Maxime Omer Mathieu DecugisorDécugis(French pronunciation:[maksimdɔkyʒiz,-de-];24 September 1882 – 6 September 1978) was a Frenchtennisplayer. He won theFrench Championshipseight times (a French club members-only tournament before 1925). He also won three Olympic medals at the1900 Paris Olympicsand the1920 Antwerp Olympics,[2]with agold medalin the mixed doubles partneringSuzanne Lenglen.[3][4][5]

Max Decugis
Max Decugis standing near a tent in 1913
Full nameMaxime Omer Mathieu Decugis
Country (sports)France
Born(1882-09-24)24 September 1882
Paris, France
Died6 September 1978(1978-09-06)(aged 95)
Biot,France
Turned pro1900 (amateur)
Retired1926
PlaysRight-handed (one-handed backhand)
Singles
Career record241–64 (79.02%)
Career titles41[1]
Highest rankingNo. 10 (1913,A. Wallis Myers)
Grand Slam singles results
French Open1R (1925)
WimbledonSF (1911,1912)
US Open1R (1925)
Other tournaments
WHCCSF (1913,1914)
WCCCF (1919)
Doubles
Career record0–0
Grand Slam doubles results
WimbledonW(1911)
Other doubles tournaments
WHCCW(1914)
WCCCW(1913)
Mixed doubles
Other mixed doubles tournaments
WHCCW(1912, 1913, 1914, 1921)
WCCCW(1913, 1919)
Team competitions
Davis CupF (1904)
Medal record
Olympic Games
RepresentingaMixed team
Silver medal – second place 1900 Paris Men's doubles
RepresentingFrance
Gold medal – first place 1920 Antwerp Mixed doubles
Bronze medal – third place 1920 Antwerp Men's doubles
Intercalated Games
Gold medal – first place 1906 Athens Singles
Gold medal – first place 1906 Athens Doubles
Gold medal – first place 1906 Athens Mixed doubles

Life

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Decugis' father was a merchant at Les Halles, the company's name wasOmer Décugis et fils,[6]however the accent mark on the é is missing from Max Decugis' birth certificate, and appears inconsistently in later English-speaking sources such as the Ayres' Almanacks edited by Arthur Wallis Myers, but apparently never in any French-speaking sources. The origin of the family name Décugis, spelled with accented é in an 1842 source, is "fromCuges-les-Pins."[7]

In 1905 he marriedMarie Flameng,the daughter of painterFrançois Flameng,in Paris.[8]After the death of Marie in 1969, Max married Suzanne Louise Duval in October.

Career

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Max Decugis playing at theMargitszigetcourt in Budapest, Hungary in 1908

Decugis won the French Championships in 1903, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1912, 1913, and 1914 (also 14 times in doubles and seven times in mixed). The interruption of World War I denied Decugis the opportunity to defend his 1914 title. Decugis was also a four-time runner-up, having lost the final in 1902, 1906, 1920, and 1923. He won theInternational German Championshipin 1901 and 1902.

In major tournaments, Decugis reached the semifinals of both the1911and1912 Wimbledon Championshipsand the1913and1914 World Hard Court Championships(WHCC) and the final of theWorld Covered Court Championship(WCCC) in 1919. He won the mixed doubles title at the WHCC on four occasions (1912, 1913, 1914, 1921) and at the WCCC on two (1913, 1919).

In May 1910, Decugis twice defeatedAnthony Wildingat Wiesbaden, first in the final of the Wiesbaden Cup in four sets, followed by a victory in the final of the Wiesbaden Championship in three straight sets.

A. Wallis MyersofThe Daily Telegraphranked Decugis as world No. 10 in both 1913 and 1914.[9]

Grand Slam finals

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Doubles: 2 (1 titles, 1 runner-up)

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Result Year Championship Surface Partner Opponents Score
Win 1911 Wimbledon Grass André Gobert Major Ritchie
Anthony Wilding
9–7, 5–7, 6–3, 2–6, 6–2
Loss 1912 Wimbledon Grass André Gobert Charles P. Dixon
Herbert Roper-Barrett
6–3, 3–6, 4–6, 5–7

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Maxime Omer (Max) Decugis: Stats".tennisarchives.com.Tennis Archives.Retrieved1 September2016.
  2. ^"Max Decugis".Olympedia.Retrieved31 December2020.
  3. ^Photo with Lenglen
  4. ^Historical Dictionary of the Olympic MovementPage 97 Bill Mallon, Jeroen Heijmans – 2011 "Max Décugis was the winner of a record six Olympic medals (four gold, one silver, one bronze) for lawn tennis between… Although the Olympic tournaments during that era attracted many of the world's top players, Décugis's greatest."
  5. ^Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen;Mallon, Bill;et al."Max Décugis".Olympics at Sports-Reference.com.Sports Reference LLC.Archived fromthe originalon 3 December 2016.Retrieved26 January2014.Full name: Maxime Omer Mathieu "Max" Omer-Décugis
  6. ^Journal destribunaux de commerceVolume 38 Auguste François Teulet, Eugène Camberlin, Paul Camberlin – 1889 OMER DÉCUGIS et fils et Cie – M. Omer Décugis et fils et Cie, qui exploitent aux Halles centrales une importante maison de commission, ont acheté dans le courant de l'année 1882, pour l'annexer à leur maison, "
  7. ^Étienne Michel MasseMémoire historique et statistique sur le canton de la CiotatPage 147 1842 "L'expression chemin carré ne doit pas être rendue par chemin charretier; il n'y avait pas de charrette en ces temps-là; nous avons même lu plusieurs procès- (1 ) Le nom de famille Décugis si commun dans nos contrées n'est que celui de Cuges à l'ablatif latin avec la préposition de; De Cugis, venant de Cuges, sorti de Cuges."
  8. ^QuelleTaille (29 September 2020)."Taille Max Decugis".Quelle taille font-ils? 📏.Retrieved14 May2021.
  9. ^United States Lawn Tennis Association (1972).Official Encyclopedia of Tennis(First Edition), p. 422.
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