This French tennis player and singer used to own a home in Montreux. Born in Sedan in 1960, Yannick Noah is the son of a Cameroonian soccer player and his French wife. After a sports injury in 1963, Noah's father was forced to return to Africa and he brought his family with him. There, young Yannick made his debut in tennis, demonstrating a strong talent that eventually brought him to the French Tennis Federation's training center in Nice in 1971.
He won his first victory in the Wimbledon junior category in 1977. The next year he became professional. It was an historic feat when he won the French Open at the age of 23. He won the French Open again in 1984, playing doubles with Henri Leconte. In 1986, he ranked third in the ATP international classification and took the lead in doubles. In 1991, captain of the French tennis team for the Davis Cup, Yannick Noah gave France its first victory in this prestigious tournament since 1932.
He began his music career in 1993 with the album Urban Tribu, featuring the track Saga Africa. He didn't give up tennis though, and in 1996 he began training the French women's team for the Fed Cup.
Yannick Noah is also active in charity work, having created Enfants de la Terre and Fête le Mur, a tennis association for underprivileged children. In collaboration with Jean-Jacques Goldman, Yannick Noah released a second album in 2000, called simply Yannick Noah.
This tennis player-cum-singer lives in Switzerland, like his fellow sportsmen Arnaud Boetsch and Henri Leconte. He owns a home in Montreux, where he relaxes between music tours. He sometimes takes part in the ATP Senior Tour tournaments organized in Switzerland by Arnaud Boetsch. Mr Noah is no longer a Swiss resident.