Jean Borotra

Jean Laurent Robert Borotra (French pronunciation: ​[ʒɑ̃ ʁɔbɛʁ bɔ.ʁotʁa], Basque pronunciation: [borotɾa]; 13 August 1898 – 17 July 1994) was a French tennis champion. He was one of the famous "Four Musketeers" from his country who dominated tennis in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Borotra was imprisoned in Itter Castle during the latter years of World War II and subsequently fought in the Battle for Castle Itter.

Jean Borotra

Jean Borotra in 1931
Full name	Jean Laurent Robert Borotra
Country (sports)	France
Born	(1898-08-13)13 August 1898 Biarritz, France
Died	17 July 1994(1994-07-17) (aged 95) Arbonne, France
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Turned pro	1920 (amateur tour)
Retired	1956
Plays	Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Int. Tennis HoF	1976 (member page)
Singles
Career record	654-127 (83.7%) [1]
Career titles	69 [2]
Highest ranking	No. 2 (1926, A. Wallis Myers)[3]
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open	W (1928)
French Open	W (1931)
Wimbledon	W (1924, 1926)
US Open	F (1926)
Other tournaments
WHCC	SF (1922)
WCCC	F (1922)
Olympic Games	SF – 4th (1924)
Doubles
Career record	0–1
Highest ranking	No. 1 (1925)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open	W (1928)
French Open	W (1925, 1928, 1929, 1934, 1936)
Wimbledon	W (1925, 1932, 1933)
Other doubles tournaments
WHCC	W (1922)
WCCC	W (1922)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam Mixed Doubles results
Australian Open	W (1928)
French Open	W (1927, 1934)
Wimbledon	W (1925)
US Open	W (1926)
Team competitions
Davis Cup	W (1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1932)
Medal record Olympic Games 1924 Paris Doubles

Career

Borotra was born in Domaine du Pouy, Biarritz, Aquitaine, the oldest of four children.[4]

Known as "the Bounding Basque", he won four Grand Slam singles titles in the French, Australian, and All England championships. The 1924 French Championship does not count towards his grand slam total as the French was only open to French nationals and members of French clubs. He only failed to win the U.S. Championships, as he was defeated in the final by his countryman René Lacoste in straight sets, thus missing a career Grand Slam. His 1924 Wimbledon victory made him the first player from outside the English-speaking world to win the tournament. His first appearance was in the French Davis Cup team of 1921. He also made the final of the World Covered Court Championships in 1922, losing to Henri Cochet, but won the doubles and mixed doubles. The other major he did well in was the World Hard Court Championships (played on clay) – he won the doubles with Henri Cochet there in 1922.

Borotra was ranked as high as World No. 2 by A. Wallis Myers of The Daily Telegraph in 1926.[3] Borotra won his last major in 1936 when he teamed up with Marcel Bernard for the French Championship doubles at Roland Garros.

In 1974, Borotra was one of the last three people to be awarded the IOC's Olympic Diploma of Merit.[5][6] And in 1976, he along with the three other Musketeers were inducted simultaneously into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island. In 1984, Borotra received a Distinguished Service award from the United States Sports Academy in recognition of his achievements. As the oldest living gentleman's singles champion, Borotra was invited to present the singles champion his trophy at the 100th Wimbledon Championship in 1986.

On 17 July 1994, Borotra, founder and president of honour of the CIFP (International Committee for Fair Play) died at the age of 95, after a short illness. He was buried at Arbonne.[7]

The International Fair Play Committee, which recognises achievements annually, awards a Jean Borotra World Fair Play Trophy.

In 1998, the International Club (IC) introduced the Jean Borotra Sportsmanship Award, to recognise tennis players deemed to have shown outstanding sportsmanship throughout their career.

Personal life

In 1938 Borotra married Mabel de Forest and they had one son.[8] The couple divorced in 1947. In 1988 he married Janine Bourdin.[9]

A member of François de la Rocque's Parti social français (PSF), he became 1st General Commissioner for Education and Sports from August 1940 to April 1942 during Vichy France, leading the Révolution nationale's efforts in sports policy.[10]

Arrested by the Gestapo in November 1942, Borotra was deported to a concentration camp in Germany and then Itter Castle in North Tyrol until May 1945. He was freed from the castle after the Battle for Castle Itter, in which he played a courageous role by vaulting from the fortress and running to a nearby town to summon reinforcements.[11]

Grand Slam finals

Borotra at the 1924 French Championships.

Singles: 10 (4 titles, 6 runners-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1924	Wimbledon	Grass	René Lacoste	6–1, 3–6, 6–1, 3–6, 6–4
Loss	1925	French Championships	Clay	René Lacoste	5–7, 1–6, 4–6
Loss	1925	Wimbledon	Grass	René Lacoste	3–6, 3–6, 6–4, 6–8
Win	1926	Wimbledon	Grass	Howard Kinsey	8–6, 6–1, 6–3
Loss	1926	U.S. National Championships	Grass	René Lacoste	4–6, 0–6, 4–6
Loss	1927	Wimbledon	Grass	Henri Cochet	6–4, 6–4, 3–6, 4–6, 5–7
Win	1928	Australian Championships	Grass	Jack Cummings	6–4, 6–1, 4–6, 5–7, 6–3
Loss	1929	French Championships	Clay	René Lacoste	3–6, 6–2, 0–6, 6–2, 6–8
Loss	1929	Wimbledon	Grass	Henri Cochet	4–6, 3–6, 4–6
Win	1931	French Championships	Clay	Christian Boussus	2–6, 6–4, 7–5, 6–4

Doubles: 12 (9 titles – 3 runners-up)

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1925	French Championships	Clay	René Lacoste	Henri Cochet Jacques Brugnon	7–5, 4–6, 6–3, 2–6, 6–3
Win	1925	Wimbledon	Grass	René Lacoste	John Hennesey Raymond Casey	6–4, 11–9, 4–6, 1–6, 6–3
Win	1928	Australian Championships	Grass	Jacques Brugnon	Gar Moon Jim Willard	6–2, 4–6, 6–4, 6–4
Loss	1927	French Championships	Clay	René Lacoste	Henri Cochet Jacques Brugnon	6–2, 2–6, 0–6, 6–1, 4–6
Win	1928	French Championships	Clay	Jacques Brugnon	Henri Cochet René de Buzelet	6–4, 3–6, 6–2, 3–6, 6–4
Win	1929	French Championships	Clay	René Lacoste	Henri Cochet Jacques Brugnon	6–3, 3–6, 6–3, 3–6, 8–6
Win	1932	Wimbledon	Grass	Jacques Brugnon	Pat Hughes Fred Perry	6–0, 4–6, 3–6, 7–5, 7–5
Win	1933	Wimbledon	Grass	Jacques Brugnon	Ryosuki Nunoi Jiro Satoh	4–6, 6–3, 6–3, 7–5
Win	1934	French Championships	Clay	Jacques Brugnon	Jack Crawford Vivian McGrath	11–9, 6–3, 2–6, 4–6, 9–7
Loss	1934	Wimbledon	Grass	Jacques Brugnon	George Lott Lester Stoefen	2–6, 3–6, 4–6
Win	1936	French Championships	Clay	Marcel Bernard	Pat Hughes Charles Tuckey	6–2, 3–6, 9–7, 6–1
Loss	1939	French Championships	Clay	Jacques Brugnon	Don McNeill Charles Harris	6–4, 4–6, 0–6, 6–2, 8–10

Mixed doubles: 5 titles

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1925	Wimbledon	Grass	Suzanne Lenglen	Elizabeth Ryan Uberto de Morpurgo	6–3, 6–3
Win	1926	U.S. National Championships	Grass	Elizabeth Ryan	Hazel Hotchkiss René Lacoste	6–4, 7–5
Win	1927	French Championships	Clay	Marguerite Broquedis	Lilí Álvarez Bill Tilden	6–4, 2–6, 6–2
Win	1928	Australian Championships	Grass	Daphne Akhurst	Esna Boyd Jack Hawkes	default
Win	1934	French Championships	Clay	Colette Rosambert	Elizabeth Ryan Adrian Quist	6–2, 6–4

Performance timeline

Key

W

F

SF

QF

#R

RR

Q#

A

NH

(W) Won; (F) finalist; (SF) semifinalist; (QF) quarterfinalist; (#R) rounds 4, 3, 2, 1; (RR) round-robin stage; (Q#) qualification round; (A) absent; (NH) not held. SR=strike rate (events won/competed)

(OF) only for French club members

	1922	1923	1924	1925	1926	1927	1928	1929	1930	1931	1932	1933	1934	1935	1936	SR	W–L	Win %
Grand Slam tournaments																4 / 26	103–22	82.4
Australian	A	A	A	A	A	A	W	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	A	1 / 1	6–0	100
French	OF			F	SF	4R	SF	F	SF	W	A	A	A	A	A	1 / 7	29–6	82.9
Wimbledon	3R	4R	W	F	W	F	QF	F	SF	SF	4R	A	A	2R	A	2 / 12	55–10	84.6
U.S.	A	A	3R	1R	F	QF	3R	A	1R	A	A	A	A	A	A	0 / 6	13–6	68.4
Win–Loss	2–1	3–1	9–1	13–3	16–2	11–3	14–3	11–2	9–3	11–1	3–1			1–1
National representation
Olympics	NH		SF	Not held												0 / 1	5–2	71.4

References

1. "Borotra, Jean: Career Match Records Main Tournaments". thetennisebase.com. The Tennisbase. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
2. "Borotra, Jean: Career Match Records Main Tournaments". thetennisebase.com. The Tennisbase. Retrieved 17 September 2016.
3. United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 424.
4. Adam Doster (14 June 2012). "Jean Borotra, The Most Interesting Man In Tennis, Won 19 Grand Slams And Escaped A Nazi Prison". Deadspin.
5. Olympic Review, Issues 89-96. International Olympic Committee. 1975. p. 162.
6. Olympic Charter 1983. Comite International Olympique. 1983. pp. 142–143.
7. Christopher Clarey (18 July 1994). "Jean Borotra Is Dead at 95; One of Tennis's '4 Musketeers'". The New York Times.
8. "Borotra married". The Sydney Morning Herald (31, 065). New South Wales, Australia. 27 July 1937. p. 11 – via National Library of Australia.
9. Laurie Pignon (17 July 1994). "Obituary: Jean Borotra". Independent.
10. Atkin, Nicholas (2014). The French at War: 1934-1944. Abingdon: Routledge. p. 45. ISBN 978-0582368996.
11. Mayer, John G. (26 May 1945). "12th Men Free French Big-Wigs". Hellcat News. 12th Armored Division.

External links

• Jean Borotra at the International Tennis Hall of Fame
• Jean Borotra at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Jean Borotra at the International Tennis Federation
• Jean Borotra at the Davis Cup
• Jean Borotra at the International Olympic Committee
• Jean Borotra at Olympedia
• Jean Borotra at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)