Julie Halard-Decugis

Julie Halard-Decugis was a French tennis player who played professionally from 1986 to 2000. Halard-Decugis achieved a career-best doubles ranking of number one in the world in September 2000, and a singles ranking of seven in the world in February 2000. She was the first French female tennis player to be ranked number one in the doubles in the Open Era.

As a young player Halard-Decugis won the junior singles titles at Wimbledon in 1987 and the French Open in 1988. She won her first WTA singles title at the 1991 Puerto Rico Open, beating South Africa’s Amanda Coetzer in straight sets. She won a further 11 singles titles, with the last one coming at the 2000 Japan Open. At Grand Slams she reached the quarter-finals in the singles at the Australian Open (1993, 2000) and the French Open (1994).

Halard-Decugis was an accomplished doubles player, winning 15 WTA titles from 1994 to 2000. In 2000 she paired with Ai Sugiyama of Japan, with the pair playing in all four Grand Slams. They reached the quarter-finals of the Australian Open, the semi-finals of the French Open, and the final of Wimbledon, losing to Serena and Venus Williams at the latter. At the US Open the pair went one step further in winning the doubles title, with the final being played on Halard-Decugis’ 30th birthday.

Halard-Decugis competed at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 2000 Sydney Olympics. In Barcelona she reached the second round of the singles before losing to Nicole Muns-Jagerman of the Netherlands. At the Sydney Games she went one round further in the singles, losing to Austria’s Barbara Schett in the third round. She also played in the doubles teaming with Amélie Mauresmo where the pair reached the quarter-finals.