Henri Leconte

About

Henri is a former French professional tennis player and crowd favourite. He reached the men’s singles final at the French Open in 1988, won the French Open men’s doubles title in 1984, and helped France win the Davis Cup in 1991.

Henri Leconte first came to the tennis world’s attention as an outstanding and hugely talented junior player who won the  French Open junior title in 1981.

In 1986, he had a breakthrough year. The Frenchman reached two Grand Slam singles semi-finals at the French Open and Wimbledon, and attained his career-high singles ranking of World No. 5.

Leconte played in the Davis Cup final for the first time in 1982, when France lost 4–1 to the United States. In 1991, he was involved in the Davis Cup final for a second time and France again faced the US. This time, Leconte defeated Pete Sampras in straight sets in a critical singles rubber and also teamed-up with Guy Forget to win the doubles rubber as France won 3–1.

Henri cites winning the Davis Cup with France in 1991 as the best moment of his career. That year he had had three back operations and was in a wheelchair until a couple of weeks before the final.

Henri is one of the ATP Champions Tour’s biggest entertainers and for that reason he is a firm crowd favourite wherever he goes. His last Tour title came in Aland in 1998, but he has been a very consistent performer since joining the circuit in 1998.

In 2008, Henri had one of his best years on the ATP Champions Tour, reaching the finals of both the Tennis Classics in Budapest and of the Vivium Victory Challenge in Luxembourg.

He is now the manager of an event company (HL Event) based in Belgium and opened a tennis academy in Fès, Morocco.

In 2010, Leconte appeared on Australian television as a commentator for the 2010 Australian Open. There, he obtained a cult following as a result of a zany exhibition doubles performance, and his passionate and often parochial commentary, especially for compatriot Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, whose winning shots he routinely described as “unbelievable!”

Henri Leconte is renowned for his passionate and entertaining motivational speeches. His dynamic and effervescent personality has made him a household name and he inspires audiences with his story of triumph over adversity.