Stories
Biography
- Coached by Arnaud Decugis beginning in 1989...Began playing tennis at age 7...Strengths included strong serve and forehand and good mobility...Married Decugis on September 22, 1995...Decugis is a distant relative of eight-time French Nationals winner Max Decugis...Father, Jacques, is a doctor; mother, Nicole, is a housewife; has two older brothers, Sebastien, an officer in the army, and Matthieu, an engineer; both play tennis...Likes alpine skiing, trekking, mountaineering, and climbing (reached the summit of Mont Blanc, the highest in Europe at 4,807 meters), reading and listening to classical music, especially Beethoven...Also enjoys painting, and took art lessons in Paris while off the tour due to injuries; painted fellow pros and gave them the paintings as gifts; grandmother was a sculptor; also did television commentary and conducted tennis clinics while out of action...Restored an 1834 chalet in the French Alps...Favorite cuisine is French and Japanese; also enjoys dark chocolates...Was instrumental in getting Yannick Noah named as French Fed Cup captain in 1997-98.
Plays
Right-HandedCareer High
7Height
5'8'' (1.73 m)Birthday
Sep 10, 1970 September 10, 1970Birthplace
Versailles, FranceCareer Highlights
SINGLES
Winner (12): 2000 - Eastbourne, Tokyo [Japan Open]; 1999 - Auckland, Birmingham;
1998 - Rosmalen, Pattaya City; 1996 - Hobart, Paris [Indoors]; 1995 - Prague; 1994 - San Juan; 1992 -
Taranto; 1991 - San Juan.
Finalist (9): 2000 - Tokyo [Toyota]; 1999 - Bol, Berlin, Los Angeles; 1998 - Strasbourg; 1996 - Linz; 1994 - Paris [Indoors]; 1991 - Albuquerque; 1987 - Athens.
DOUBLES
Winner (15): 2000 - U.S. Open, Sydney, Miami, New Haven, Tokyo [Toyota], Moscow (all w/Sugiyama), Gold Coast (w/Kournikova), Paris [Indoors] (w/Testud), Bol (w/Morariu), Tokyo [Japan Open] (w/Morariu); 1998 - Birmingham, Pattaya City (both w/Callens); 1996 - Auckland; (w/Callens); 1994 - Los Angeles (w/Tauziat), Tokyo [Nichirei] (w/Sanchez-Vicario).
Finalist (10): 2000 - Wimbledon, Montreal (both w/Sugiyama), 1999 - Moscow (w/Huber), 1998 - Auckland, Hobart (both w/Husarova), 1997 - Tokyo [Toyota] (w/Rubin); 1996 - Paris [Indoors], Indian Wells (both w/Tauziat); 1994 - Barcelona (w/Tauziat); 1991 - Paris [Clarins]
ADDITIONAL
French Fed Cup Team 1990, 1993-96, 1998, 2000. French Olympic Team 1992, 2000.