Voting Station

Henri Cochet

Please vote to return to collections.

Tennis Player

The Resume

    (December 14, 1901-April 1, 1987)
    Born in Villeurbane, France
    In singles, won four French Opens (1926,1928,1930,1932), two Wimbledons (1927,1929), and one US Open (1928)
    In doubles, won three French Opens (1927,1930,1932) and two Wimbledons (1926,1928)
    In mixed doubles, won two French Opens (1928-29), two Wimbledons (1930,1932) and one US Open (1927)
    Member of six Davis Cup winning teams (1927-32)
    Won silver medals in men's singles and men's doubles at the 1924 Summer Olympics
    Inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame (1976)

Why he might be annoying:

    He was expelled from a pro tour of the Soviet Union when he was accused of spying (1937).
    During World War II, he worked for the collaborationist Vichy government as head of the youth tennis program.
    His unorthodox style tended to be hit-or-miss, with Rene Lacoste observing, 'Henri Cochet can beat everybody when his shots are working and be beaten by everybody when they are not.'

Why he might not be annoying:

    Growing up, he was able to practice for free at a tennis club where his father was the groundskeeper and he was a ballboy.
    He managed one of the most improbable victories at the 1927 Wimbledon tournament, coming back from being down two sets to love in the quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals.
    His semifinals comeback against Bill Tilden -- he was down 5-1 in the third set, but won 17 straight points in taking the match 7-5 -- was so stunning that referee F.R. Burns said the spectators were 'almost too spellbound to move.'

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 5 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 15 Votes: 86.67% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 2 Votes: 50.0% Annoying