Yvon Petra (; 8 March 1916 – 12 September 1984) was a French male

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball cov ...

player. He was born in Cholon, French Indochina. Petra is best remembered as the last Frenchman to win the

Wimbledon Championships The Wimbledon Championships, commonly known simply as Wimbledon, is the oldest tennis tournament in the world and is widely regarded as the most prestigious. It has been held at the All England Club in Wimbledon, London, since 1877 and is pla ...

men's singles title (in 1946), beating Geoff Brown in five sets in the final. In doubles, he won the French Championships twice, in 1938 with

Bernard Destremau Bernard Destremau (; 11 February 1917 – 6 June 2002) was a French tennis player, tank officer, diplomat and politician. Biography Born in Paris into a military family, the third son of a WW I cavalry general, his success in accommodating comp ...

, defeating the best pair in the world Budge-

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, and in 1946 with

Marcel Bernard Marcel Bernard (; 18 May 1914 – 29 April 1994) was a French tennis player. He is best remembered for having won the French Championships in 1946 (reaching the semifinals a further three times). Bernard initially intended to play only in the do ...

. In 1938, he won the singles and doubles title at the French Covered Court Championships. He was a

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of ...

in World War II and after his release won three

Tournoi de France The ''Tournoi de France'' ( French, 'Tournament of France') was a friendly international football tournament organised by the French Football Federation (FFF) that was held in France. There have been two tournaments: the first in February 1988 a ...

singles titles from 1943 through 1945. He emigrated to the United States and worked as a tennis pro at the Saddle and Cycle Club in Chicago and a country club in Connecticut towards the end of his life. Petra was ranked world No. 4 for 1946 by

A. Wallis Myers Arthur Wallis Myers (24 July 1878 – 17 June 1939) was an English tennis correspondent, editor, author and player. He was one of the leading tennis journalists of the first half of the 20th century. Family life Myers was son of the Rev. John ...

and world No. 8 for 1947 by

Harry Hopman Henry Christian Hopman CBE (12 August 1906 – 27 December 1985) was an Australian tennis player and coach. Early life Harry Hopman was born on 12 August 1906 in Glebe, Sydney as the third child of John Henry Hopman, a schoolteacher, and Jen ...

."World's Best 10 in Tennis"
''The Courier-Mail'', 3 February 1947. He was the last man to wear long trousers in a Wimbledon final and was the last Frenchman to win the singles title. Petra joined the tour of professional players in 1948. He was inducted into

International Tennis Hall of Fame The International Tennis Hall of Fame is located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It honors both players and other contributors to the sport of tennis. The complex, the former Newport Casino, includes a museum, grass tennis courts, an indo ...

in 2016.

Grand Slam finals

Singles: 1 (1 title)

Doubles: 2 (2 titles)

Mixed doubles: 3 (1 title, 2 runner-ups)

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Petra, Yvon 1916 births 1984 deaths French male tennis players French people of Vietnamese descent Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's singles Grand Slam (tennis) champions in mixed doubles Grand Slam (tennis) champions in men's doubles Professional tennis players before the Open Era International Tennis Hall of Fame inductees French Championships (tennis) champions Wimbledon champions (pre-Open Era) French prisoners of war in World War II