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Yvon Petra

1916 – 1984

French tennis player

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About Yvon Petra

Lived 1916 – 1984 (aged 68). Yvon Petra was a French tennis player.

Yvon Petra (; 8 March 1916 – 12 September 1984) was a French male tennis player. He was born in Cholon, French Indochina.

Petra is best remembered as the last Frenchman to win the Wimbledon Championships 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, defeating the best pair in the world Budge-Mako, and in 1946 with Marcel Bernard. In 1938, he won the singles and doubles title at the French Covered Court Championships. He was a prisoner of war in World War II and after his release won three Tournoi de France 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 and world No. 8 for 1947 by Harry Hopman. 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 in 2016.

Grand Slam finals Singles: 1 (1 title) ResultYearChampionshipSurfaceOpponentScoreWin 1946 Wimbledon Grass Geoff Brown 6–2, 6–4, 7–9, 5–7, 6–2

Doubles: 2 (2 titles) ResultYearChampionshipSurfacePartnerOpponentsScoreWin 1938 French Championships Clay Bernard Destremau Don Budge Gene Mako 3–6, 6–3, 9–7, 6–1Win 1946 French Championships Clay Marcel Bernard Enrique Morea Pancho Segura 7–5, 6–3, 0–6, 1–6, 10–8

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

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Awards
International Tennis Hall of Fame

People in Yvon Petra's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Yvon Petra's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Yvon Petra?

French tennis player (1916–1984)

When was Yvon Petra born?

Yvon Petra was born on 8 March 1916 in Cholon.

When did Yvon Petra die?

Yvon Petra died on 12 September 1984 in Paris, Saint-Germain-en-Laye.

What was Yvon Petra's occupation?

Yvon Petra was a tennis player.

What nationality was Yvon Petra?

Yvon Petra was French.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Yvon Petra

· Wikidata: Q957935

· DBpedia: Yvon Petra

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Yvon Petra. https://biography.guide/yvon-petra/

MLA: "Yvon Petra." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/yvon-petra/.

Chicago: "Yvon Petra." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/yvon-petra/.

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