Yannick Noah Yannick Noah Yannick Noah (born 18 May 1960) is a former professional tennis player and singer from France. He won the French Open in 1983, and is currently the captain of both France's Davis Cup and Fed Cup team. During his career, which spanned almost two decades, Noah captured a total of 23 singles titles and 16 doubles titles, reaching a career-high singles ranking of World No. 3 (in July 1986) and attaining the World No. 1 doubles ranking the following month. Since his retirement from the game, Noah has remained in the public eye as a popular music performer
Tweener (tennis) version was called the "Gran Willy"), Yannick Noah, Ilie Nastase, Gabriela Sabatini (whose version became known as "the Sabatweenie"), Roger Federer, Juan Martín del Potro, Nick Kyrgios, Daria Kasatkina, Agnieszka Radwańska and Simona Halep. The origin of the backward shot is unclear; both Argentine Guillermo Vilas and French player Yannick Noah claim to have invented it. Both players used it somewhat regularly in the 1970s. Vilas was inspired by an advertisement where a polo player hit a backwards shot between his horse's hind legs. He debuted his version in a 1974 exhibition match at the courts of Obras Sanitarias Club