Marcel Bernard

Marcel Bernard

Bernard in 1934
Country (sports)	France
Born	(1914-05-18)18 May 1914 La Madeleine, Nord, France
Died	29 April 1994(1994-04-29) (aged 79) Paris, France
Turned pro	1930 (amateur tour)
Retired	1956
Plays	Left-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Highest ranking	No. 5 (1946, A. Wallis Myers) [1]
Grand Slam singles results
French Open	W (1946)
Wimbledon	3R (1934, 1937)
US Open	3R (1932)
Doubles
Grand Slam doubles results
French Open	W (1936, 1946)
Wimbledon	QF (1935)
Mixed doubles
Grand Slam mixed doubles results
French Open	W (1935, 1936)
Wimbledon	4R (1937)

Marcel Bernard (French pronunciation: [maʁsɛlbɛʁnaʁ] ; 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 doubles event but was persuaded to enter the singles competition as well. ^[2] He defeated Jaroslav Drobný in the final in five sets.

In the same 1946 French Championships Bernard also won the Men's Doubles with Yvon Petra. In the 1935 French Open, he won the Mixed Doubles with Lolette Payot. In the following French Open (1936), he also won the Mixed Doubles with Billie Yorke and the Men's Doubles with Jean Borotra. Bernard's Grand Slam singles career spanned 25 years from 1931 to 1956. He played Davis Cup for France over a period spanning 21 years, from 1935 to 1956. Bernard was ranked world No. 5 for 1946 by A. Wallis Myers and world No. 9 for 1947 by Harry Hopman. ^{[1] [3]}

Bernard became president of the national French tennis association, Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT), in 1968 and held the position until 1973. ^[4] The trophy for the winners of the mixed doubles competition at the French Open is now known as the "Coupe Marcel Bernard". His name is also commemorated at the Roland-Garros Stadium by the walkway "Allée Marcel Bernard" which leads to the Suzanne Lenglen Court. ^[4]

Grand Slam finals

Singles : 1 title

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Opponent	Score
Win	1946	French Championships	Clay	Jaroslav Drobný	3–6, 2–6, 6–1, 6–4, 6–3

Doubles : 2 titles, 1 runner-up

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Loss	1932	French Championships	Clay	Christian Boussus	Jacques Brugnon Henri Cochet	4–6, 6–3, 5–7, 3–6
Win	1936	French Championships	Clay	Jean Borotra	Pat Hughes Charles Tuckey	6–2, 3–6, 9–7, 6–1
Win	1946	French Championships	Clay	Yvon Petra	Enrique Morea Pancho Segura	7–5, 6–3, 0–6, 1–6, 10–8

Mixed doubles : 2 titles

Result	Year	Championship	Surface	Partner	Opponents	Score
Win	1935	French Championships	Clay	Lolette Payot	Sylvie Jung Henrotin André Martin-Legeay	4–6, 6–2, 6–4
Win	1936	French Championships	Clay	Billie Yorke	Sylvie Jung Henrotin André Martin-Legeay	7–5, 6–8, 6–3

References

1. United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972). Official Encyclopedia of Tennis (First Edition), p. 425.
2. Collins, Bud (2016). The Bud Collins History of Tennis (3rd ed.). New York: New Chapter Press. p. 721. ISBN   978-1-937559-38-0.
3. "World's Best 10 in Tennis", The Courier-Mail, 3 February 1947.
4. Julien Pichené (29 October 2020). "Marcel Bernard : un acteur majeur du tennis français" (in French). Fédération Française de Tennis (FFT).

External links

• Marcel Bernard at the Association of Tennis Professionals
• Marcel Bernard at the International Tennis Federation
• Marcel Bernard at the Davis Cup (archived)