laughed at the heart of tennis fans worldwide. Many liked his carefree, happy, unconventional demeanor - but there were also things to be criticized. At least that's how the author of one of the letters Noah found in April 2020, while rummaging alongside others. Addressed to his mother.
She should tell her son to appear "more representative of the French", that is, to adapt his haircut. Not so many strands should hang on the face: "That would make it cleaner, and that would also be more comfortable in the competition."
"More concerts than tennis matches played"
Noah, who had a happy childhood in Cameroon, kept his wild mane. And he remained successful with 23 tournament victories even after the end of his sports career. In 1991 he started a career as a singer. "I've played more concerts than tennis matches," said the father of five children, including NBA professional Joakim Noah, recently. Several of his albums reached platinum status.
The member of the Hall of Fame has also remained loyal to tennis. He added two titles as captain of the French Davis Cup team in 1991 and 1996 in 2017. Noah is an idol for the French, mistakes made like a tax offense in the 90s forgave him.
A sporty successor is not yet in sight. Gael Monfils (33) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (35) had trusted experts a lot, now they are already in their advanced professional age. After all, Noah's anecdotes sweeten the wait of the Grande Nation for the next great champion.