Simonne Mathieu

Playing career

Simonne Passemard was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine on 31 January 1908. She took up tennis at 12 for her health, encouraged by her brother Pierre, a player at the Stade Français, and at 17 married René Mathieu, a journalist and later editor of the tennis magazine Smash. She won the French junior title and became France's leading woman player in 1928, a position she held until 1940.

Her best results in singles came at Roland Garros, where she lost six finals before winning the title in 1938 and 1939. At Wimbledon she reached the singles semi-finals six times between 1930 and 1937 and the quarter-finals in four other years. She was ranked in the world's top ten eleven times. In doubles she won six French titles and three at Wimbledon, two with the American Elizabeth Ryan and one with Billie Yorke of Great Britain, and in 1938 she won the singles, doubles and mixed at the French Championships.

When war broke out in 1939 she was playing in the United States and returned to Europe at once. In London in 1940 she joined the Free French and, with the backing of General de Gaulle, set up and commanded the French Women's Volunteer Corps. She ended the war a captain. Afterwards she ran Smash and published annual tennis guides. She died in Paris on 7 January 1980.

On grass

Every grass title: 6

Show every title, tournament by tournament

Wimbledon
1933	Women's doubles	with Elizabeth Ryan
1934	Women's doubles	with Elizabeth Ryan
1937	Women's doubles	with Billie Yorke
Welsh Championships
1937	Women's singles†
1938	Women's singles†
1939	Women's singles†

Leading grass titles only: the grass majors, tour-level grass events since 1968 and the leading grass championships before 1968. † single source; ‡ sources disagree. Roll of champions

"I went everywhere, except to Scandinavia, the Indies and Australia. We had a great life when we were travelling; we were treated like royalty."